Category: The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Posted in MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis, To JESUS through MARY

Thought for the Day – 12 May – The Active Life

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Thought for the Day – 12 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

SERMON
The Virtues a Good Servant of Mary
Ought to Practice
and the Offices He Ought to Fulfil

I. The Latins have two words to designate the good actions
to be accomplished in life. The word “virtus” in order to designate an action made with effort and goodwill and, the word “officium” in order to characterise an action accomplished as a duty but, without attachment of the heart.
That which is required here of a good servant of Mary, are virtues, which is to say, meritorious acts, élan of the heart and not only works which, domestics themselves can fulfil. There are firstly, the interior virtues – humility, patience and purity.

II. Afterwards there are the exterior virtues or virtues of action – effort in work, elevation of the mind, union in mental prayer, zeal in vocal prayer.

III. These united virtues ought to animate all practices of
devotion, if we wish these practices become spiritual acts of meritorious virtue and not only material offices of remunerated work.
Thus Mary acted; thus we ourselves should act.

IV. The servant, therefore, asks of Mary, who is a mother and a model, to aid him in this work and to console him amid the difficulties of the work.

MEDITATION
The Active Life

Life is like fire – it only preserves itself, while communicating itself.
The ancients used to represent it by a flame and that is, indeed, the truth.
To live it is necessary to act. The active life supposes –will and effort.
Mary has known and practiced this life, as all the Saints have practiced it.
Life which passes selfishly by, disillusions and engenders boredom; “taedium vitae.”
Unfortunate is the soul who permits himself to live, without rising! He will have lived most, who will have acted most, through his heart, through his soul and through his body, through love, through the mind and through works.
Is there a more beautiful model than Mary, in the Temple, at Nazareth, on Calvary, with St. John?
Such a one has lived long, who has lived little, said a wise man. Let us live like Mary and with Mary.

Practice: Do not allow a single day to pass without having
made an effort in at least one small thing.

Thought: A lukewarm life is a dull one; live as Mary did.
“Look at Mary, contemplate and marvel!
Aspice Mariam, contemplare et mirare!”

Fr and Dr Célestin Albin de Cigala (1865-1928)
Faculty of Paris (1947)
Doctor of Theology and Philosophy

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on MEEKNESS, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on ZEAL, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis, To JESUS through MARY

Thought for the Day – 11 May – VIRTUES and TASKS of a GOOD SERVANT of MARY

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Thought for the Day – 11 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

Chapter III
VIRTUES AND TASKS OF
A GOOD SERVANT OF MARY

i. Do you always wish to do what is pleasing to Mary?
Be humble, patient, chaste, reserved in everything, full of mildness, an interior man, filled with zeal, little versed in exterior matters, recollected.
Read often, write often but most often, pray.
The service of Mary should seem, neither long nor laborious but, on the contrary always delightful, always full of happiness, always eager.
To serve with your heart and mind, such a mistress, is always a work pious and useful for salvation.
The most lowly offerings are acceptable to her, as equivalent to the most solemn, when they are proffered with love, with spontaneity and with devotion.
She knows how little we are able to give and she requires not the impossible from her children.
A merciful sovereign and queen of mildness, she is, above all, a mother. As a mother, she knows only how to be compassionate to the little and the poor, she who has given to the world, Mercy in Jesus.

ii. Learn then to call upon Jesus in everything and you will be aided, both in perils of the soul and of the body.
Have Jesus always in your heart, in happiness, and you will never be overcome by human distress.
Say the Hail Mary often – you will find joy and peace in it – no prayer is more beautiful than the Our Father – none is sweeter and gentler, than the Hail Mary.
Pray as the Angel prayed before Mary – work as a faithful servant works and you shall have, your crown and mansion in Heaven.
He who knows how to nourish his soul with prayer, he who knows how to pray with the sacred texts, will never know aridity in devotion.
Strive thus constantly, to honour the Names of Jesus and Mary in your heart and with your lips.

III. Wherever you may go, or wherever you may be, implore Jesus and call upon Mary.
Have, as a rule of life and, as a help in time ot need, this pious invocation –
“Guide, O my Lord, always guide my way in Thy presence.”
He who bears Jesus and Mary in his heart, always works well, always conducts himself well.
Sing these two Names, sing them in your heart, sing them with your lips, sing them with your hands.
Let your looks seek them, let your eyes implore them, let your arms embrace them, let your knees adore them.

iv. Prayer: O Mary, O Mother Full of Mercy,

O Mary, O Mother full of mercy,
receive close to thee,
thy servant wandering without consolation,
in the midst of his trials.
Look, O my Queen, look at my affliction
and open to me, thine heart full of consolation.
Here I am, praying and saying in my distress
that I shall not cease, nor leave thee,
until thou hast had pity on me.
I know, O Mother,
thine incomparable sweetness,
I know the maternal flame of thy noble heart,
I know the fullness of love which fils it
and that I may have full hope in thee.
I take refuge with thee too, O my Mother,
so that in joy as in sorrow,
I may receive thy watchful succour
and listen to thy maternal consolation.

(Thomas à Kempis, The Valley of Lilies,ChapterXIII)

Posted in CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION

Quote/s of the Day – 10 May – St Antoninus

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Quote/s of the Day – 10 May – St Antoninus OP (1389-1459) Bishop of Florence, Confessor

“… Consider the beauty, holiness and dignity
of blessed Mary and bless,
with heart and mouth and deed, her Son,
Who made her thus. ”

“She has encompassed the Heaven about,
(that is, she has enclosed the Divinity)
within the circle of her glory,
her glorious humanity!”

“ The Lord breathes the Breath of Life –
contrition of heart, into the face of the soul
when He impresses upon it
His Own Image and Likeness
which has been soiled by sin and renews it.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/05/10/quote-s-of-the-day-10-may-st-antoninus/

St Antoninus OP (1389-1459)
Bishop, Confessor

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WATCHING, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 9 May – OUR DUTIES TO MARY

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Thought for the Day – 9 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947
Translated from the French
Dr Célestin Albin de Cigala (1865-1928)

PART ONE
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
Chapter II
OUR DUTIES TO MARY

i. Choose, O my son, Mary for mother, for advocate and for model, before all things.
Greet her everyday with the Angelic Salutation. This salutation pleases her above all others.
If sometimes, the devil tempts you and turns you from your duties as a devout servant of Mary, do not permit that to stop you from invoking her always.

Think always of Mary; repeat the name of Mary, over and over.
Honour Mary; glorify Mary in everything; prostrate yourself before Mary; give yourself again to Mary.
Live with Mary; meditate with Mary; rejoice with Mary; weep with Mary; work with Mary; watch with Mary; act with Mary; rest with Mary.
With Mary, bear Jesus in your arms; live at Nazareth with Mary.
Go to Jerusalem, go with Mary; search, as Mary did, for Jesus.
Remain near the Cross with Mary, weep for Jesus; weep for Him with Mary; with Mary bury Jesus in the tomb; rise with Jesus and with Mary.
Rise to Heaven with Jesus and with Mary! Live always with Mary in life and in death.

ii. If you know how to think and act in this way, you will advance rapidly in perfection.
Mary will protect you with all her power and, Jesus will hear you in His gentle mercy.
What we do is very little. It is nothing. Nevertheless, if we do it with Mary, we shall rise, little by little, to God our Father.
We shall always find, consolation and joy, near Him.
Happy is he, who knows how to keep Jesus and Mary near him always, as hosts of his table, consolers in his troubles, aid in his danger, counsel in his doubt, protectors at his death.
Happy is he who, considering himself as a wayfarer in this world and, as a stranger, keeps Jesus for a Companion and Mary for a hostess.

iii. Prayer:
Ave Maria, Full of Grace!

O Mother, I come to you filled with hope.
I come to you recalling the exultant joy
which the Archangel Gabriel once brought to you,
when, falling on his knees before you,
he saluted your virginity, saying respectfully:
Hail, Mary, the Lord is with thee!
This greeting I say to you again,
O Mother, with the heart,
and, if I could, with the voice of all the faithful,
so that thus all creatures may sing with me
from the depth of their souls and their being:
Ave Maria, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
thou art blessed, O Mother, among all women
and Jesus the fruit of thy womb,
is blessed on earth and in Heaven,
today and always.

(By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Soliloquy of the Soul, Chapter XVIII)

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, The HOLY NAME of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 9 May –Mary! How Sweetly Falls That Word!

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Our Morning Offering – 9 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Mary! How Sweetly Falls That Word!
Anonymous Author
19th Century
Tune (St Basil’s Hymnal 1903)
Unnamed Tune.

Mary! How sweetly falls that word!
On my enraptured ear!
Oft do I breathe, in accents low,
which sound when none are near.
Chorus:
Sing, O my lips and loudly proclaim:
O Mary, O Mary, how sweet is thy name!
Sing, O my lips
and loudly proclaim;
O Mary, O Mary, how sweet is thy name!

Sweet as the warbling of a bird,
Sweet as a mother’s voice;
So sweet to me is that dear name,
It makes my soul rejoice.
Chorus.

Bright as the glittering stars appear,
Bright as the moonbeams shine,
So bright in my mind’s eye is seen
Thy loveliness divine!
Chorus.

Through thee I offer my requests
And when my prayer is done,
In ecstasy sublime, I see
Thee seated near thy Son.
Chorus.

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIMPLICITY, QUOTES on WATCHING, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HEART, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 7 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – When the Heart Says: Ave Maria!

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Thought for the Day – 7 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947
PART ONE
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
Chapter I
The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

i. Many young girls, says the Author of Wisdom, have amassed riches but thou, O Mary, thou surpass them all greatly.
Children, be faithful imitators of Jesus and perfect imitators of Mary.
It matters a great deal, it matters for your salvation, for the honour of Jesus and the glory of Mary, that you always be devout in your prayers, sober in your words, discreet in your looks.
In brief, be scrupulously disciplined in all your deeds.

ii. Do you wish to praise Mary worthily; do you wish to praise her in all magnificence?
Be simple, like the simple children of God, without deception, without envy, without criticism, without murmuring and without any suspicion.
Support all adverse things with charity, with great patience and great humility.
For Jesus, for Mary and, in order to imitate the Saints, watch here below, watch and be yourselves saints!
To one who knows how to offer his life to the Divine Trinity, all which is bitter here on earth appears sweet and all which seems heavy, appears very light.
Such is the fruit of the remembrance of Mary and Jesus.

iii. Prayer: When the Heart Says: Ave Maria!

O Mary, O sweet Mother of my Jesus,
I beg you, deign to open to thy poor servant,
both thy maternal compassion and thy love,
laden with sweetness.
Pour into my heart, one drop of thy tenderness
so that I may love thee with a pure heart,
thee, O Mother, the sweetest of all mothers,
so that I may imitate thee and Jesus.
Listen to me, Mother, listen to me, Mary,
kneeling I salute thee: Ave Maria!
The sky rejoices and the earth smiles
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Satan flies afar and all hell shudders
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
The world seems small and the flesh trembles,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Sadness flees and happiness reigns,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Lukewarmness disappears and love reappears
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Devotion grows and compunction is born,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Hope gushes forth and consolation increases,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
The whole soul rekindles and love grows tender,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
So rich and so great is the sweetness of this prayer
that it could not be expressed in words.
Thus, again I kneel before thee,
O Mary, O Virgin, O Mother
filled with goodness and I say to thee,
over and over, with reverence and devotion:
Hail, Mary, Hail!
Receive this pious salutation and with it receive me,
O Mother, within your bosom.

(Thomas à Kempis– Discourse XXV)

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 6 May – SOLILOQUIES OF THE SOUL

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Thought for the Day – 6 May – Extracts fromThe Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

SOLILOQUIES OF THE SOUL

—Thomas à Kempis

Read, O my son, or rather, chant while reading,
These sweet versicles in honour of Mary.
Take them as a viaticum for the soul;
Take them as one does a staff for a journey.
Read often and re-read with devotion while praying.
May Jesus and Mary be for you, in life,
At all times, in every place, your sole company,
For fear that you may wander alone or unguided,
Shedding without, the perfumes from within.
You will find here a treatise on Mary, brief,
But a treatise full of sweetness for meditation.
And a treatise full of strength, to protect you well.
Meditate on it often and often, pray too,
Saying with a full heart:
Hail, Mary!

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, MOTHER of GOD

Thought for the Day – 5 May – Mary, the Mother of God

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Thought for the Day – 5 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971) – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Mary, the Mother of God

“Most Holy Mary, not only were you raised to the dignity of Mother of God but, you carried out His holy Will, heroically on all occasions.
Obtain for me, from your divine Son, Jesus, the grace to co-operate always and at all costs, with His designs for me, both in life and in death, amen.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 4 May – O Mary, Mother of God By St Ephrem

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Our Morning Offering – 4 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

O Mary, Mother of God
By St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Virgin most pure, wholly unspotted,
O Mary, Mother of God,
Queen of the universe,
thou art above all the saints,
the hope of the elect
and the joy of all the blessed.
It is thou who hast reconciled us with God;
thou art the only refuge of sinners
and the safe harbour of those
who are shipwrecked;
thou art the consolation of the world,
the ransom of captives,
the health of the weak,
the joy of the afflicted
and the salvation of all.
We have recourse to thee
and we beseech thee
to have pity on us.
Amen.

Posted in MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 9 September – Fr Faber’s O Come and Mourn With Me Awhile

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Our Morning Offering – 3 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Thr 4th Sunday of Easter

O Come and Mourn With Me Awhile
By Fr F W Faber C.Orat (1814-1863)

O come and mourn with me awhile,
See Mary calls us to her side;
O come and let us mourn with her.
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified.

Have we no tears to shed for Him,
While soldiers scoff and Jews deride?
Ah, look how patiently He hangs.
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified.

How fast His feet and hands are nailed,
His blessed tongue with thirst is tied,
His failing eyes are blind with blood.
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified.

O love of God! O sin of man!
In this dread act Thy strength is tried
And victory remains with love,
For He, our Love, is Crucified
Amen

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MOTHER of GOD, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

1 May, Tis the Month of Our Mother, the Sweet Month of May!

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It’s 1 May
Let us Rejoice in our Mother Mary!
The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“Bright Mother of our Maker, Hail!
Thou Virgin ever blest,
the Ocean’s Star by which we sail
and gain the port of rest!”
(Anonymous 8th Century Latin Hymn)

Visits to the Altar of Our Lady
On the Love of Mary for Her Children
(Imprimatur, 1867)

Mary loves us because we are her children. A loving and tender Mother is never wearied by the importunities of her little ones and Mary, who is the most loving and tender of all mothers, will never weary of hearing and answering our petitions.
The one great thing which she desires, for all her children is that they should become like her Son Jesus. He is the only Child Who never disobeyed her or grieved her.
It is for His love that she loves us.
How great must be His love for us, when He inspires Mary with such a love! The best return we can make Him is to have a perfect trust and confidence in His Blessed Mother.
Those who are not devout to Mary cannot really understand the great Mystery of the Incarnation and do not love Jesus as they should – for, if they loved Him, they would love His Mother too, even a tiny bit as much as He loves her.

Let us try, then, during this Month of May, to become more like Jesus.
Let us consider what spiritual grace we need most, in order to attain this great end and let us ask it with confidence everyday.
Let us also try to induce others, to honour Mary, by special devotion to her during this most beautiful month.

Tis the Month of Our Mother,
the Sweet Month of May!
Unknown Author
An Old French Hymn

The blessed and beautiful days,
When our lips and our spirits,
are glowing with love and with praise.

Refrain:
All Hail! to thee, dear Mary,
the guardian of our way;
To the fairest of Queens,
Be the fairest of seasons, sweet May.

Oh! what peace to her children,
mid sorrows and trials to know,
that the love of their Mother,
Hath ever a solace for woe.

And, what joy to the erring,
The sinful and sorrowful soul;
That a trust in her guidance,
will lead to a glorious goal.

Let us sing then, rejoicing
that God hath so honoured our race,
as to clothe with our nature,
Sweet Mary, the Mother of Grace.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, OUR Cross, QUEENSHIP of MARY, QUOTES on FEAR, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, ROSARY QUOTES, SAINT of the DAY, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 28 April – The Feast of St Paul of the Cross and St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 April – The Feast of  St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775) Confessor, Found and St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

“Happy the soul which detaches itself
from its own pleasure,
from its own will,
from its own understanding.
A sublime lesson is this
and God will teach it,
to all those who place their happiness
in the Cross of Jesus Christ.”

“Whatever may happen to us,
we ought not to be disturbed.
Let us calmly and quietly say:
‘the Will of God be done’–
let us leave all to God –
the Lord be blessed forever –
what He Wills,
I will, in time and in eternity.”

St Paul of the Cross CP (1604-1775)

“[Jesus] is our only Master, Who must teach us;
our only Lord, on Whom we must depend;
our only Head, to Whom alone we should belong;
our only Model, Whom we should imitate;
our only Physician, Who must heal us;
our only Shepherd, Who must feed us;
our only Way, Who must lead us;
our only Truth, Whom we must believe;
our only Life, Who must be our life
and our sole sufficiency in all things
that, in Him, we may have all in All.
Except the Name of Jesus,
there is no other name given under Heaven,
whereby we must be saved
and apart from Jesus Christ,
God has given us no other foundation of our salvation,
our perfection and our glory! ”

“Never will anyone
who says his Rosary everyday,
be led astray.
This is a statement
that I would gladly sign
with my blood.”

Hail Mary, Queen of Our Hearts, Our Mother
Prayer in Honour of Mary
By St Louis Marie 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 consolations
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

St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, Hail MARY!, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – St Peter Canisius

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 April – St Peter Canisius SJ (1521-1597) Confessor, Doctor of the Church

This 16th Century Saint, known as the second Apostle of Germany, followed in the giant footsteps of St Boniface, who evangelised Germany a thousand years earlier. He was also active at the Council of Trent and wrote much on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The first half of the Hail Mary, of course, comes from Scripture.
What many Catholics do not know, is that the second half of this Catholic prayer is due to the intervention of St Peter Canisius at the Council of Trent. St Peter began adding onto the scriptural part of the Hail Mary the second half of this familiar prayer:
“Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now, and at the hour of our death.”
It was the Fathers of Trent who officially accepted this addition and included it in their famous Catechism of the Council of Trent in 1566.

“For the sake of obtaining that eternal life,
no works of piety,
ought to seem too difficult to a true believer,
no toil too heavy,
no pain too bitter,
no time spent in labour and suffering,
too long or too wearisome.
For, if nothing is sweeter, or more desirable,
than this present life which is so full of calamities,
how much more desirable,
must that other life be deemed
which is so far removed from all sense of evil,
or fear of it, which will, in every conceivable way,
always abound in the unspeakable
and unending joys, delight and happiness of Heaven.”

St Peter Canisius SJ (1521-1597)
Confessor, Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, I BELIEVE!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on REASON/INTELLECT, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), The WILL of GOD

Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – St Anselm

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – St Anselm (of Canterbury) OSB (1033-1109) Bishop, Confessor, Magnificent and Marian Doctor of the Church

“For I do not seek to understand
in order to believe
but I believe in order to understand.
For I believe this – unless I believe,
I will not understand.”

“Remove Grace and you have nothing
whereby to be saved.
Remove free will and you have nothing
which could be saved.”

“God does not delay to hear our prayers
because He has no mind to give
but that, by enlarging our desires,
He may give us the more abundantly!”

The Joy of My Lord
By St Anselm ‬(1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church

I beseech Thee, O my God,
that I may know Thee, love Thee,
and rejoice in Thee.
If in this life, I cannot do these things fully,
grant that I may, at the least,
progress in them, from day to day.
Advance in me, the knowledge of Thee, now
that in the life to come, it may be complete.
Increase in me, the love of Thee, here
that there, it may be overflowing.
O God of Truth,
I pray, that I may obtain
that which Thou promise
that my joy may be complete.
And in the meantime,
let my mind meditate on it,
let my soul hunger after it
and my whole being long for it,
till at last, I enter into the joy of my Lord,
Who is God, blessed forever.
Amen

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

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

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-april-st-anselm-3/

St Anselm (1033-1109)
Archbishop of Canterbury
Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN Saturdays, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Quotes on SALVATION, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 April – “Woman, behold thy son. … Behold thy mother” – John 19:26

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Saturday of the Blessed Virgin (Salve Sancta Parens – Eastertide ) – Sirach 24:9-12. – John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Woman, behold thy son. … Behold thy mother” – John 19:26

REFLECTION – “Mary, the Mother of the Lord, stood by her Son’s Cross. No-one has taught me this but the holy Evangelist John. Others have related how the earth was shaken at the Lord’s Passion, the sky was covered with darkness, the sun withdrew itself and how, the thief was, after a faithful confession, received into Paradise. John tells us what the others have not told, how the Lord, while fixed on the Cross called to His Mother. He thought it was more important that, victorious over His sufferings, Jesus gave her the offices of piety, than that He gave her a Heavenly Kingdom. For if it is the mark of religion to grant pardon to the thief, it is a mark of much greater piety, that a mother is honoured with such affection, by her Son. “Behold,” He says, “thy son.” “Behold thy mother.” Christ testified from the Cross and divided the offices of piety, between the mother and the disciple.

Nor was Mary below what was becoming the Mother of Christ. When the Apostles fled, she stood at the Cross and with pious eyes beheld her Son’s wounds. For she did not look to the death of her offspring but to the salvation of the world. Or perhaps, because that “royal heart knew, that the redemption of the world would be through the death of her Son, she thought that by her death, she also might add something to that universal gift. But Jesus did not need a helper, for the redemption of all, Who saved all without a helper. This is why He says, “I am counted among those who go down to the pit. I am like those who have no help.” He received indeed, the affection of His Mother but sought not another’s help. Imitate her, holy mothers, who in her only dearly beloved Son, set forth so great an example of maternal virtue. For neither have you sweeter children, nor did the Virgin seek the consolation of being able to bear another son.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Archbishop of Milan, Great Western Father and Doctor (Letter 63)

PRAYER – Almighty, everlasting God, Who in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prepared a dwelling place worthy of the Holy Ghost, graciously grant, that we, who are devoutly keeping the Feast of her Immaculate Heart, may be able to live according to Thy Heart. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in HOLY SATURDAY, HOLY WEEK, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Our Morning Offering – 4 April – O Come And Mourn With Me Awhile

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 4 April – Holy Saturday

O Come And Mourn With Me Awhile
By Fr Frederick William Faber CO (1814-1863)
(This is the full, original text from an 1852 edition
of Fr Faber’s H ymnal “Jesus and Mary”)

O come and mourn with me awhile,
O come ye to the Saviour’s side,
O come, together let us mourn,
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Have we no tears to shed for Him,
While soldiers scoff and foes deride?
Ah! Look how patiently He hangs,
Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!

How fast His Hands and Feet are nailed,
His blessed Tongue with thirst is tied,
His failing Eyes are blind with blood,
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

His Mother cannot reach His Face;
She stands in helplessness beside.
Her heart is Martyred with her Son’s;
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Seven times He spoke, seven words of love
And all three hours His silence cried
For mercy, on the souls of men.
Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!

What was Thy crime, my dearest Lord?
By earth, by heaven, Thou hast been tried,
And guilty found of too much love.
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Found guilty of excess of love,
It was Thine own sweet Will that tied
Thee tighter far than helpless nails;
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Death came and Jesus meekly bowed;
His failing Eyes He strove to guide
With mindful love to Mary’s face;
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

O break, O break, hard heart of mine!
Thy weak self-love and guilty pride,
His Pilate and His Judas were!
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

Come, take thy stand beneath the Cross,
And let the Blood from out that Side
Fall gently on thee, drop by drop;
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

A broken heart, a fount of tears,
Ask and they will not be denied.
A broken heart, love’s cradle is,
Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!

O Love of God! O sin of man!
In this dread act, your strength is tried
And victory remains with love,
Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our M orning Offering – 28 March – What Can I Say? By St Anselm

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Saturday in Passion Week

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

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

From “The Prayers and Meditations of Saint Anselm with the Proslogion.”

Posted in LENT 2026, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, Thomas Aquinas

Passion Friday – 27 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – Our Lady’s Suffering During the Passion

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Passion Friday – 27 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Passion Friday
Our Lady’s Suffering During the Passion

“Thy own soul a sword shall pierce”
Luke ii. 35

In these words there is noted the close association of Our Lady with the Passion of Christ.
Four elements, most especially, rendered the Passion excrutiatingly bitter for her.

Firstly, the Goodness of her Son, Who did notsin (i Pet ii. 22).

Secondly, the cruelty of those who Crucified Him, shown, for example, in this – as He was Dying they refused Him even water, nor would they allow His Mother, who would most lovingly have given it, to help Him.

Thirdly, the disgrace of the punishment, “Let us condemn Him to a most shameful Death” (Wis ii. 20).

Fourthly, the cruelty of the torment. “O ye that pass by the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like to My Sorroiv (Lam i. 12).

The words of Simeon, “Thy own soul a sword shall pierce,“ Origen and other scholars with him, explain with reference to the pain felt by Our Lady during he Passion of Christ.
St Ambrose, however, says that by the sword is signified Our Lady’s prudence, thanks to which she was not without knowledge of the heavenly Mystery.
“For the Word of God is a living thing, strong and keener than the keenest sword” (cf. Heb iv. 12).

Other writers again, St Augustine for example, understand by the sword, the stupefaction which overcame Our Lady at the Death of her Son, not the doubt which goes with lack of faith but, a certain fluctuation of bewilderment, a staggering of the mind.
St Basil too say,s as Our Lady stood by the Cross with all the detail of the Passion before her and in her mind the testimony of Gabriel, the message which words cannot tell of her Divine conception and all the vast array of miracles, her mind swayed, for she saw Him, the Victim of such vileness and yet, knew Him as the Author of such Wonders.

Although Our Lady knew by faith, it was God’s Will that Christ should Suffer and although, she brought her will into unity with God’s Will in this matter, as the Saints do, nevertheless, sadness filled her soul at the Death of Christ. This was because her lower will revolted at the particular horrors she had witnessed and this is not contrary to perfection.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, INDULGENCES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, MOTHER of GOD, PAPAL PRAYERS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – “Behold, thy mother”

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – Friday of Passion Week – The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady of Sorrows and – St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church 

“Behold, thy mother”
John 19:27

“When this hour has passed,
when the sword of sorrow
has completely pierced her soul in labour (Lk 2:35),
then, no more will she
“remember the pain because a child
has been born into the world” –
the new Man Who renews the entire human race
and reigns forever over the whole world,
truly born, beyond all suffering, immortal,
the Firstborn from the Dead.
If the Virgin has thus brought
the salvation of us all into the world,
in her Son’s Passion, then she is, indeed,
the Mother of us all!”

Rupert of Deutz (c1075-1130)
Benedictine Monk, Theologian, Exegete and Writer

Hail Mary, Full of Sorrows!
A Short Prayer to the Most Holy Virgin
in her Desolation
By Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
Papal Reign 1846-1878
(+102 Raccolta)

His Holiness Pope Pius IX, by a Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, of 23 December 1847, deigned to grant:

An Indulgence of 100 days to all the faithful, everytime they say, with contrite heart, the following prayer in honour of the most Holy Virgin in her desolation.

HAIL MARY,
full of sorrows!
the Crucified is with thee;
tearful art thou amongst women
and tearful is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of the Crucified,
grant tears to us crucifiers of thy Son,
now and at the hour
of our death.
Amen.

LATIN

Ave Maria,
doloribus plena,
Crucifixus tecum;
lacrymabilis te in mulieribus
et lacrymabilis Fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
Sancta Maria,
Mater Crucifixi,
lacrymas impertire nobis crucifixoribus Filii tui,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.

“You are more to be valued than the entire creation,
for from you alone the Creator received
a share in the first-fruits of our humanity.
His Flesh was made of your flesh,
His Blood of your blood;
God was nourished by your milk
and your lips kissed the lips of God. …
In His foreknowledge of your dignity,
the God of all the world, has loved you
and, in accordance with His Love for you,
He predestined you and called you into being ”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-march-st-john-damascene-2/

St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 27 March – O Mother of Sorrows, Stand by Me in My Last Agony

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Our Morning Offering – 27 March – The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady of Sorrows

O Mother of Sorrows,
Stand by Me in My Last Agony
By St Gabriel Francis Possenti
of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)

O Mother of Sorrows,
by the anguish and love
with which thou didst stand
at the Cross of Jesus,
stand by me in my last agony.
To thy maternal heart
I commend the last three hours of my life.
Offer these hours to the Eternal Father
in union with the agony of our dearest Lord,
in atonement for my sins.
Offer to the Eternal Father
the Most Precious Blood of Jesus,
mingled with your tears on Calvary,
that I may obtain the grace
of receiving Holy Communion
with the most perfect love and contrition,
before my death
and that I may breathe forth my soul
in the adorable Presence of Jesus.
Dearest Mother, when the moment
of my death has at last come,
present me as your child to Jesus.
Ask Him to forgive me for having offended Him,
for I knew not what I did!
Beg Him to receive me into His Kingdom of Glory
to be united with Him forever.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, SAINT of the DAY, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Friday in Passion Week –  FAST & ABSTINENCE, The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin, St John Damascene and the Saints for 27 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

PASSION FRIDAY –  FAST & ABSTINENCE,

Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
THE FEAST DAY OF THE SEVEN DOLORS IS TRADITIONALLY THE FRIDAY OF PASSION WEEK, WHICH IS THE FRIDAY BEFORE GOOD FRIDAY, OR ON 15 SEPTEMBER.
Our Sorrowful Mother:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/15/saint-of-the-day-15-september-our-sorrowful-mother-mary-the-seven-sorrows/
AND:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/memorial-of-our-lady-of-sorrows-15-september/
AND HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/15/memorial-of-our-lady-of-sorrows-15-september-2/

St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church, Priest, Monk, Theologian, Writer, Defender of Iconography, Poet, a Polymath whose fields of interest and contribution included law, theology, philosophy, music, Marian devotee. Also known as Doctor of Christian Art.
Feast moved in 1969 to 4 December.
The Great St John Damascene:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/12/04/saint-of-the-day-4-december-st-john-damascene-675-749-father-doctor-of-the-church/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-saint-john-damascene-675-749-confessor-father-doctor-of-the-church/

St Aimone (Died 853) Bishop of Halberstadt in Germany, a learned Scholarly Monk, Theologian, Spiritual Writer, Teacher, Aimone became a passionate disciple of the teachings of St Alcuin, whom he sought to emulate in his writings.
A Most Worthy Imitator:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-staimone-osb-died-853-bishop-of-halberstadt/

St Amphilochius of Illyria
St Alexander of Drizipara
St Alexander of Pannonia
St Alkeld the Martyr
St Amator the Hermit

St Augusta (Died 5th Century) Virgin Martyr of Treviso
Her Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-saint-augusta-of-treviso-died-5th-century-virgin-martyr/

St Claudio Gallo
St Cronidas of Illyria
St Ensfrid of Cologne
Bl Frowin of Engelberg
St Gelasius of Armagh

St John (c305-394) Hermit of Lycopolis , Spiritual Advisor, Miracle-worker, graced with the gifts of prophecy and seeing into the hearts of men. John was known and admired by the great Saints of his time, including Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine, Saint Cassian and others.
His Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-st-john-of-lycopolis-c305-394-hermit/

St Matthew of Beauvais
St Macedo of Illyria

Blessed Pellegrino OFM (Died 1233) Lay Brother of the First Order of St Francis of Assisi.
Blessed Pellegrino’s life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/27/saint-of-the-day-27-march-blessed-pellegrino-of-falerone-ofm-died-1233-lay-brother/
St Philetus
St Romulus the Abbot

St Romulus (8th Century) Abbot

St Rupert (c660–710) Bishop and Abbot in Salzburg, Apostle to Bavaria and Austria.
The Life of Holy St Rupert:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/27/saint-of-the-day-st-rupert-of-salzburg-c-660-710/

St Suairlech of Fore
St Theoprepius

Martyrs of Bardiaboch: A group of Christians who were arrested, tortured and executed together for their faith during the persecutions of Persian King Shapur II. Martyrs. – Abibus, Helias, Lazarus, Mares, Maruthas, Narses, Sabas, Sembeeth and Zanitas. 27 March 326 at Bardiaboch, Persia.

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, ROSARY QUOTES, ROSARY REFLECTIONS and QUOTES, The ANNUNCIATION, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15 – Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/–

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee …”

Luke 1:28

“And Mary said:
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord:
be it done to me according to thy word.”
Luke 1:38

“… Answer the Angel quickly, then;
yes, through the Angel give your consent to your God.
Answer one syllable, receive the Word;
utter your own word and conceive that which is Divine .
Spek the word which is transitory
and embrace the Word which is everlasting! …””

“May the Blessed Virgin,
unique in her merits,
stand in the presence of her Creator
interceding always in our favour.
She will be radiant in the fullness of glory,
she who brought forth,
from her virginal womb,
the King of glory.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) 

St Bernard (1091-1153)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The prayers of Mary,
have the force of command with Jesus Christ.
Hence, it is impossible for the Son
not to grant a grace
for which the Mother asks.”

St Antoninus (1389-1459)

Through Thee, to Us, Our Saviour Came
Sweet Lady of the Rosary
By St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1108-1159)

Through thee, to us, our Saviour came,
Through thee, to Him, we fain would go.
Our lives are marred by wrong and shame,
Yet, confidence in thee we know.
The friendship thou dost give to all
Who love thy name, shall ever be
Assurance thou wilt hear our call,
Sweet Lady of the Rosary!

Thou art our Strength upon the way,
Our Morning Star, to cheer and guide;
Our Beacon Light to show the day,
And lead us to the Saviour’s Side;
A Comforter in ev’ry pain
We find, O Mother blest, in thee,
And seek we, never, thee in vain,
Fair Lady of the Rosary!

Thy praises, Mary, we would sing,
And all our faculties employ,
That unto thee our hearts might bring
A glory-crown of love and joy.
Bless thou each humble effort made
In thy regard and grant that we,
May by thy influence be swayed,
Our Lady of the Rosary!

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, The ANNUNCIATION

Our Morning Offering – 25 March – Blessed Shall be Her Name

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 25 March – The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Blessed Shall be Her Name
Anonymous Author

Praise we the Lord this day,
This day so long foretold,
Whose promise shone with cheering ray
On waiting saints of old.

The prophet gave the sign
That those with faith might read;
A Virgin, born of David’s line
Shall bear the promised Seed.

Ask not how this should be,
But worship and adore;
Like her whom Heaven’s majesty
Came down to shadow o’er.

She meekly bowed her head
To hear the gracious word,
Mary, the pure and lowly maid,
The favoured of the Lord.

Blessed shall be her name
In all the Church on earth,
Through whom that wondrous Mercy came,
The Incarnate Saviour’s Birth.

Jesus, the Virgin’s Son,
We praise You and adore,
Who are with God the Father One
And Spirit evermore.
Amen

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The ANNUNCIATION

Wednesday of Passion Week, The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Dismas and the Saints for 25 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

PASSION WEDNESDAY

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/03/25/the-solemnity-of-the-annunciation-of-the-lord-25-march/
AND:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/25/the-solemnity-of-the-annunciation-of-the-lord-our-lady-of-betania-and-memorials-of-the-saints-25-march/

By Paolo Matteis

St Alfwold of Sherborne
St Barontius of Pistoia
St Desiderius of Pistoia

St Dismas (Crucified with Jesus) “The Good Thief”
Here:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/03/25/saint-of-the-day-25-march-saint-dismas-the-good-thief/

St Dula the Slave
Bl Everard of Nellenburg
Bl Herman of Zahringen

St Hermelandus (Died c720) Priest, Abbot of the Monastery of Aindre, Miracle-worker.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “In Aindre, an Island of the Loire, the Abbot St Hermelandus, whose glorious life is attested by many miracles.”
His Zealous Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/03/25/saint-of-the-day-25-march-st-hermelandus-died-c720-priest-founder-abbot/

St Humbert of Pelagius
Bl James Bird
St Kennocha of Fife

St Lucia Filippini (1672-1732) Virgin, Religious Sister, Founder. On 22 June 1930, Lucia Filippini was declared a Saint of the Church by Pope Pius XI and her Statue was given the last available niche in the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. Her statue can be seen in the first upper niche from the main entrance on the left (south) side of the nave of St Peter’s.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/03/25/saint-of-the-day-25-march-st-lucia-filippini-1672-1732/

Blessed Margaret Clitherow (1556-1586) Martyr, Married Laywoman and Mother of 3. Her 2 sons became Priests and her daughter a Nun. She is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. She was Beatified on 15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI.
Her Life and Most Horrible Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/25/saint-of-the-day-25-march-saint-margaret-clitherow-1556-1586-the-pearl-of-york-marty/

St Matrona of Barcelona
St Matrona of Thessaloniki
St Mona of Milan
St Nicodemus of Mammola
St Pelagius (4th Century) Bishop of Laodicea

Blessed Placido Riccardi OSB (1844-1915. Priest and Friar of the Order of St Benedict. He was Beatified on 5 Dercember 1954 by Pope Pius XII. PATRONAGES – against Malaria, against all bodily illnesses
A Devout and Dedicated Servant:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/25/saint-of-the-day-25-march-blessed-placido-riccardi-osb-1844-1915-priest/

St Procopius
St Quirinus of Rome
Bl Tommaso of Costacciaro

262 Martyrs of Rome: A group 262 Christians Martyred together in Rome. We know nothing else about them, not even their names.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MORALS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The HOLY NAME of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 18 March – In Thy Name By St ohn Chrysostom

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Our Morning Offering – 18 Marchr – Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent

In Thy Name
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Oh Almighty God,
Who hast given us grace
at this time, with one accord,
to make our common
supplications unto Thee
and hast promised that,
when two or three are gathered together
in Thy Name,
Thou wilt grant their requests,
fulfil now, O Lord,
the desires and petitions of Thy servants,
as may be most expedient for them;
granting us, in this world,
knowledge of Thy Truth
and in the world to come,
life everlasting.
Amen

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, HOLY WEEK, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, LENT 2026, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts, Thomas Aquinas

Friday of the Second Week of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas – Feast of the Holy Winding Sheet (the Shroud)

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Friday of the Second Week of Lent – 6 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

Friday of the Second Week
Feast of the Holy Winding Sheet (the Shroud)

“Joseph taking the Body, wrapped It in a clean linen cloth and laid It in his own new monument.”
Matthew xxvii. 59

By this clean linen cloth three elements are signified in a hidden way, namely:

(i) The Pure Body of Christ.
For the cloth was made of linen which, by much pressing, is made white and,in like manner, it was after much pressure that the Body of Christ came to the brightness of the Resurrection.
Thus it behoved Christ to Suffer and to Rise again from the dead on the third day (Luke xxiv. 46).

(ii) The Church, which without spot or wrinkle (Eph v. 27), is signified by this linen woven out of many threads.

(iii) A clear conscience, where Christ reposes.

And laid Him in his own new monument.
It was Joseph’s own grave and certainly it was appropriate that He Who had Died for the sins of others, should be buried in another man’s grave!

Notice that it was a new grave.
Had other bodies already been laid in it, there might have been a doubt which had arisen.
There is another fitness in this circumstance, namely – He Who was buried in this new tomb, as He who was born of a virgin mother.

As Mary’s womb knew no child before Him nor after Him, so was it with this tomb.
Again we may understand, it is in a renewed soul renewed where Christ is buried by faith, where Christ may dwell by faith in our hearts (Eph iii. 17).

St. John’s Gospel adds, Now there was in the place where He was crucified, a garden ; and in the garden a new sepulchre (John xix. 41). Which recalls to us that as Christ was taken in a garden and suffered His agony in a garden, so in a garden was He buried, and thereby we are reminded that it was from the sin committed by Adam in the garden of delightfulness that, by the power of His Passion, Christ set us free, and also that through the Passion the Church was consecrated, the Church which again is as a garden closed.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Priest, Theologian, Dominican
Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor)
Doctor Communis (Common Doctor)
Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on VOCATIONS, The PASSION

Quote/s of the Day – 27 February – St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin/Gabriel Possenti

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 February – St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin/Gabriel Possenti CP (1838-1862) Confessor

“The Infinite Mercy of God
has been able to arrange all things sweetly
and today, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows,
our Protectress and our Mother,
I have put on, with unutterable joy,
this holy religious Habit and taken the name
of Confrater Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows.”

(Letter to his Father,
From Morrovalle on
21 September 1856)

“What caution, in fact, does it not require,
to live as a good Christian in the world!”

(Letter to his Father,
From Morrovalle on
21 September 1856)

“Oh, be assured, he whom God
calls to the religious life
receives a very great favour,
a favour which is impossible to estimate
at its real value.”

“My sole merit lies in Thy Wounds”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/02/28/quote-s-of-the-day-28-february-st-gabriel-of-the-sorrowful-virgin-gabriel-possenti-cp-1838-1862/

St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin
/Gabriel Possenti CP (1838-1862)

Posted in MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER

Our Morning Offering – 27 February – O Mother of Sorrows, Stand by Me in My Last Agony By St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

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Our Morning Offering – 27 February – Friday of the First week of Lent, the Memorial of St Gabriel Francis Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862) and a Marian Saturday

O Mother of Sorrows,
Stand by Me in My Last Agony
By St Gabriel Francis Possenti
of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)

O Mother of Sorrows,
by the anguish and love
with which thou didst stand
at the Cross of Jesus,
stand by me in my last agony.
To thy maternal heart
I commend the last three hours of my life.
Offer these hours to the Eternal Father
in union with the agony of our dearest Lord,
in atonement for my sins.
Offer to the Eternal Father
the Most Precious Blood of Jesus,
mingled with thine tears on Calvary,
that I may obtain the grace
of receiving Holy Communion
with the most perfect love and contrition,
before my death
and that I may breathe forth my soul
in the adorable Presence of Jesus.
Dearest Mother, when the moment
of my death has at last come,
present me as your child to Jesus.
Ask Him to forgive me for having offended Him,
for I knew not what I did!
Beg Him to receive me into His Kingdom of Glory
to be united with Him forever.
Amen

Posted in LENT 2026, MARIAN PRAYERS, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, The HOLY FACE

Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face, The Seventh Day – 15 February

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Lenten Preparation Novena
in Reparation to the Holy Face
Day Seven

“All those who, attracted by My Love and venerating My Countenance, shall receive, by virtue of My Humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of My Divinity. This splendour shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that in eternal glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness of their features, with My Divine Countenance.” … Our Lord Jesus Christ to St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

(Console the Holy Face

and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer) below.

Psalm 50:14-15:
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation
and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
I will teach the unjust Thy ways
and the wicked shall be converted to Thee.

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 Thy 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 Ghost.
Amen

THE SEVENTH DAY:

Lord Jesus!
After contemplating Thy features,
disfigured by grief pain,
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 grant 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.
Amen

Hail Mary, Queen of Our Hearts, Our Mother
Prayer in Honour of Mary
By St Louis Marie 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 consolations
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)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, LENT 2026, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY FACE

Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face – The Fourth Day – 12 February

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Lenten Preparation
Novena to the Holy Face
To end on Shrove Tuesday,
The Feast of the Holy Face

“All those who, attracted by My Love and venerating My Countenance, shall receive, by virtue of My Humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of My Divinity. This splendour shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that in eternal glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness of their features, with My Divine Countenance.” … (Our Lord Jesus Christ to St Gertrude the Great)

(Console the Holy Face and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer) below.

Psalm 51:8-9:

Indeed you love truth in the heart,
then in the secret of my heart,
teach me Wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean,
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

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 Thy 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 Ghost.
Amen

THE FOURTH DAY:

O Lord Jesus, Who has said,
learn of Me for I am meek and gentle of heart
and Who didst manifest upon Thy Holy Face,
the sentiments of Thy Divine Heart,
grant that we may love
to meditate upon Thy Divine Countenance,
that we may read there,
Thy gentleness and Thy humility
and learn from Thee to form our hearts
in the practice of these two virtues,
which Thou desires to see shine in Thy servants.

Mary our Mother and Saint Joseph help us.

Through the merits of Thy Precious Blood
and Thy Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition ………………
Pardon and mercy.
Amen

Prayer in Honour of the Dolours
of the Blessed Virgin
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Doctor of the Church

O most holy Virgin,
Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the overwhelming grief you experienced
when you witnessed the Martyrdom,
the Crucifixion
and the Death,
of your Divine Son,
look upon me with eyes of compassion
and awaken in my heart a tender
commiseration for those sufferings,
as well as a sincere detestation of my sins,
in order that,
being disengaged from all undue affection
for the passing joys of this earth,
I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem
and that henceforward, all my thoughts
and all my actions, may be directed
towards this one most desirable object,
the honour, glory and love
to our Divine Lord Jesus,
and to you,
the Holy and Immaculate
Mother of God.
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)