Into the Arms of Your Mercy By St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
Into the Arms of Your Mercy, O Mary, my Queen, I cast myself, into the arms of your mercy. I place my soul and body, in your blessed care and under your special protection from this world. I entrust to you, all my hopes and consolations, all my anguish and misery, my life and the end of my life. Through your most holy intercession and through your merits, grant that all my works may be directed and carried out, in accordance with your will and the will of your Divine Son. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 11 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 love of your heart inflame the lukewarmness, of mine. May your virtues, take the place of my sins. May your merits, be my enrichment and make up for allthat 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
Quote/s of the Day – 28 April – The Memorial of Quote/s of the Day – 28 April – The Memorial of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“Take advantage of little sufferings even more than of great ones. God considers not so much what we suffer, as how we suffer. . . Turn everything to profit as the grocer does in his shop.”
“The salvation of the whole world began with the “Hail Mary.” Hence, the salvation of each person is also attached to this prayer.”
“Mary is the great mould of God … He who is cast in this divine mould is soon formed and moulded in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ in him. With little effort and in a short time, he will become divine, since he is cast in the same mould which formed a God.”
“The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother.”
One Minute Reflection – 28 April – Wednesday of the Fourth week of Easter, Readings: Acts 12:24–13:5, Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8, John 12:44-50 and the Memorial of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“I am come as light into the world, that whosoever believes in me, may not remain in darkness..” – John 12:46
REFLECTION – “The humility with which Christ “emptied himself, assuming the condition of a servant” (Phil 2:7) is our light. His denial of the world’s glory, He who chose to be born in a stable rather than a palace and to undergo a shameful death on the cross, is light for us. Owing to this humility, we can know just how detestable is the sin of a creature of clay (Gn 2:7), a wretched man of no worth, when he puffs himself up, vaunts himself and refuses to obey, while we see the infinite God, humiliated, despised and delivered up to men.
A light for us, too, is the meekness with which He bore hunger, thirst and cold, insults, blows and wounding, when “like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep before its shearers, he did not open his mouth” (Is 53:7). Indeed, in view of this meekness, we see how pointless anger is, as also threats. Then we consent to suffer and do not serve Christ out of habit. Thanks to this, we learn to pay heed to all that is asked of us, weeping for our sins in submission and silence and patiently bearing the sufferings that come our way. For Christ bore His torments with such great meekness and patience, not for sins He had not committed but for those of others.
From now on, dearest brethren, ponder over all the virtues Christ taught us by the example of His life, that He recommends to us through His preaching and. gives us the strength to imitate, by the aid of His grace.” – Lanspergius the Carthusian (1489-1539) Monk, theologian – Sermon 5
PRAYER – Lord God, life of those who believe in You, glory of the humble and happiness of the Saints, listen kindly to our prayer. We long for what You promises, fill us from Your abundance, give us true faith and obedience. May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Your Son, be our constant recourse. and may her cliet and Yours, St Louis Marie de Montfort, pray for us all. Through Our Lord, Jesus with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Acts 12: 24 — 13: 5a 24 But the word of the Lord increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, having fulfilled their ministry, taking with them John, who was surnamed Mark. 13:1 Now there were in the church which was at Antioch, prophets and doctors, among whom was Barnabas and Simon who was called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene and Manahen, who was the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Ghost said to them: Separate me Saul and Barnabas, for the work whereunto I have taken them. 3 Then they, fasting and praying and imposing their hands upon them, sent them away. 4 So they being sent by the Holy Ghost, went to Seleucia and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they were come to Salamina, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.
Gospel: John 12: 44-50 44 But Jesus cried and said: He that believes in me, does not believe in me but in him that sent me. 45 And he that sees me, sees him that sent me. 46 I am come as light into the worl, that whosoever believes in me, may not remain in darkness. 47 And if any man hears my words and keeps them not, I do not judge him: for I came not to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He that despises me and receives not my words, has one that judges him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken of myself but of the Father who sent me, he gave me commandments what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting. The things, therefore, that I speak, even as the Father said unto me, so do I speak.
Our Morning Offering – 28 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easte and the Memorial of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
Morning Offering By St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
My God, just as I wish to love nothing more than You, so I wish to live, only for You. I offer You all my thoughts, all my words, all my actions and all my sufferings of this day; please bestow Your holy blessing, upon them all. Amen
Nuestra Señora del / Our Lady of Quito, Ecuador (1534) – 28 April:
This miraculous image of Our Lady of Quito currently in the Capital City of Ecuador ,is said to date from the first Spanish settlement there in the year 1534. At the very least, it has certainly been venerated there for a long time and is popularly called ,by the people of Quito, Our Lady of the Earthquake. The painting represents the Sorrowful Mother and in the early years of the twentieth century, devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Quito was introduced into England ,by the Servite Friars in London. Saint Pius X accorded them an indulgence for those who should pray before her picture, and the devotion was greatly promoted in England by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, Mother Cornelia Connelly’s congregation. The original image at Quito was solemnly crowned in 1918. On 20 April 1906, thirty-six boys attending the boarding school of the Jesuit Fathers at Quito, Ecuador, together with Father Andrew Roesch, witnessed a miracle of this famous picture of Our Lady. While in the refectory they all saw the Blessed Mother slowly open and shut her eyes. The same miracle occurred no less than seven times after that, in favour of the boys at the school but this time, in the Chapel to which the picture had been taken.
Ecclesiastical authorities soon investigated these incidents and finally concluded by ordering the picture to be transferred, in procession from the college to the Church of the Jesuit Fathers. Once at the Church, the miracle was repeated several times before large crowds and many, many conversions took place because of these miracles. At one time, the wonder continued for three consecutive days. At Riobamba, before a faithful reproduction of Our Lady of Quito, the same wonder was seen by more than 20 persons, including the president of the City. In Quito this picture is known as the Dolorosa del Colegio.
A Conceptionist Sister, named Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres received Marian apparitions under this title from 2 February 1594 to 2 February 1634. In 1611, the local Bishop gave his approval to the apparitions.
Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres
Our Lady appeared to Mother Mariana and predicted many things about our own times. This following, is part of what she told her. We can see for ourselves how it relates directly to our own time. “…. I make it known to you, that from the end of the 19th century and shortly after the middle of the 20th century…. the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of customs (morals)…. “They will focus principally on the children, in order to sustain this general corruption. Woe to the children of these times! It will be difficult to receive the Sacrament of Baptism and also, that of Confirmation… “As for the Sacrament of Matrimony… it will be attacked and deeply profaned… The Catholic spirit will rapidly decay; the precious light of the Faith will gradually be extinguished… Added to this, will be the effects of secular education, which will be one reason for the dearth of priestly and religious vocations. “The Sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed and despised… The Devil will try to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every possible way; he will labour with cruel and subtle astuteness, to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of them. These depraved priests, who will scandalise the Christian people, will make the hatred of bad Catholics and the enemies of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church ,fall upon all priests… “Further, in these unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury, which will ensnare the rest ,into sin and conquer innumerable frivolous souls, who will be lost. Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme moment of need of the Church, the one who should speak will fall silent.” In a subsequent apparition, Our Lady told Mother Mariana that these apparitions were not to become generally known until the twentieth century.
On 8 December 1634, the apparition predicted that Papal Infallibility “will be declared a Dogma of the Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the Dogma of the Mystery of My Immaculate Conception.” In 1854, Blessed Pope Pius IX defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception and in 1870, he declared the Dogma of Papal Infallibility as defined by the First Vatican Council.
Mother Mariana died on 16 January 1635, shortly after the last apparition. When her tomb was reopened in 1906, her body was found to be perfectly incorrupt, after nearly 300 years in an ordinary, unprotected, wooden coffin. The Archdiocese of Quito opened her cause for Canonisation in 1986 and finished the Diocesan stage of the process ,in 1997.
Quo/ste of the Day – 11 February – The Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes
“I am the Immaculate Conception.”
Our Lady of Lourdes to St Bernadette 25 March 1858
“Mary is the great mould of God … He who is cast in this divine mould is soon formed and moulded in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ in him. With little effort and in a short time, he will become divine, since he is cast in the same mould which formed a God.”
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
O daughter of King David and Mother of God, the universal King. O Divine and living object whose beauty has charmed God the Creator; your whole soul is completely open to God’s action and attentive to God alone. … Your womb will be the abode of the one whom no place can contain. Your milk will provide nourishment for God, in the little Infant Jesus. Your hands will carry God and your knees will serve as a throne for Him that is more noble than the throne of the Cherubim. … You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the city of the living God, made joyous by abundant flowers, the sacred flowers of Divine grace. You are all-beautiful and very close to God, above the Cherubim and higher than the Seraphim, right near God Himself! Amen
St John Damascene (675-749) Father and Doctor of the Church
Baptism of St Louis de Montfort /Eve of the Purification of Our Lady, Paris: 1 February Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was born on 31 January 1673. He was a Missionary Priest but it was his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and his ‘Total Consecration’ for which he is now most famous. Baptism is recalled as part of the vow of consecration: “I…renew in all sincerity the promises I solemnly made at the time of my holy Baptism.”
The saints see things very differently than most men. In his Consecration to Mary, St Louis states, “You are truly blessed if the world persecutes you, opposing your plans though they are good, thinking evil of your intentions, calumniating your conduct and taking away unjustly your reputation or your possessions.” “My son, beware of complaining to others, rather than to Me, of the bad treatment you receive, and do not seek ways of justifying yourself, particularly when you are the only one to suffer from it. On the contrary, pray for those who procure for you the blessings of persecution. Thank Me for treating you as I Myself was treated on earth, a sign of contradiction. Never be discouraged in your plans because you meet with opposition, it is a pledge of future victory. A good work which is not opposed, which is not marked by the sign of the cross, has no great value before Me and will soon be destroyed. Regard as your best friends those who persecute you because they procure for you, great merit on earth and great glory in heaven. Regard as unfortunate those who live in luxury, who feast sumptuously, who frequent the world of fashion, who make their way in the world, who succeed in business and who spend their lives in pleasures and amusements. Never do anything, either good or evil, out of human respect to avoid any blame, insult, mockery, or praise. When through your own fault some loss or disgrace befalls you, do not be disturbed by it but rather humble yourself before God and accept it from His hands as punishment for your fault.” Saint Louis de Montfort had a difficult life in which he was often unjustly persecuted and where he faced unexpected challenges in his desire to promote love and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In some ways and by worldly standards, he often appeared a failure and his motives were misunderstood. Nothing was wasted, for all his work was truly for the glory of God and for the honour of the Mother of God and his devotion to her has borne great fruit! Amen!
St Brigid of Fiesole St Brigid of Ireland/Kildare (c 453-523) St Brigid’ Story: https://anastpaul.com/2019/02/01/saint-of-the-day-st-brigid-of-ireland-kildare-c-453-523/ St Cecilius of Granada St Cinnia of Ulster St Clarus of Seligenstadt Bl Conor O’Devany St Crewenna St Darlaugdach of Kildare St Henry Morse St Ioannes Yi Mun-u St Jarlath Bl John of the Grating St Kinnia Blessed Luigi Variara SDB (1875-1923) Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/01/saint-of-the-day-blessed-blessed-luigi-variara-sdb-1875-1923/ Bl Patrick O’Lougham St Paul of Trois-Châteaux St Paulus Hong Yong-ju St Raymond of Fitero St Sabinus St Severus of Avranches St Severus of Ravenna St Sigebert III of Austrasia St Tryphon of Lampsacus St Ursus of Aosta St Veridiana — Martyrs of Avrillé – 47 beati: Forty-seven Christians executed together for their faith in the anti-Catholic persecution of the French Revolution. • Anne-François de Villeneuve• Anne Hamard• Catherine Cottenceau• Charlotte Davy• François Bellanger• François Bonneau• François Michau• François Pagis epouse Railleau• Gabrielle Androuin• Jacquine Monnier• Jeanne Bourigault • Jeanne Fouchard épouse Chalonneau• Jeanne Gruget veuve Doly• Jeanne-Marie Sailland d’Epinatz• Louise-Aimée Dean de Luigné• Louise-Olympe Rallier de la Tertinière veuve Déan de Luigné• Madeleine Blond• Madeleine Perrotin veuve Rousseau• Madeleine Sailland d’Epinatz• Marguerite Rivière epouse Huau• Marie Anne Pichery épouse Delahaye• Marie-Anne Vaillot• Marie Cassin épouse Moreau• Marie Fausseuse épouse Banchereau• Marie Gallard épouse Quesson• Marie Gasnier épouse Mercier• Marie Grillard• Marie-Jeanne Chauvigné épouse Rorteau• Marie Lenée épouse Lepage de Varancé• Marie Leroy• Marie Leroy épouse Brevet• Marie Roualt épouse Bouju• Odilia Baumgarten• Perrine Androuin• Perrine Besson• Perrine-Charlotte Phelippeaux épouse Sailland d’Epinatz• Perrine Grille• Perrine Ledoyen• Perrine Sailland d’Epinatz• Renée Cailleau épouse Girault• Renée Grillard• Renée Martin épouse Martin• Renée Valin• Rose Quenion• Simone Chauvigné veuve Charbonneau • Suzanne Androuin• Victoire Bauduceau epouse Réveillère. They were martyred on 1 February 1794 in Avrillé, Maine-et-Loire, France and Beatified on 19 February 1984 by St Pope John Paul II at Rome, Italy.
Martyrs of Korea: Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions in Korea. Today we celebrate and honour: • Saint Barbara Ch’oe Yong-i • Saint Ioannes Yi Mun-u • Saint Paulus Hong Yong-ju
Our Morning Offering – 30 January – Mary’s Saturday, as always
Into the Arms of Your Mercy By St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
Into the Arms of Your Mercy, O Mary, my Queen, I cast myself, into the arms of your mercy. I place my soul and body, in your blessed care and under your special protection from this world. I entrust to you, all my hopes and consolations, all my anguish and misery, my life and the end of my life. Through your most holy intercession and through your merits, grant that all my works may be directed and carried out, in accordance with your will and the will of your Divine Son. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 31 December – The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Are we Ready? Will this be another year from hell?
“Brothers, . . . I can only say, that forgetting all that lies behind me and straining forward to what lies in front of me, I am racing towards the finishing-point, to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13
“My brothers, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, therefore, in all sincerity, give one another practical proof of it and by your progress in it, make your ascent together.”
St Fulgentius of Ruspe (c 462 – 533)
“Love God, serve God, everything is in that.”
St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
“In God’s Name, let us go on bravely”
St Joan of Arc (1412-1431)
“Our business is, to gain heaven; everything else, is a sheer waste of time.”
St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
“God Alone”
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labours.”
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
Quote/s of the Day – 20 December – The Fourth Sunday of Advent – O Clavis David/O Key of David – Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12, 14, 16, Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29, Romans 16:25-27, Luke 1:26-38
“[Jesus] became man by the Virgin so that the course, which was taken by disobedience in the beginning, through the agency of the serpent, might be also, the very course by which it would be put down. Eve, a virgin and undefiled, conceived the word of the serpent and bore disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy when the Angel Gabriel announced to her, the glad tidings, that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, for which reason, the Holy One being born of her, is the Son of God. And she replied ‘Be it done unto me according to your word’ [Luke 1:38]”
St Justin Martyr (c 100- c 165) Apologist, Theologian, Philosopher, Father of the Church and Martyr
“The angel greeted Mary with a new address, which I could not find anywhere else in Scripture. I ought to explain this expression briefly. The angel says, “Hail, full of grace.” … I do not remember having read these words elsewhere in Scripture. An expression of this kind, “Hail, full of grace,” is not addressed to a male. This greeting was reserved for Mary alone.”
Origen (c 185-253) Priest, Theologian, Father
“The whole universe was created by God and God was born of Mary. God created all things and Mary gave birth to God. The God who made all things, gave Himself form through Mary and thus, He made His own creation. He who could create all things from nothing, would not remake His ruined creation without Mary. God, then, is the Father of the created world and Mary the mother of the re-created world. God is the Father, by whom all things were given life and Mary the mother, through whom all things were given new life. For God begot the Son, through whom all things were made and Mary gave birth to Him as the Saviour of the world. Without God’s Son, nothing could exist; without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed. Truly the Lord is with you, to whom the Lord granted, that all nature should owe, as much to you as to Himself.”
St Anselm (1033-1109) Magnificent Doctor Marian Doctor
“Mary is the great mould of God … He who is cast in this divine mould is soon formed and moulded in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ in him. With little effort and in a short time, he will become divine, since he is cast in the same mould which formed a God.”
Vigil of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – 7 December On this vigil day, Catholics stand in the remains of the night as the dawn makes its appearance. This resplendent dawn is that Singular Conception, the Immaculate Conception, who ushers in the Light of Christ. A day of Fast and Abstinence following the Rubrics of Pope Pius X for the Universal Calendar of the Church.
“It is through the most Blessed Virgin Mary, that Jesus Christ came into the world and, it is also through her, that He will reign in the world.” – St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
St Agatho of Alexandria St Anianas of Chartres St Antonius of Siya St Athenodoros of Mesopotamia St Buithe of Monasterboice St Burgundofara St Diuma St Geretrannus of Bayeux Bl Humbert of Clairvaux St Martin of Saujon St Maria Giuseppa Rosello FdM (1811-1880) Founder About St Maria Giuseppa: https://anastpaul.com/2019/12/07/saint-of-the-day-7-december-st-maria-giuseppa-rosello-fdm-1811-1880/ St Nilus of Stolbensk St Polycarp of Antioch St Sabinus of Spoleto (Died c 303) Bishop Martyr St Servus the Martyr St Theodore of Antioch St Urban of Teano St Victor of Piacenza
Quote/s of the Day – 26 October – “Month of the Most Holy Rosary”
“The Rosary is a treasure of graces”
Pope Paul V (1550-1621)
“The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother.”
-St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“And so we contemplate all the great mysteries of His life and His birth in the manger and so too, the mysteries of His suffering and His glorified life. But even Christians, with all their knowledge of God, have usually more awe than love of Him and the special virtue of the Rosary, lies in the special way, in which it looks at these mysteries, for with all our thoughts of Him are mingled thoughts of His Mother and in the relations between Mother and Son, we have set before us the Holy Family, the home in which God lived.”
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
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 y Guitart OP (1812-1875) “The Apostle of Modern Times”
“There is no surer means of calling down God’s blessing upon the family, than the daily recitation of the Rosary.”
Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
“The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves, the simultaneous use of three powers – the physical, the vocal and the spiritual and in that order.”
Quote/s of the Day – 5 September – Saturday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 4:6-15, Psalms 145:17-18, 19-20, 21, Luke 6:1-5
“The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.”
Psalm 145:18
“And He departed from our sight that we might return to our heart and find Him there. For He left us and behold, He is here!”
St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace
“God, in His promises to hear our prayers, is desirous to bestow Himself upon us; if you find anything better than Him, ask it but if you ask anything beneath Him, you put an affront upon Him and hurt yourself, by preferring to Him, a creature which He created.”
St Augustine of Canterbury (Died c 605) “The Apostle to the English”
“Christ acts like a loving mother. To induce us to follow Him, He gives us Himself as an example and promises us a reward in His kingdom.”
St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
“Teach us, good Lord to serve You as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, except that of knowing that we are doing your will. Amen”
St Ignatius Loyola SJ (1491-1556)
“God alone!”
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“Nothing is anything anymore to me; everything is nothing to me only Jesus! Neither things nor persons, neither ideas nor emotions, neither honour nor sufferings. Jesus is for me honour, delight, heart and soul.”
Quote/s of the Day – 4 September – The Feast of Our Lady of Consolation
“O sinner, be not discouraged but have recourse to Mary, in all your necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity.”
St Basil the Great (329-379) Father and Doctor of the Church
“O Mary, I have not doubt that whenever we run to you, we shall obtain all that we desire. Let those then who have no hope, hope in you!”
“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favour, you shall reach the goal.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
“Has anyone ever come away from Mary, troubled or saddened or ignorant of the heavenly Mysteries? Who has not returned to everyday life gladdened and joyful because a request has been granted by the Mother of God?”
St Amadeus of Lausanne (1110-1159)
“Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory, through Mary’s maternal intercession.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus Doctor Communis
“Let us run to Mary and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritatis
”It seems unbelievable, that a man should perish, in whose favour Christ said to His Mother: ‘Behold thy son’, provided, that he has not turned a deaf ear to the words, which Christ addressed to him: ‘Behold thy Mother.’”
St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
“For God, having given her power over His only-begotten and natural Son, also gave her power over His adopted children – not only in what concerns their body – which would be of little account – but also in what concerns their soul.”
St Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716)
”To desire grace without recourse to the Virgin Mother is to desire to fly without wings.”
Our Morning Offering – 10 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
O Mary, my Queen By St Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)
O Mary, my Queen,
I cast myself into the arms of your mercy.
I place my soul and body
in your blessed care
and under your special protection
from this world.
I entrust to you
all my hopes and consolations,
all my anguish and misery,
my life and the end of my life.
Through your most holy intercession
and through your merits,
grant that all my works
may be directed and carried out
in accord with your will
and the will of your divine Son.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day -– 27 May – The Memorial of St Augustine of Canterbury
OSB (Died c 605)
“God, in His promises to hear our prayers, is desirous to bestow Himself upon us; if you find anything better than Him, ask it but if you ask anything beneath Him, you put an affront upon Him and hurt yourself, by preferring to Him, a creature which He created.
Pray in the spirit and sentiment of love, in which the royal prophet said to Him, ‘Thou, O Lord, are my portion.’ Let others choose to themselves, portions among creatures, for my part, You are my portion, You alone I have chosen for my whole inheritance.”
St Augustine of Canterbury (Died c 605)
“The Apostle to the English”
“Ask God to lead you by Faith, Only God, seek only Him.”
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
Quote/s of the Day – 28 May – Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter and the Memorial of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716), St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr, St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962), Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament OCD (1925-1959)
“God alone!”
“Chosen soul, how will you bring this about? What steps will you take to reach the high level to which God is calling you? The means of holiness and salvation, are known to everybody, since they are found in the Gospel, the masters of the spiritual life have explained them, the Saints have practised them… These means are – sincere Humility, unceasing Prayer, complete Self-denial, abandonment to Divine Providence and obedience to the Will of God.”
“Since grace enhances our human nature and glory adds a still greater perfection to grace, it is certain, that our Lord remains in heaven, just as much the Son of Mary as He was on earth. Consequently, He has retained the submissiveness and obedience of the most Perfect of all Children, towards the Best of all Mothers.”
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #27
“The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue, will be the most assiduous in praying to the most Blessed Virgin, looking up to her, as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them. “
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“It does not matter, whether or not I am killed, the religion has taken root on the island, it will not be destroyed by my death, since it comes not from men but from God.”
St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr
“The stillness of prayer is the most essential condition for fruitful action. Before all else, the disciple kneels down.”
“Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance – through its crystal, the world should see God.”
St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)
“Father, for Your glory, accept the total surrender of my being, in union with the perfect sacrifice of Your divine Son. In Him, through Him and with Him, I live, love, believe, suffer and die….”
Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (1925-1959)
Bl Józef Cebula
Bl Luchesius Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament / Guggiari Echeverría OCD (1925-1959)
St Mark of Galilee
St Pamphilus of Sulmona
St Prudentius of Tarazona
—
Martyrs of Alexandia:
Didymus
Theodora
Martyrs of Durostorum:
Dada
Maximus
Quintilian
Martyrs of Languedoc:
Agapius
Aphrodisius
Caralippus
Eusebius
Martyrs of Laon:
Germaine
Probe
Martyrs of Larino:
Alexander
Firmianus
Primianus
Tellurius
Martyrs of Nicomedia:
Caralampo
Eusebius
Martyrs of Prusa:
Acacius
Menander
Patritius
Polyenus
Martyrs of Ravenna:
Ursicinus
Valeria
Vitalis
Martyrs of Vietnam:
Gioan Baotixta Ðinh Van Thành
Phaolô Pham Khac Khoan
Phêrô Nguyen Van Hien
Pilgrims of Gallinaro:
Arduin
Bernhard
Gerard
Hugh
Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face
Seventh Day – 23 February
DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER
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
(Console Holy Face and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer)
SEVENTH DAY
Psalm 51,14-15
Give me again the joy of your help,
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
Lord Jesus!
After contemplating Thy features,
disfigured by grief,
after meditating upon Thy passion
with compunction and love,
how can our hearts fail to be inflamed
with a holy hatred of sin,
which even now, outrages Thy Adorable Face!
Lord, suffer us not to be content
with mere compassion
but give us grace to closely follow Thee in this Calvary,
so that the opprobrium destined for Thee
may fall on us,
0 Jesus, that thus, we may have a share,
small though it may be,
in expiation of sin.
Amen
Mary, our Mother, intercede for us.
Saint Joseph pray for us.
Through the merits of your precious blood
and your Holy Face, O Jesus,
grant us our petition………………
Pardon and mercy.
Hail Mary, Queen of Our Hearts, Our Mother Prayer in Honour of Mary By St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
Hail Mary, Daughter of God the Father!
Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son!
Hail Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit!
Hail Mary, Temple of the Most Holy Trinity!
Hail Mary, our mistress, our wealth, our mystic rose.
Queen of our hearts, our Mother,
our life, our sweetness and our dearest hope!
We are all Thine and all we have is thine.
O Virgin blessed above all things,
may thy soul be in us, to magnify the Lord,
may thy spirit be in us, to rejoice in God.
Place thyself, O faithful Virgin,
as a seal upon our hearts,
that in thee and through thee,
we may be found faithful to God.
Grant, most gracious Virgin,
that we may be numbered among those,
whom thou art pleased to love,
to teach and to guide,
to favour and to protect as thy children.
Grant that with the help of thy love,
we may despise all earthly consolation
and cling to heavenly things,
until through the Holy Spirit, thy faithful spouse
and through thee,
His faithful spouse, Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
be formed within us
for the glory of the Father.
Amen
Pray (1) Our Father, three (3) Hail Marys, one (1) Glory Be
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine! (Three times)
Our Morning Offering – 10 August – Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr and a Marian Saturday
O Mary, my Queen By St Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)
O Mary, my Queen,
I cast myself into the arms of your mercy.
I place my soul and body
in your blessed care
and under your special protection
from this world.
I entrust to you
all my hopes and consolations,
all my anguish and misery,
my life and the end of my life.
Through your most holy intercession
and through your merits,
grant that all my works
may be directed and carried out
in accord with your will
and the will of your divine Son.
Amen
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary
Day 34 – Day of Consecration
On the day of consecration, either fast, give alms, or offer a votive candle for the good of another (or all of the above); do some spiritual penance and approach consecration in the spirit of mortification.
Now go to Confession (or, if that is not possible, go during the 8 days prior) and then receive Communion with the intention of giving yourself to Jesus, as a slave of love, by the hands of Mary.
Now pray the words of the consecration. Copy them and have them with you at church, read them after the Mass (in front of the tabernacle would be nice) and sign your copy of the Act of Consecration.
The words of consecration are:
O Eternal and incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jes us! True God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father and of Mary, always virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendours of Your Father during eternity and I adore You also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Your most worthy Mother, in the time of Your incarnation.
I give You thanks for that You have annihilated Yourself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify You for that You have been pleased to submit Yourself to Mary, Your holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Your faithful slave through her. But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to You in my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Your child, nor yet Your slave and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Your anger and Your repulse, I dare not come by myself before Your most holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Your most holy Mother, whom You have given me for a mediatrix with You. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Your contrition, the pardon of my sins and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom.
Hail, then, O immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men! Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God. Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom and for that end, receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to you.
I, N_____, a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in your hands the vows of my Baptism, I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the heavenly court, I choose you this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate you, as your slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future, leaving to you the entire and full right of disposing of me and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to your good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity.
Receive, O holy Virgin, this little offering of my service, in honour of and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to your maternity, in homage to the power which both of you have over this poor sinner and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favoured you. I declare that I wish henceforth, as your true slave, to seek your honour and to obey you in all things.
O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by you, by you He may receive me! O Mother of mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God and for that end, receive me among those whom you love and teach whom you lead, nourish and protect as your children and your slaves.
O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ your Son, that I may attain, by your intercession and by your example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen.
——————————-
Sign your name here
——————-
Date
After Consecration
Once you have consecrated yourself to Jesus through Mary, live that consecration. St. Louis-Marie de Montfort recommended the following:
• Keep praying to develop a “great contempt” for the spirit of this world.
• Maintain a special devotion to the Mystery of the Incarnation (e.g., through meditation; spiritual reading; focusing on Feasts centring around the Incarnation, such as the Annunciation and the Nativity, etc.)
• Frequently recite the Ave Maria, Rosary and the Magnificat.
• Do everything through, with, in and for Mary for the sake of Jesus, with the prayer, “I am all yours Immaculate One, with all that I have, in time and in eternity” in your heart and on your lips.
• Associate yourself with Mary in a special way before, during and after Communion.
• Wear a little iron chain (around the neck, arm, waist, or ankle) as an outward sign and reminder of holy service. This practice is optional, but very recommended by St Louis. The appearance of this chain is not further specified.
• Renew the consecration once a year on the same date chosen above and by following the same 33-day period of exercises. If desired, also renew the consecration monthly with the prayer, “I am all Yours and all I have is Yours, O dear Jesus, through Mary, Your holy Mother.” • Optional: Join the Confraternity of Mary, Queen of All Hearts – http://queenofallhearts.com/
for Enrolment: http://queenofallhearts.com/enrollment/
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Third Week – Day Thirty Three – 18 November
Third Week
Day 33 of 33
Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 4, Chapter 11
That the Blood of Christ and the Holy Scriptures
Are Most Necessary unto a Faithful Soul
O most sweet Lord Jesus, how great is the pleasure of the devout soul that feasts with You in Your banquet, where there is set for her, no other food to be eaten but Yourself, her only Beloved and most to be desired, above all the desires of her heart! To me also it would be indeed sweet, in Your presence to pour forth tears from the very bottom of my heart and with the grateful Magdalene, to wash Your feet with tears (Luke 7:38). But where is that devotion? Where that bountiful flowing of holy tears? Surely in Your sight and Your holy Angels, my whole heart ought to burn and to weep for j oy. For in this Sacrament I have You mystically present, hidden under another shape. For to look upon You in Your own Divine brightness, my eyes would not be able to endure, nor could even the whole world stand in the splendour of the glory of Your majesty. Herein then You have regard to my weakness, that You hide Yourself under this Sacrament.
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 261-265
In Mary
261. We must do everything in Mary. To understand this, we must realise that the Blessed Virgin is the true earthly paradise of the new Adam and that the ancient paradise was only a symbol of her. There are in this earthly paradise untold riches, beauties, rarities and delights, which the new Adam, Jesus Christ, has left there. It is in this paradise that He “took his delights” for nine months, workedHhis wonders and displayed His riches with the magnificence of God Himself. In this earthly paradise grows the real Tree of Life, which bore our Lord, the fruit of Life, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which bore the Light of the world. In this divine place there are trees planted by the hand of God and watered by His divine unction, which have borne and continue to bear fruit, that is pleasing to Him. Only the Holy Spirit can teach us the truths that these material objects symbolise.
262. The Holy Spirit, speaking through the Fathers of the Church, also calls our Lady the Eastern Gate, through which the High Priest, Jesus Christ, enters and goes out into the world. Through this gate, He entered the world the first time and through this same gate, He will come the second time.
For Mary
265. Finally, we must do everything for Mary. We take Mary for our proximate end, our mysterious intermediary and the easiest way of reaching Him. Relying on her protection, we should undertake and carry out, great things for our noble Queen. We must defend her privileges when they are questioned and uphold her good name when it is under attack. We must attract everyone, if possible, to her service and to this true and sound devotion. As a reward for these little services, we should expect nothing in return, save the honour of belonging to such a lovable Queen and the joy of being united through her to Jesus, her Son, by a bond that is indissoluble in time and in eternity.
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Third Week – Day Thirty Two – 17 November
Third Week
Day 32 of 33
Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 2, Chapter 7
Of the Love of Jesus above All Things
Blessed is he that understands (Psalm 119:1,2) what it is to love Jesus and to despise himself for Jesus’ sake. You ought to leave your beloved, for your beloved (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37; Cant. 2:16); for that Jesus will be loved alone above all things.
The love of things created is deceitful and inconstant, the love of Jesus is faithful and persevering. He that cleaves to a creature, shall fall with that which is subject to fall; he that embraces Jesus shall be made strong forever.
2. Love Him and keep Him for your friend, who, when all go away, will not forsake you, nor suffer you to perish in the end. Some time or other you must be separated from all, whether you wish or not. Keep close to Jesus both in life and in death and commit yourself to His faithfulness, who, when all fail, can alone help you.
Your Beloved is of that nature, that He will admit of no rival but will have your heart alone and sit on His throne as King. If you could empty yourself perfectly from all creatures, Jesus would willingly dwell with you.
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 257-260
There are some very sanctifying interior practices for those souls who feel called by the Holy Spirit to a high degree of perfection. They may be expressed in four words, doing everything through Mary, with Mary, in Mary and for Mary, in order to do it more perfectly through Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus and for Jesus.
Through Mary
258. We must do everything through Mary, that is, we must obey her always and be led in all things by her spirit, which is the Holy Spirit of God. “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God,” says St. Paul. Those who are led by the spirit of Mary are children of Mary and, consequently children of God, as we have already shown. Among the many servants of Mary only those who are truly and faithfully devoted to her are led by her spirit. I have said that the spirit of Mary is the spirit of God, because she was never led by her own spirit but always by the spirit of God, who made Himself master of her to such an extent, that He became her very spirit. That is why St Ambrose says, “May the soul of Mary be in each one of us to glorify the Lord. May the spirit of Mary be in each one of us to rejoice in God.” Happy is the man who follows the example of the good Jesuit Brother Rodriguez, who died a holy death, because he will be completely possessed and governed by the spirit of Mary, a spirit which is gentle yet strong, zealous yet prudent, humble yet courageous, pure yet fruitful.
With Mary
260. We must do everything with Mary, that is to say, in all our actions we must look upon Mary, although a simple human being, as the perfect model of every virtue and perfection, fashioned by the Holy Spirit for us to imitate, as far as our limited capacity allows. In every action then, we should consider how Mary performed it or how she would perform it if she were in our place. For this reason, we must examine and meditate on the great virtues she practised during her life, especially: 1) Her lively faith, by which she believed the angel’s word without the least hesitation and believed faithfully and constantly, even to the foot of the Cross on Calvary. 2) Her deep humility, which made her prefer seclusion, maintain silence, submit to every eventuality and put herself in the last place.
Our Morning Offering – 17 November – Saturday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Mary’s day
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.
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Third Week – Day Thirty-One – 16 November
Third Week
Day 31 of 33
Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 4, Chapter 2
That the Great Goodness and Love of God Is Exhibited to Man in This Sacrament
In confidence of Your goodness and great mercy, O Lord, I draw near, sick to the Healer, hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of life, needy to the King of Heaven, a servant to his Lord, a creature to the Creator, desolate to my own tender Comforter. “But how is this to me,” that You come unto me (Luke 1:43)? What am I, that You should grant me Your own self? how dare a sinner appear before Your?
And how is it that You vouchsafe to come unto a sinner? You know Your servant and are well aware that he has in him no good thing, for which You should grant him this. I confess, therefore, my own vileness, I acknowledge Your goodness, I praise Your tender mercy and give You thanks for Your transcendent love.
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 243-254 243.
Loving slaves of Jesus in Mary, should hold in high esteem devotion to Jesus, the Word of God, in the great mystery of the Incarnation, 25 March, which is the mystery proper to this devotion, because it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, for the following reasons: a) That we might honour and imitate the wondrous dependence which God the Son chose to have on Mary, for the glory of His Father and for the redemption of man. This dependence is revealed especially in this mystery where Jesus becomes a captive and slave in the womb of His Blessed Mother, depending on her for everything. b) That we might thank God for the incomparable graces He has conferred upon Mary and especially that of choosing her to be His most worthy Mother. This choice was made in the mystery of the incarnation. These are the two principal ends of the slavery of Jesus in Mary.
245. a) Since we live in an age of pride when a great number of haughty scholars, with proud and critical minds, find fault even with long-established and sound devotions, it is better to speak of “slavery of Jesus in Mary” and to call oneself “slave of Jesus” rather than “slave of Mary”. We then avoid giving any pretext for criticism. In this way, we name this devotion after its ultimate end which is Jesus, rather than after the way and the means to arrive there, which is Mary. However, we can very well use either term without any scruple, as I myself do.
246. b) Since the principal mystery celebrated and honoured in this devotion is the mystery of the Incarnation where we find Jesus only in Mary, having become incarnate in her womb, it is appropriate for us to say, “slavery of Jesus in Mary”, of Jesus dwelling enthroned in Mary, according to the beautiful prayer, recited by so many great souls, “O Jesus living in Mary”.
249. Those who accept this devotion should have a great love for the Hail Mary, or, as it is called, the Angelic
Salutation. Few Christians, however enlightened, understand the value, merit, excellence and necessity of the Hail Mary. Our Blessed Lady herself had to appear on several occasions to men of great holiness and insight, such as St Dominic, St.John Capistran and Blessed Alan de Rupe, to convince them of the richness of this prayer.
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Third Week – Day Thirty – 15 November
Third Week
Day 30 of 33
Matthew 27:36-44
Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others, he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him. He trusts in God, let God deliver him now, if he desires him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 2, Chapter 12
Of the King’s High Way of the Holy Cross
Unto many this seems a hard saying, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus” (Matt. 16:24). But much harder will it be to hear that last word, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire” (Matt. 25:41). For they who now willingly hear and follow the word of the Cross, shall not then fear (Psalm 112:7) to hear the sentence of everlasting damnation. This sign of the Cross shall be in the heaven, when the Lord shall come to judgement (Matt. 24:30). Then all the servants of the Cross, who in their life-time conformed themselves unto Christ crucified, shall draw near unto Christ the Judge with great confidence.
Why therefore fear you to take up the Cross which leads you to the kingdom? In the Cross is salvation, in the Cross is life, in the Cross is protection against our enemies, in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the Cross is strength of mind, in the Cross joy of spirit, in the Cross the height of virtue, in the Cross the perfection of holiness.
Take up, therefore, your Cross and follow Jesus (Luke 14:27) and you shall go into life everlasting.
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Third Week – Day Twenty Nine – 14 November
Third Week
Day 29 of 33
Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 1, Chapter 1
Of the Imitation of Christ and Contempt of all the Vanities of the World
He that follows Me, walks not in darkness (John 8:12), says the Lord. These are the words of Christ, by which we are admonished, how we ought to imitate His life and manners, if we would truly be enlightened and delivered from all blindness of heart. Let, therefore, our chief endeavour be, to meditate upon the life of Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of Christ exceeds all the doctrine of holy men and he that has the Spirit will find therein the hidden manna (Apocalypse. 2:17). But it happens that many, who often hear the Gospel of Christ, feel little desire after it, because they have not the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9). But whosoever will fully and with relish understand the words of Christ, must endeavour to conform his life wholly to the life of Christ.
2. What does it avail you to discourse profoundly of the Trinity, if you be void of humility and are thereby displeasing to the Trinity? Surely profound words do not make a man holy and a just and a virtuous life makes him dear to God. I had rather feel contrition, than know the definition thereof. If you did know the whole Bible by heart and the sayings of all the philosophers, what would all that profit you without the love of God (1 Cor. 13:2) and without His grace?
Vanity of vanities and all is vanity (Eccles. 1:2), except to love God and to serve Him only. This is the highest wisdom, by contempt of the world, to press forward towards heavenly kingdoms.
Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Third Week – Day Twenty-Eight – 13 November
Third Week
Day 28 of 33
Matthew 26:1, 26-29, 36-46
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended all these words, he said to his disciples: You know that after two days shall be the pasch and the son of man shall be delivered up to be crucified…
…And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed, and broke it and gave to his disciples and said: Take and eat. This is my body. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks and gave to them, saying: Drink all of this . For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins. And I say to you, I will not drink from henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father…
…Then Jesus came with them into a country place which is called Gethsemani and he said to his disciples: Sit you here, till I go yonder and pray. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to grow sorrowful and to be sad. Then he said to them: My soul is sorrowful even unto death, remain here and watch with me. And going a little further, he fell upon his face, praying and s aying: My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless not as I will but as thou will. And he came to his disciples and found them asleep and he said to Peter: What? Could you not watch one hour with me? Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh weak. Again the second time, he went and prayed, saying: My Father, if this chalice may not pass away but I must drink it, thy will be done. And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And leaving them, he went again and he prayed the third time, saying the selfsame word. Then he came to his disciples and said to them, Sleep now and take your rest, for behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go, behold he is at hand, that will betray me.
AnaStpaul 
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