Our Morning Offering – 25 May – “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Seventh week of Easter
Salve Regina Hail Holy Queen By Blessed Herman the Cripple (1013–1054) His Memorial is on 25 September
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry,
Poor banished children of Eve,
To thee do we send up our sighs,
Mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
Thine eyes of mercy toward us
And after this our exile,
Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus
This line by St Bernard (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
℟ that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 24 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Seventh Sunday of Easter and the Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians
She, who stands at the Altar of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, without many of us today, will always be our help, most especially in these times of ‘lockdown.’ Though deprived of the Sacraments, we will never be deprived of her perpetual succour.
Prayer to Our Lady, Help Of Christians By St John Bosco (1815-1888)
Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Help of Christians,
how sweet it is to come to your feet
imploring your perpetual help.
If earthly mothers cease not
to remember their children,
how can you,
the most loving of all mothers, forget me?
Grant then to me, I implore you,
your perpetual help in all my necessities,
in every sorrow and especially in all my temptations.
I ask for your unceasing help
for all who are now suffering.
Help the weak,
cure the sick,
convert sinners.
Grant through your intercession,
many vocations to the religious life.
Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians,
that having invoked you on earth
we may love and eternally thank you in heaven.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 23 May – “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Mother of my God and my Lady Mary By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Mother of my God and my Lady Mary,
as a beggar, all wounded and sore,
presents himself before a great Queen,
so do I present myself before you,
who are Queen of heaven and earth.
From the lofty throne on which you sit,
disdain not, I implore you,
to cast your eyes on me, a poor sinner.
God has made you so rich
that you might assist the poor
and has made you Queen of Mercy
in order that you might relieve the miserable.
Behold me then and pity me,
behold me and abandon me not,
until you see me changed
from a sinner into a saint.
Amen
Our Love For Mary
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
All the world knows the Gospel story of the Lord’s last testament in which, at the supreme moment of death, He left His mother to the world, as the universal Mother of all who believe in Him, follow His commandments and form His Church, one, holy, Catholic and apostolic.
He, John, who is the witness and heir of this testament, takes care to add, that from that moment “the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26-27).
This welcoming of the Mother of Jesus as our Mother, is characteristic of the moving and glorious history of the Church’s continual devotion to Mary.
Ever Altar, every Chapel, every Church built in honour of the Mother of God, anywhere in the world, testifies to the historic fidelity of the Church’s children to the example of the beloved disciple.
Holy Immaculate Mary,
help of all who are in trouble.
Give courage to the faint-hearted,
console the sad,
heal the infirm,
pray for the people,
intercede for the clergy,
have a special care for nuns.
May all feel,
all enjoy your kind
and powerful assistance,
all who now and always,
render and will render you honour
and will offer you their petitions …
Hear all our prayers, O Mother
and grant them all.
We are all your children –
‘Grant the prayers of your children.’
Amen forever and ever!
Our Morning Offering – 22 May – “Mary’s Month” – Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Alma Redemptoris Mater Loving Mother of the Redeemer Prayers of the Church from the Breviary
Loving Mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen,
yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature
you bore your Creator,
Yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.
Alma Redemptoris Mater,
quae pervia caeli porta manes,
et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
surgere qui curat, populo:
tu quae genuisti, natura mirante,
tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius,
Gabrielis ab ore,
sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.
This is one of four Marian antiphons, with following versicles and prayers, traditionally said or sung after night prayer, immediately before going to sleep. It is said from the beginning of Advent (from night before the fourth Sunday before Christmas) through 1 February.
Our Morning Offering – 21 May – “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter
We shouldn’t really be praying this prayer right now in this Eastertide of Alleluias but, after so many weeks of this virus tyranny, my heart is sad, we were not able to celebrate Easter, we are beleaguered in every way and our hearts ache with longing for the Sacraments. Then today’s Saint, Blessed Franz Jägerstätter’s devotion to the Cross of Christ, his own courage and passion, seems so very appropriate for these times too. May he inspire us and pray for us. And may our Merciful Lady accept us too, the servants in place of the Master. Let us Pray!
What Can I Say, Merciful Lady? St Anselm (1033-1109) Marian Doctor / Magnificent Doctor
My most merciful 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 hurt?
What do I know of the flood
that drenched your matchless face,
when you beheld your Son, your Lord
and your God,
stretched on the cross without guilt,
when the flesh of your flesh
was cruelly butchered by wicked me?
How can I judge what sobs
troubled your most pure breast
when you heard,
“Woman, behold your son,”
and the disciple,
“Behold, your Mother,”
when you received as a son
the disciple in place of the Master,
the servant for the Lord?
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 20 May – “Mary’s Month” – Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
The Memorare By St Bernard (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
REMEMBER,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known,
that anyone who fled
to thy protection,
implored thy help,
or sought thy intercession
was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins,
my Mother,
to thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions
but in thy mercy
hear and answer me.
Amen
(The Express Novena you will recall, is 9 times the Memorare)
Quote/s of the Day – 19 May – “Mary’s Month” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter and the Memorial of St Francisco Coll y Guitart OP (1812-1875) “The Apostle of Modern Times”
Praise of the Rosary From a sermon of St Francisco Coll
… Oh Rosary! You are a book, brief yes but that teaches the holiest and most sacred of our Religion. You are an ark, that conceals a very rich treasure worthy of all men seeking it with great eagerness. You are a gift from Heaven, that you reveal to us the elements of religion, the principles, the motives and the practice of all the virtues, you light us in charity and love towards that God Who so deigned to do and suffer for us. You wake up the drowsy, enflame the lukewarm, you push the lazy, you embrace the righteous, you convert sinners, you reduce or confuse heretics, you frighten the devil, you tremble to hell or, to put it better, you are a devotion that includes and contains all the devotions.”
“Is this not a work of God and admirable in our eyes? Yes, yes, it is the work of God and given to the world, by the merits of my Father Saint Dominic.”
St Francisco Coll (1812-1875)
“The Apostle of Modern Times”
Our Morning Offering – 19 May – “Mary’s Month” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Make Me Like Yourself, Mary My Mother By St Louis-Marie de Montfort (1673-1716)
My powerful Queen,
you are all mine, through your mercy,
and I am all yours.
Take away from me, all that may displease God
and cultivate in me, all that is pleasing to Him.
May the light of your faith,
dispel the darkness of my mind,
your deep humility,
take the place of my pride,
your continual sight of God,
fill my memory, with His presence.
May the first, of the love of your heart
inflame the lukewarmness, of my own heart.
May your virtues, take the place of my sins.
May your merits, be my enrichment
and make up for all
that is wanting in me, before God.
My beloved Mother,
grant that I may have, no other spirit but your spirit,
to know Jesus Christ and His Divine will
and to praise and glorify the Lord,
that I may love God, with burning love like yours.
Amen
Mother of God
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
“My thoughts turn once more the words of the humble daughter of Israel who still speaks for our own hearts and lips, words which we repeat with enthusiasm to the blessed Mother of Jesus, who is our own Mother too – “Beata, beata viscera Mariae Virginis quae portaverunt, AEtern Patris Fillium!”“O blessed indeed the womb that bore you!
And, I place my confident trust in the reply of Jesus, which is the renewed assurance for you, children of the Catholic Church, that we may find here below on earth, a a pledge of our eternal happiness in heaven, prosperity, joy and peace, in proportion to our unconquerable fidelity to the teaching of the divine Word, always better understood and better guarded: “Blessed rather, are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
O Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother too!
We hail you with this cry that all generations of men repeat, contemplating the mysteries of your life and the splendour of your Assumption.
Once more, we hail you as blessed, beata – intercede for us, O glorious Queen of the world and be ever mindful of us, particularly in the dangers and needs of this present hour!
O Jesus, Son of Mary, our Brother and our Saviour, by the mystery of the body and blood which you deigned to assume from the Virgin’s pure womb and which we today renew on our Altar, preserve for us, the gift of faith for the salvation of our souls, for the prosperity and greatness of our people and for the glory of Your name, which will be, at the same time, our glory and our joy, in this present life and in eternity, amen.”
Quote/s of the Day – 18 May – “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter and the One Hundredth Anniversary of St Pope John Paul’s Birthday (1920-2005)
“The blessed martyrs cry to our hearts. Believe in God who is love! Believe in Him in good times and bad! Awaken hope! May it produce in you, the fruit of fidelity to God, in every trial!”
St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) At the Beatification of the 108 Martyrs of World War Two in Poland, 13 June 1999
“To die for the faith is a gift to some, to live the faith is a call for all.”
“Let the eyes of our faith never wander from the Cross of Calvary.”
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”
“Never, as in the Rosary, do the life of Jesus and that of Mary, appear so deeply joined. Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ!”
Adoro te Devote, latens Deitas! I Devoutly Adore You, hidden Deity By St John Paul II (1920-2005)
We adore You, O wonderful Sacrament of the presence of the One who loved His own “to the end.” We thank You, O Lord, who edifies, gathers together and gives life to the Church. O divine Eucharist, flame of Christ’s love that burns on the altar of the world, make the Church, comforted by You, evermore caring, in wiping away, the tears of the suffering and in sustaining the efforts of all who yearn for justice and peace. And you, Mary, “Eucharistic” Woman who offered your virginal womb for the incarnation of the Word of God, help us to live the Eucharistic Mystery in the spirit of the “Magnificat.” May our lives be a never-ending praise of the Almighty who concealed Himself beneath the humility of the Eucharistic signs.
Adoro te devote, latens Deitas. .. Adoro te… adiuva me!
I Devoutly Adore You, hidden Deity I Adore You, help me!
Our Morning Offering – 18 May – “Mary’s Month” Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Virgin Full of Goodness Mother of Mercy By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor angelicus Doctor communis
Virgin full of goodness,
Mother of mercy,
I entrust to you my body and my soul,
my thoughts and my actions,
my life and my death.
My Queen,
come to my aid
and deliver me from the snares of the devil.
Obtain for me the grace of loving
my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
with a true and perfect love,
and after him,
O Mary,
of loving you with all my heart
and above all things.
Amen
Sunday Reflection – 17 May – Sixth Sunday of Easter
The Eucharist in the Plan of Salvation
“God, infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself, in a plan of sheer goodness, freely created man to make him share His own blessed life. For this reason . . . God draws close to man” (CCC 1). Out of the pure and unselfish love that is His very essence, God created the universe so that we could exist and enjoy His love forever.
To this end, He revealed Himself to the whole world through a “Chosen People,” established a covenant of love with them, revealed His law to them, sent them prophets and, finally, fulfilled His covenant by sending His eternal Son, who was born, lived, died, resurrected and ascended, so that we could be saved from sin and united to God.
Jesus Christ the Son of God, continued His presence and work among us, by appointing Apostles and establishing the Church, His “Mystical Body.”
God did all this for one reason – for the love-union with us that is achieved most perfectly in this life in the Eucharist.
The Eucharist rests on the authority of Christ, who instituted it (Lk 22:14-20). “Faithful to the Lord’s command, the Church continues to do . . . what He did . . . ” (CCC 1333). Those who reject what the Church teaches and does, whether they know it or not, really reject what Christ teaches and does, for the Church’s creed, cult and code – her theology, liturgy and morality – are all in His name, who said to the Apostles, “he who hears you, hears me” (Lk 10:16).
The Eucharist has always been controversial and divisive, as was Christ.
This is supremely ironic, for the Eucharist is the sacrament of unity with Christ and, through Him (the “one bread”), with His whole Body the Church (the “one body”).”
Amen
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 Your feet nailed fast, mend the missteps of my past. Jesus, with Your riven hands, bend my will to love’s demands. Jesus, in Your Heart laid bare, warm my inner coldness there. Jesus, by Your thorn-crowned head, still my pride till it is dead. Jesus, by Your muted tongue, stay my words that hurt someone. Jesus, by Your tired eyes, open mine to faith’s surprise. Jesus, by Your fading breath, keep me faithful until death. Yes, Lord, by this Saving Sign, save this wayward soul of mine. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 16 May – “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Let Me Love Your Jesus By St Ildephonsus (c 607-670)
Virgin Mary, hear my prayer,
through the Holy Spirit,
you became the Mother of Jesus,
from the Holy Spirit,
may I too have Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit,
your flesh conceived Jesus,
through the same Spirit,
may my soul receive Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit,
you were able to know Jesus,
to possess Jesus
and to bring Him into the world.
Through the Holy Spirit,
may I too come to know your Jesus.
Imbued with the Spirit, Mary, you could say
“I am the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to your word,”
in the Holy Spirit, lowly as I am,
let me proclaim the great truths about Jesus.
In the Spirit, you now adore Jesus as Lord
and look on Him as Son,
in the same Spirit, Mary,
let me love your Jesus.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 15 May – “Mary’s Month” – Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter
My Lady, My Refuge and my Strength By St Germanus (c 634- c 733) Patriarch of Constantinople
My refuge and my strength
My Lady,
my refuge, life and help,
my armour and my boast,
my hope and my strength,
grant that I may enjoy
the ineffable, inconceivable gifts of your Son,
your God and our God,
in the heavenly kingdom.
For I know surely
that you have power to do as you will,
since you are Mother of the most High.
Therefore, Lady most pure,
I beg you
that I may not be disappointed in my expectations
but may obtain them, O Spouse of God,
who bore Him, who is the expectation of all,
Our lord Jesus Christ,
true God and master of all things,
visible and invisible,
to whom belongs all glory, honour and respect,
now and always and through endless ages.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 12 May – “Mary’s Month” Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Gracious Lady, Mother and Virgin By St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace
Gracious Lady,
you are a Mother and Virgin.
You are the Mother of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer.
You are also truly Mother
of all the members
of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through your love,
you have co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
you are Mother and Virgin,
Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ.
You are the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
You are forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came life,
yes, through you, O Mother of God.
Be with us through this life.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 11 May – “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Hail, O Mother! By St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father and Doctor of the Church
Hail, O Mother!
Virgin, heaven, throne, glory of our Church,
it’s foundation and ornament.
Earnestly pray for us to Jesus,
your Son and Our Lord,
that through your intercession
we may have mercy on the day of judgement.
Pray that we may receive all those good things
which are reserved for those who love God.
Through the grace and favour of Our Lord, Jesus Christ,
to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
be power, honour and glory,
now and forever.
Amen
Sunday Reflection – 10 May – The Fifth Sunday of Easter
”Lord, I am not worthy”
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
When I say, Domine, non sum dignus—”Lord, I am not worthy”—You whom I am addressing, alone understands in their fullness the words which I use. You see how unworthy so great a sinner is to receive the One Holy God, whom the Seraphim adore with trembling. You see, not only the stains and scars of past sins but the mutilations, the deep cavities, the chronic disorders which they have left in my soul. You see the innumerable living sins, though they be not mortal, living in their power and presence, their guilt and their penalties, which clothe me. You see all my bad habits, all my mean principles, all wayward lawless thoughts, my multitude of infirmities and miseries, yet You come. You see most perfectly how little I really feel what I am now saying, yet You come.
O my God, left to myself should I not perish under the awful splendour and the consuming fire of Your Majesty. Enable me to bear You, lest I have to say with Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
Act of Spiritual Communion By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
I desire, good Jesus,
to receive Thee in Holy Communion
and since I cannot now receive Thee
in the Blessed Sacrament,
I beseech Thee to come to me spiritually
and to refresh my soul with Thy sweetness.
Come, my Lord, my God and my All!
Come to me
and never let me ever again be separated from Thee by sin.
Teach me Thy blessed ways,
help me with Thy grace to imitate Thy example,
to practise meekness, humility,
charity and all the virtues of Thy Sacred Heart.
My divine Master, my one desire is to do Thy will
and to love Thee more and more.
Help me that I may be faithful to the end in Thy service.
Bless me in life and in death,
that I may praise Thee forever in heaven, Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 9 May – “Mary’s Month” – Saturday Fourth Week of Easter
O Blessed Lady, Mediatrix and Advocate By St Bernard (1090-1153) Doctor of Light
Our Mediatrix and Advocate
O blessed Lady,
you found grace, brought forth the Life,
and became the Mother of Salvation.
May you obtain the grace for us to go to the Son.
By your mediation, may we be received by the One
who through you, gave Himself to us.
May your integrity compensate with Him
for the fault of our corruption;
and may your humility,
which is pleasing to God,
implore pardon for our vanity.
May your great charity
cover the multitude of our sins
and may your glorious fecundity
confer on us a fecundity of merits.
Dear Lady, our Mediatrix and Advocate,
reconcile us to your Son,
recommend us to Him,
and present us to your Son.
By the grace you found,
by the privilege you merited,
by the mercy you brought forth,
obtain for us the favour we ask of you,
O blessed Lady.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 8 May – The Memorial of Blessed Henri Vergès FMS (1930-1994) Martyr, Marist Brothers Missionary and one of the 19 Algerian Martyrs
“… How can one express a spiritual experience? One can only stammer. God alone knows the windings of the way, the path He intends for this one and for that one, the journeying marked out by our welcomes and refusals.”
“God has simply sent me to sow the seed in the field chosen by Him – thus, to sow in peace and to leave Him to look after the growth. Without being surprised by the presence of the cross, as in the life of Jesus Himself.”
“Let the Peace of Christ invade me always, more and more intimately. Patience, gentleness towards myself, patience, gentleness towards all, in particular, the young people the Lord entrusts to me. Virgin Mary, make me an instrument of peace for the world.”
One Minute Reflection – 8 May – “Mary’s Month” – Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 13:26-33, Psalm 2:6-11, John 14:1-6 and the Memorial of Blessed Henri Vergès FMS (1930-1994) Martyr
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” … John 14:6
REFLECTION – “Day by day follow God’s path, keeping Him closely attached to you by His promise. In fact, He Himself said, through the mediation of His apostles, to all those who seek His will and His testimonies (Ps 118[119]:31 LXX), that He would be with them until the end of the world (Mt 28:20) where paths and footsteps will be unknown (cf, Ps 76:20), as the divine David said in his songs. Yet, in an invisible way, He is present to the eyes of the mind, making Himself seen by those who have a pure heart and conversing with them. So pursue your path ….
Take the wings of the love of God to fly like the clouds (cf. Is 60:8), raised above the obstacles of this earth. Anoint your feet with the oil of joy (cf. Ps 44:8) and temperance. Do not hinder the Lord’s narrow way with your dragging feet. If you are thirsty in your pusillanimity, drink the water of patience (cf. Sir 15:3), if you are hungry in your spiritual sluggishness, eat the bread that nourishes and strengthens the heart of man (cf. Ps 103[104]:15), a word of wisdom and courage. Hitch up your garment and be ready for action, look up and don’t burden yourself with those oppressive loads which are your evil desires. For anyone who is accomplishing the journey from earth to heaven, it is enough to diligently pursue one’s path without assuming extra weight. …
Be strong in the Lord; go up to the mountain of God, to His holy house (Is 2:3) with Isaiah the cantor, the prophet with such a powerful voice. Let none remain behind, none sit down; help one another, everyone rooted in a firm charity.” … St Theodore the Studite (759-826) Monk and Theologian at Constantinople – Catechesis 11
PRAYER – “[Lord God] I believe in You, increase my faith. All my hopes are in You, secure my trust. I love You, teach me to love You more each day… I adore You as my first beginning, I long for You as my final end. I praise You as my constant helper and call on You as my loving protector. Guide me by Your Wisdom, correct me with Your Justice, comfort me with Your Mercy, protect me by Your Power… Lord, enlighten my understanding, enflame my will, purify my heart, sanctify my soul. Help me to repent of my past sins and to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian…” (from the Universal Prayer by Pope Clement XI (1649-1721) Mary, Mother of our Lord, pray for us! Blessed Henri Vergès (1930-1994) Martyr, pray for us!
Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “Mary’s Month” – Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Mary, my Good Mother By St Marcellin Champagnat (1789-1840) Founder of the Marist Brothers
Mary, my Good Mother,
I am called here to do good.
I can achieve nothing
without the assistance
of your divine Son,
and yours as well.
This is why I ask you to help me.
I ask you to be with me,
directing my hands,
my words,
my heart,
my whole person.
And when I am faced with some difficulties,
Good Mother, I will entrust them to you
though I myself will do all that depends on me.
I offer and commend to you,
all that will be entrusted to me this day.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 7 May – “Mary’s Month” – Thursday Fourth week of Easter
O Mary, I Give You My Heart By St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)
O Mary, I give you my heart.
Grant me to be always yours.
Jesus and Mary,
be ever my friends
and, for love of you,
grant me to die, a thousand deaths
rather than to have the misfortune
of committing a single mortal sin.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 6 May – ‘Mary’s Month” – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Easter
Mother of Mercy By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Serpahic Doctor
Virgin full of goodness,
Mother of Mercy,
I entrust to you my body and soul,
my thoughts, my actions,
my life and my death.
O my Queen, help me,
and deliver me from all
the snares of the devil.
Obtain for me the grace
of loving my Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son,
with a true and perfect love,
and after Him, O Mary,
to love you with all my heart
and above all things.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 4 May – ‘Mary’ Month’ -Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
O Lady, I Call upon You By St Bernard (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
Run, hasten, O Lady,
and in your mercy help your sinful servant,
who calls upon you,
and deliver him from the hands of the enemy.
Who will not sigh to you?
We sigh with love and grief,
for we are oppressed on every side.
How can we do otherwise than sigh to you,
O solace of the miserable,
refuge of outcasts,
ransom of captives?
We are certain that when you see our miseries,
your compassion will hasten to relieve us.
O our sovereign Lady and our Advocate,
commend us to your Son.
Grant, O blessed one,
by the grace which you have merited,
that He, who through you,
was graciously pleased to become a partaker
of our infirmity and misery,
may also, through your intercession,
make us partakers, of His happiness and glory.
Amen
Mother of Good Counsel
By St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
O Mary, your name has been on my lips and in my heart, from my early infancy.
When I was a child, I learnt to love you as a Mother, turn to you in danger and trust to your intercession.
You see in my heart, the desire to know the truth, to practise virtue, to be prudent and just, strong and patient, a brother to all.
O Mary, help me to keep my purpose of living as a faithful disciple of Jesus, for the building up of Christian society and the joy of the Holy Catholic Church.
I greet you, Mother, morning and evening;
I pray to you as I go upon my way;
from you, I hope for the inspiration and encouragement, that will enable me to fulfil the sacred promises of my earthly vocation, give glory to God and win eternal salvation.
O Mary!
Like you in Bethlehem and on Golgotha, I too wish to stay always close to Jesus.
He is the eternal King of all ages and all peoples.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 2 May – “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Third Week of Easter, the Memorial of St Athanasius (c 295-373) – Father and Doctor of the Church, “The Father of Orthodoxy”
Mary, Mother of Grace St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor
It becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him who granted you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master, who was born of you.
For this reason,
you are called full of grace.
Remember us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
Virgin full of graces.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 1 May – “Mary’s Month” and Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God By St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Virgin and Mother!
Morning Star, perfect vessel.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Holy Temple in which god Himself was conceived.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Chaste and pure dove.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Who enclosed the One who cannot be encompassed
in your sacred womb.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
From you flowed the true light, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Through you the Conqueror
and triumphant Vanquisher of hell came to us.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Through you, the glory of the Resurrection blossoms.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
You have saved every faithful Christian.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of our death.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 29 April – Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter and the Memorial of St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
O God of Truth and Love A Prayer of Penitence By St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
O omnipotent Father,
God of truth,
God of love
permit me to enter into
the cell of self-knowledge.
I admit, that of myself,
I am nothing
but that all being
and goodness in me
comes solely from You.
Show me my faults,
that I may detest them,
and thus I shall flee from self-love
and find myself clothed again
in the nuptial robe of divine charity,
which I must have,
in order to be admitted
to the nuptials of life eternal.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 28 May – Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter, Readings: Acts 7:51–8:1, Psalm 31:3-4, 6-8, 17, 21, John 6:30-35 and the Memorial of Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament OCD (1925-1959)
“I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” … John 6:35
REFLECTION – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) – Sequence for the feast of Corpus Christi “ Lauda Sion ”
Laud, O Sion, thy salvation
Laud with hymns of exultation
Christ, thy King and Shepherd true,
Spend thyself, his honour raising,
Who surpasseth all thy praising,
Never canst thou reach His due.
Sing today, the mystery showing
Of the living, life-bestowing
Bread from heaven before thee set,
E’en the same of old provideth,
Where the Twelve, divinely guided,
At the holy table met.
Full and clear ring out thy chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting
To thy heart and soul today …
Lo, the new King’s table gracing,
This new Passover of blessing
Hath fulfilled the elder rite,
Now the new the old effaceth,
Truth revealed, the shadow chaseth,
Day is breaking on the night.
What He did, at Supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne’er to cease
And His word for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.
This the truth to Christians given,
Bread becomes His flesh from heaven,
Wine becomes His holy Blood (Jn 6:55). …
Whoso of this food partaketh,
Christ divideth not nor breaketh,
He is whole to all that taste.
Whether one this bread receiveth
Or a thousand, still He giveth
One same Food that cannot waste. …
Lo! the Angel’s Food is given (Ps 78[77]:25)
To the pilgrim who hath striven,
See the children’s Bread from heaven
Which to dogs may not be cast (Mt 15:26).
Truth the ancient types fulfilling,
Isaac bound, a victim willing (Gn 22),
Paschal lamb, its life-blood spilling,
Manna sent in ages past.
O true Bread, good Shepherd, tend us,
Jesu, of Thy love befriend us,
Thou refresh us, Thou defend us,
Thine eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see (Ps 27[26]:13)
Thou who all things canst and knowest,
Who on earth such Food bestowest,
Grant us with the saints, though lowest,
Where the heavenly Feast Thou showest,
Fellow-heirs and guests to be.
PRAYER – Almighty Father, to whom this world, with all it’s goodness and beauty belongs, give us grace joyfully to begin this day in Your name and to fill it with the active love for You and our neighbour. By the food You give us, to sustain us on this journey, we are brought to holiness in Your Son, our Lord Jesus the Christ, whom You gave to us as our food. May the Mother of Your Son and our mother, lead us to You and may the prayers of Bl Maria Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, be a succour on our way. Through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.
AnaStpaul 
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