Our Morning Offering – 2 April – Saturday of the Fourth Week in Lent
O Lamb of God
By St Irenaeus (c 130 – c 202)
Bishop & Martyr,
Father of the Church
O Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world,
look upon us and have mercy upon us,
You who art Yourself, both victim and Priest,
Yourself, both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil
those whom You have redeemed,
O Saviour of the world.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 31 March – Thursday of the Fourth week in Lent
Forgive Me, Good Jesus
By St Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751)
Lord,
I confess that up until now
I have not lived as a Christian.
I am not worthy
to be numbered among Your elect.
I recognise that I deserve to be damned
but Your mercy is great
and, full of confidence in Your grace,
I say to You that I wish to save my soul,
even if I have to sacrifice my fortune,
my honour, my very life,
as long as I am saved.
If I have been unfaithful up to now,
I repent, I deplore,
I detest my infidelity,
I ask You humbly to forgive me.
Forgive me, good Jesus
and strengthen me,
that I may be saved.
I ask You not for wealth,
honour or prosperity,
I ask You for one thing only,
to save my soul.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 30 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent – Isaias 1:16-19, John 9:1-38
“I Am the Light of the world.”
“I am the Light of the world;
he who follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life.”
“The Light of Christ
is an endless day
that knows no night.”
Lord, Kindle our Lamps
By St Columban (543-615)
Lord, kindle our lamps,
Saviour most dear to us,
that we may always shine
in Your presence
and always receive Light
from You,
the Light Perpetual,
so that our own
personal darkness,
may be overcome
and the world’s darkness
driven from us.
Amen
“He is the origin of all wisdom.
The Word of God in the heights,
is the source of wisdom.
Christ is the source of all true knowledge,
for He is “the way, the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6). …
As way, Christ is the teacher
and origin of knowledge …
Without this Light,
which is Christ,
no-one can penetrate
the secrets of faith.”
Our Morning Offering – 30 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
O Lord and Master of My Life
By St Ephrem (306-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord and Master of my life,
give me not a spirit of sloth, vain curiosity,
lust for power and idle talk.
But give to me, Thy servant,
a spirit of soberness, humility, patience and love.
O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own faults
and not to condemn my brother.
For blessed art Thou to the ages of ages.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Thy Holy Will
By St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582)
Doctor of the Church
Lord,
grant that I may always
allow myself to be guided by Thee,
always follow Thy plans
and perfectly accomplish Thy Holy Will.
Grant that in all things,
great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do,
whatever Thou may require of me.
Help me to respond
to the slightest prompting
of Thy grace,
so that I may be Thy trustworthy instrument,
for Thy honour.
May Thy Will be done in time
and eternity –
by me, in me and through me.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 27 March – Fourth Sunday of Lent “Laetare Sunday”
God, my God,
May I Always Abide in You
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church
God, my God,
inextinguishable and invisible fire,
You make Your Angels flaming fire.
Out of Your inexpressible love,
You have given me Your divine Flesh as food
and through this communion
of Your immaculate Body and precious Blood,
You receive me as a partaker of Your divinity.
Permeate all my body and soul,
all my bones and sinews.
Consume my sins in fire.
Enlighten my soul and illumine my mind.
Sanctify my body and make Your abode in me,
together with Your blessed Father
and All-Holy Spirit,
that I may always abide in You,
through the intercession
of Your immaculate Mother
and all Your saints.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 26 March – Saturday of the Third Week of Lent – Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, John 8:1-11
“Go and from now on, sin no more” – John 8:11
REFLECTION – “One after another all withdrew.”
The two were left alone, the woman in need of mercy and Mercy.
But the Lord, having struck them through with that dart of justice, deigned not to heed their fall but, turning His eyes away from them, “again he wrote with his finger on the ground.”
But when that woman remained alone and all had gone, He raised His eyes to her. We have heard the voice of justice; let us listen too to the voice of clemency…
This woman expected to be punished by Him, in whom sin could not be found.
But He, who had driven back her adversaries with the voice of justice, lifting the eyes of mercy to her, asked her: “Has no-one condemned you?” She answered, “No-one, Lord.”
And He said: “Neither do I condemn you. I by Whom, perhaps, you were afraid of being condemned because you have found no sin in Me; neither do I condemn you.”
What is this, O Lord?
Do you favour sins, then?
Certainly not!
But take note of what follows: “Go, henceforth sin no more.”
The Lord did condemn, therefore but He condemned the sin, not the sinner… Let them be careful, then, those who love the goodness in the Lord but who fear His truthfulness…
The Lord is gracious, the Lord is slow to anger, the Lord is merciful BUT the Lord is also just and the Lord is abounding in truth (Ps 85[86],15).
He gives you time for amendment but you prefer to take advantage of the delay, rather than to reform your ways.
Did you act wickedly yesterday? Be good today. Have you spent today in evil? At any rate change your behaviour tomorrow.
This, then, is the meaning of the words He addresses to this woman, “Neither do I condemn you but, having been made secure concerning the past, be on your guard in the future. I, for My part, will not condemn you, I have blotted out what you have done; keep what I have commanded, that you may gain what I have promised.” – St Augustine (354-430) Bishop, Father, Doctor of Grace –Tractate 33 on the Gospel of John, 5-8
PRAYER – O Infinite Goodness – Act of Contrition
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) – Doctor of the Church
O my God,
I am exceedingly grieved,
for having offended Thee
and with my whole heart,
I repent of the sins I have committed.
I hate and abhor them above every other evil,
not only because, by so sinning,
I have lost heaven and deserved hell
but still more because I have offended Thee,
O infinite Goodness,
who art worthy to be loved above all things.
I most firmly resolve,
by the assistance of Thy grace,
never more to offend Thee for the time to come
and to avoid those occasions
which might lead me into sin.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 26 March – Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
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
Our Morning Offering – 25 March – The Annunciation
O Mary, My Hope!
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church
I salute you, O Mary!
you are the hope of Christians.
Receive the prayer of a sinner,
who loves you tenderly,
honours you in a special manner
and places in you the whole hope
of his salvation.
From you I have my life.
You reinstate me in the grace of your Son:
you are the sure pledge of my salvation.
I beseech of you, therefore, to deliver me
from the burden of my sins,
dispel the darkness of my mind,
banish from my heart the love of the world,
repress the temptations of my enemies
and so rule my whole life, that by your means
and under your guidance,
I may obtain everlasting happiness in heaven.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 24 March – Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Behold Me, O Sweet Lord, Behold Me!
By St Aelred of Rievaulx O.Cist. (1110-1167)
Behold me, O Sweet Lord, behold me!
For I hope. that in Your Loving Kindness,
O Most Merciful One,
You will behold me,
either as a loving Physician to heal,
a kind Teacher to correct,
or an indulgent Father to pardon…
confident in Your Sweet Powerful Mercy
and most Merciful Power,
I ask, in virtue of Your Sweet Name
and of the Mystery of Your Sacred Humanity
that, mindful of Your Kindness
and unmindful of my ingratitude,
You forgive me my sins
and heal the languors of my soul.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 24 March – The Archangel Saint Gabriel. The name GABRIEL is a Hebrew name generally translated “strength of God” more accurately “my strength is in God” or “God is my strength.” Gabriel appeared to the prophet Daniel (Dan 8:16; 9:21), to the priest Zachary to announce the forthcoming birth of Saint John the Baptist (Luke 1:11, 19) and to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce the birth of Our Saviour (Luke 1:26.). His Feast Day is celebrated today 24 March. PATRONAGES – Ambassadors, Telecommunication workers, Radio and Television Broadcasters, Messengers and Couriers, Postal workers, Clerical workers, Diplomats, Stamp Collectors, Portugal, Santander in the Cebu Province in the Philippines.
So far in the Church’s Calendar, we have not met with any Feast in honour of the Holy Angels. Amidst the ineffable joys of Christmas Night, we mingled our timid but glad voices with the Hymns of these heavenly Spirits, who sang around the Crib of our Emmanuel. The very recollection brings joy to our hearts, saddened as they now are by penitential feelings and by the near approach of the mournful anniversary of our Jesus’ Death. Let us, for a moment, interrupt our sadness, and keep the Feast of the Archangel Gabriel. Later on, we shall have Michael, Raphael, and the countless host of the Angel Guardians but today, it is just that we should honour Gabriel. Yes, a day hence and we shall see this heavenly Ambassador of the Blessed Trinity coming down to the Virgin of Nazareth, let us, therefore, recommend ourselves to him and beseech him to teach us how to celebrate, in a becoming manner, the grand Mystery of which he was the Messenger.
Gabriel is one of the first of the Angelic Kingdom. He tells Zachary, that he stands before the Face of God (St. Luke 1:11,19.). He is the Angel of the Incarnation because it is in this Mystery, which apparently is so humble, that the power of God is principally manifested and, Gabriel signifies the strength of God. We find the Archangel preparing for his sublime office, even in the Old Testament. First of all, he appears to Daniel, after this Prophet had had the vision of the Persian and Grecian Empires and, such was the majesty of his person, that Daniel fell on his face trembling (Dan 7:17). Shortly afterwards, he appears again to the same Prophet, telling him the exact time of the coming of the Messias: Know thou and take notice: that from the going forth of the word to build up Jerusalem again, unto Christ the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks (Ibid. 9:25), that is, sixty-nine weeks of years.
When the fulness of time had come and Heaven was about to send the last of the Prophets, he, who after preaching to men the approach of the Messias, is to show him to the people, saying: Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, Gabriel descends from Heaven to the temple of Jerusalem and prophesies to Zachary the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:13), which was to be followed by that of Jesus Himself.
Six months later on, the holy Archangel again appears on the earth and this time it is Nazareth that he visits. He brings the great message from Heaven. Angel as he is, he reveres the humble Maid, whose name is Mary. He has been sent to her by the Most High God, to offer her the immense honour of becoming the Mother of the Eternal Word. It is Gabriel that receives the great Fiat, the consent of Mary and when he leaves this earth, he leaves it in possession of Him, for Whom it had so long prayed, in those words of Isaias: Drop down Dew, O ye Heavens (Is. 14:8.)!
The hour at length came, when the Mother of the Emmanuel was to bring forth the Blessed Fruit of her virginal Womb. Jesus was born amidst poverty but Heaven willed that His Crib should be surrounded by fervent adorers. An Angel appeared to some Shepherds, inviting them to go to the Stable near Bethlehem. He is accompanied by a multitude of the heavenly army, sweetly singing their hymn: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will! Who is this Angel that speaks to the Shepherds and seems, as the chief of the other blessed Spirits that are with him? In the opinion of several learned writers, it is the Archangel Gabriel, who is keeping up his ministry as Messenger of the Good Tidings (St. Luke 2:10).
Lastly, when Jesus is suffering His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemani, an Angel appears to Him, not merely as a witness of His suffering but that He might strengthen Him, under the fear his Human Nature felt at the thought of the Chalice of the Passion He was about to drink (Ibid. 22:42, 43.). Who is this Angel? It is Gabriel, as we learn, not only from the writings of several holy and learned authors,but also, from a Hymn which the Holy See has permitted to be used in the Liturgy. …
These are the claims of the great Archangel to our veneration and love; these are the proofs he gives of his deserving his beautiful name, the Strength of God. God has employed him in each stage of the great work, in which he has chiefly manifested his power, for Jesus, even on his Cross, is the Power of God (1 Cor. 1:21.), as the Apostle tells us. Gabriel prepares the way for Jesus. He foretells the precise time of His Coming; He announces the birth of His Precursor; he is present at the solemn moment when the Word is made Flesh; he invites the Shepherds of Bethlehem to come to the Crib and adore the Divine Babe and when Jesus, in his Agony, is to receive Strength from one of His own creatures, Gabriel is found ready in the Garden of Gethsemani, as he had been at Nazareth and Bethlehem.
The Angel of the Agony
John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Jesu! by that shuddering dread which fell on Thee;
Jesu! by that cold dismay which sicken’d Thee;
Jesu! by that pang of heart which thrill’d in Thee;
Jesu! by that mount of sins which crippled Thee;
Jesu! by that sense of guilt which stifled Thee;
Jesu! by that innocence that girded Thee;
Jesu! by that sanctity that reign’d in Thee;
Jesu! by that Godhead which was one with Thee;
Jesu! spare those souls which are so dear to Thee;
Who in prison, calm and patient, wait for Thee;
Hasten, Lord, their hour and bid them come to Thee;
To that glorious Home, where they shall ever gaze on Thee.
Amen
O holy Angel who didst strengthen Jesus Christ our Lord,
come and strengthen us also, come and tarry not!
An indulgence of 300 day
Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
Inflame our Hearts with Your Love
Prayer To the Holy Spirit
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
You made Mary full of grace
and enflamed the hearts of the Apostles
with a holy zeal.
Inflame our hearts with Your love.
You are the Spirit of Goodness,
Give us the courage to confront evil.
You are Fire, set us ablaze with Your love.
You are Light, enlighten our minds,
that we may see what is truly important.
You are the Dove, give us gentleness.
You are a soothing Breeze,
bring calm to the storms that rage within us.
You are the Tongue,
may our lips ever sing God’s praises
You are the Cloud,
shelter us under the shadow of Your protection
O Holy Ghost, melt the frozen,
warm the chilled
and enkindle in us an earnest desire
to please You.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
A Lenten Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Doctor of the Church
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
Our Morning Offering – 21 March – Monday of the Third Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Benedict OSB (c 480-547)
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.
Our Morning Offering – 20 March – The Third Sunday of Lent
Thou Hope of All the World and Lord
Attri to St Boniface (672-754)
Sarum Rite Breviary
Transl. Fr Alan G McDougall (1895-1964)
Thou Hope of all the world and Lord,
Bestower of the great reward,
Receive the prayers Thou servants raise;
Accept our psalms and hymns of praise.
And though our consciences doth proclaim
Our deep transgressions and our shame,
Cleanse us, O God, we humbly plead,
From sins of thought and word and deed.
Our sins remember Thou no more,
Forgive – Thy mercy can restore;
So, take upon Thee, Lord our care,
That, pure in heart, we make our prayer.
Therefore, accept, O Lord, this tide,
Of fast which Thou have sanctified,
That we, may reach by mystic ways
The Sacraments of Paschal days.
May He, Who is the Threefold Lord,
On us confer this high reward,
In Whom so long as worlds abide,
One Only God, is glorified.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 March – Thursday of the Second Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Patrick (c 385-461) “The Apostle of Ireland”
Excerpt of the Lorica
By St Patrick (c 385-461)
I arise today
Through God’s Strength, to pilot me;
God’s Might, to uphold me,
God’s Wisdom, to guide me,
God’s Eye, to look before me,
God’s Ear, to hear me,
God’s Word, to speak for me,
God’s Hand, to guard me,
God’s Way, to lie before me,
God’s Shield, to protect me,
God’s Hosts, to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation,
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 16 March – Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
O Most Compassionate Jesus!
By Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day
6 October 1870
O Most compassionate Jesus!
Thou alone art our salvation,
our life and our resurrection.
We implore Thee, therefore,
do not forsake us
in our needs and afflictions
but by the agony of
Thy Most Sacred Heart
and by the sorrows of
Thy Immaculate Mother,
succour Thy servants,
whom Thou hast redeemed
by Thy most Precious Blood.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 13 March – The Second Sunday of Lent
How Great is Your Goodness, Lord!
By Archbishop Baldwin
of Canterbury (c 1125-1190)
How great is Your goodness, Lord,
Who does not shrink from letting Your servant,
place You upon his heart!
How great my own worth,
since You have chosen me
to have part in Yours,
to have You abiding in me,
to love You as You deserve, above myself.
Lord, take from me this hard heart
and give me a new, clean heart
of flesh and blood.
You who make my heart pure,
take possession of mine
and make it Your home.
Hold it and fill it,
You, Who are higher than my topmost height,
more inward than my inward being.
You, the Seal of Holiness,
Beauty of beauties,
engrave on my heart, Your Image
and the imprint of Your mercy.
Be, O God, my eternal love
and my inheritance.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 11 March – Ember Friday of the First Week of Lent
Have Mercy, Lord
By St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Doctor of the Church
Have mercy, Lord,
on all my friends and relatives,
on all my benefactors,
on all who pray to Thee for me
and on all who have asked me
to pray to Thee, for them.
Give them the spirit of fruitful penance,
mortify them in all vices
and make them flower
in all Thy virtues.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 10 March – Thursday of the First Week of Lent
My God, Do Not Abandon Me
By St Arsenius the Great (c 354-c 449)
My God,
do not abandon me,,
although I have done nothing good
in Your sight
but because You are compassionate,
grant me the power
to make a start.
Amen
About St Arseniuse:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/19/saint-of-the-day-19-july-saint-arsenius-the-great-(c-354-c-449)
Our Morning Offering – 9 March – Wednesdayof the First Week of Lent, Ember Wednesday – FAST & PARTIAL ABSTINENCE
Act of Contrition
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
My Lord Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey
to die for me, with love unutterable
and I have so many times unworthily abandoned You
but now I love You with my whole heart
and because I love You,
I repent sincerely for having ever offended You.
Pardon me, my God
and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me,
I wish also, my beloved Redeemer,
to die for love of Thee.
My Jesus, I will live
and die always united to You.”
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Prayer for the Gift of Prayer
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
O Incarnate Word,
You have given Your Blood and Your Life
to confer on our prayers that power by which,
according to Your promise,
they obtain for us, all that we ask.
And we, O God,
are so careless of our salvation,
that we will not even ask You for the graces
that we must have, if we should be saved!
In prayer You have given us the key
of all Your Divine treasures
and we, rather than pray,
choose to remain in our misery.
Alas! O Lord, enlighten us,
and make us know the value of prayers,
offered in Your Name and by Your merits,
in the eyes of Your Eternal Father.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 7 March – Monday of the First Week of Lent
Prayer to do the Will of God
By St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)
Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,
grant us in our misery,
the grace to do for You alone
what we know You want us to do
and always to desire, what pleases You.
Thus, inwardly cleansed,
interiorly enlightened
and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit,
may we be able to follow in the footprints of
Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
And, by Your grace alone,
may we make our way to You,
Most High, Who live and rule in perfect Trinity
and simple Unity
and are glorified God
all-powerful, forever and ever.
Amen
All Highest, Glorious God
All highest, glorious God,
cast Your light into the darkness of our hearts,
give us true faith, firm hope,
perfect charity and profound humility,
so that with wisdom,
courage and perception, O Lord,
we may do what is truly Your holy will.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 6 March – The First Sunday of Lent
Now Let Us All with One Accord
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Now let us all with one accord,
In fellowship with ages past,
Keep vigil with our heav’nly Lord,
In His temptation and His fast.
The Covenant so long revealed
To faithful ones in former time,
Christ by His own example sealed,
The Lord of love, in love sublime.
Remember, Lord, though frail we be,
By Your own kind Hand we were made
And help us, lest our frailty
Cause Your great Name to be betrayed.
Hear us, O Trinity sublime,
And undivided unity.
So let this consecrated time
Bring forth its fruit abundantly.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 5 March – The First Saturday of Lent
Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle,
Refuge of Sinners
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the Hope, the Refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate thee, great Queen
and I thank thee for the many graces
thou hast bestowed upon me, even unto this day,
in particular, for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often deserved by my sins.
I love thee, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve thee willingly forever
and to do what I can to make thee loved by others.
I place in thee all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as thy servant
and shelter me under thy mantle,
thou, who art the Mother of Mercy.
And since thou are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least, obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From thee, I implore, a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through thee, I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by thy love for Almighty God,
I pray thee to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until thou shalt see me safely in Heaven,
there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies,
throughout all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 3 March – The First Thursday of Lent
A Lenten Prayer
By St Pope Pius V (1504-1572)
Look with favour, Lord,
on Your household.
Grant that,
though our flesh be humbled
by abstinence from food,
our souls, hungering after You,
may be resplendent in Your sight.
Amen
St Pius V is the Pope of the Council of Trent, the Counter Reformation, the excommunication of Elizabeth I for Heresy and persecution of English Catholics and of the Battle of Lepanto, amongst many other illustrious and holy achievements.
Our Morning Offering – 2 March – Ash Wednesday
Pardon Lord, I Ask
By St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church
Lord Jesus Christ,
Who stretched out Your Hands on the Cross
and redeemed us by Your Blood,
forgive me, a sinner ,
for none of my thoughts
are hidden from You.
Pardon I ask,
Pardon I hope for,
Pardon I trust to have.
You, Who are full of pity and mercy,
spare me and forgive.
Amen.
“All those who, attracted by My Love and venerating My Countenance, shall receive, by virtue of My Humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of My Divinity. This splendour shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that in eternal glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness of their features, with My Divine Countenance.” … Our Lord Jesus Christ to St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity,
through the intercession of Holy Mary,
whose soul was pierced through
by a sword of sorrow
at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son,
we ask Your help,
in making a perfect Novena of Reparation with Jesus,
united with all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the Angels and Saints
to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena
to the Most Holy Face of Jesus
and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
DAY NINE
Psalm 50:18-19:
For in sacrifice Thou take no delight,
burnt offering Thou wouldst refuse.
A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit,
a contrite and humble heart, O God,
Thou wilt not despise.
Sacred Face of our Lord and our God,
what words can we say
to express our gratitude?
How can we speak of our joy?
That You have deigned to hear us,
that You have chosen to answer us
in our hour of need.
We say this because we know,
that our prayers will be granted.
We know that You,
in Your loving kindness,
listen to our pleading hearts
and will give, out of Your fullness,
the answer to our problems.
Mary, our Mother,
thank you for your intercession on our behalf.
Saint Joseph, thank you for your prayers.
Through the merits of your precious blood
and your Holy Face, O Jesus,
grant us our petition ………………
Pardon and mercy.
Prayer to the Holy Face
By St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face OCD (1873-1897)
O Jesus, Who, in Thy cruel Passion
didst become, the ‘reproach of men and the Man of Sorrows,’
I worship Thy Divine Face.
Once it shone with the beauty
and sweetness of the Divinity
but now, for my sake,
it is become as ‘the face of a leper.’
Yet, in that disfigured Countenance,
I recognise Thy infinite love
and I am consumed with the desire
of making Thee loved by all mankind.
The tears that flowed so abundantly
from Thy Eyes are, to me,
as precious pearls which I delight to gather,
that with their worth,
I may ransom the souls of poor sinners.
O Jesus, Whose Face is the sole beauty
which ravishes my heart,
I may not see, here below,
the sweetness of Thy glance,
nor feel the ineffable tenderness of Thy kiss,
I bow to Thy Will—but I pray Thee,
to imprint in me Thy divine likeness
and I implore Thee,
so to inflame me with Thy love,
that it may quickly consume me
and that I may soon reach the vision
of Thy glorious Face in Heaven.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering –28 February
Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
For the Sake of Your Only Son
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of the Church
Almighty Father, come into our hearts
and so fill us with Your love
that forsaking all evil desires,
we may embrace You, our only good.
Show us, O Lord our God, what You are to us.
Say to our souls, I am your salvation,
speak so, that we may hear.
Our hearts are before You,
open our ears,
let us hasten after Your Voice.
Hide not Your Face from us,
we beseech You, O Lord.
Open our hearts, so that You may enter in.
Repair the ruined mansions,
that You may dwell therein.
Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
for the sake of Your only Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 27 February – Quinquagesima Sunday
O Christ, our Master and our God
By St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church
O Christ, our Master and God,
King of the ages and Creator of all,
I thank You for all the good things
that You have given to me
and for the reception of Your most pure
and life-giving Mysteries.
I pray You, therefore,
O good Lover of mankind,
keep me under Your protection
in the shadow of Your wings.
Grant that with a pure conscience,
until my last breath,
I may worthily partake
of Your Holy Things,
for the forgiveness of sins
and for life everlasting.
For You are the Bread of Life,
the Fountain of holiness
and the Bestower of blessings
and to You, we give glory
together with the Father
and the Holy Spirit,
now nad forever and ever.
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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