Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Day Four
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, admirable Mary, the Redeemer promised to mankind from the beginning of the world, takes delight in your birth, for He sees the one who is destined to become the Co-redemptress of souls by uniting her tears to the Blood shed on the Cross to save mankind. Dearest Mother, please pray for me and for these my intentions… …………………….. (State your intentions)
Hail Mary…
Prayer: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Grant to us your servants, we beseech you, O Lord, the gift of Your heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 2 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Wednesday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time, Readings: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Psalms 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21, Luke 4:38-44
“Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him and he laid his hands on everyone of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.” … Luke 4:40-41
REFLECTION – “But observe again, I pray, how great is the efficacy of the touch of His holy flesh. For It both drives away diseases of various kinds and a crowd of demons and overthrows the power of the devil and heals a very great multitude of people in one moment of time. And though able to perform these miracles by a word and the inclination of His will, yet, to teach us something useful, He also lays His hands upon the sick. For it was necessary, most necessary, for us to learn, that the holy flesh which He had made His own, was endowed with the activity of the power of the Word, by His having implanted in it, a godlike might. Let It then take hold of us, or rather let us take hold of It, by the mystical “Giving of thanks,” that It may free us also from the sicknesses of the soul and from the assault and violence of demons.
He would not permit the unclean demons to confess Him; for it was not fitting for them to usurp the glory of the Apostolic office, nor with impure tongue, to talk of the mystery of Christ. Yea! though they speak ought that is true, let no-one put credence in them – for the light is not known by the aid of darkness, as the disciple of Christ teaches us, where he says, “For what communion hath light with darkness? or what consent hath Christ with Beliar?” … … St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father and Doctor of the Incarnation
PRAYER – Heavenly God and Father, through Your Son, Lord God, You shed Your eternal light on all mankind. You gave us our mission, You taught us our way. Grant us the grace to acknowledge the full splendour of our Redeemer, so that, in His steps, we may grow from strength to strength in evangelising all. Fill us with Your Spirit to enlighten and guide us and may the prayers of the Sorrowful Mother of Our Lord Jesus, be our perpetual succour. Through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, God for always and forever, amen.
Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Day Three
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, lovable Mary, the Eternal Word takes delight in your birth, for He sees the source of His Immaculate Blood. May your birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from the Word made Flesh, the grace to find in this Divine Blood, the eternal happiness of my soul. Dearest Mother, please pray for me and for these my intentions… ………………………. (State your intentions)
Hail Mary…
Prayer: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Grant to us your servants, we beseech you, O Lord, the gift of Your heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity, may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
September – Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In 1668, a separate feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, celebrated on the third Sunday in September, was granted to the Servites. Pope Pius VII introduced it into the General Roman Calendar in 1814. In 1913, Pope Pius X, in view of his reform giving precedence to Sundays over ordinary feasts, moved this feast to 15 September the day after the Feast of the Cross. It is still observed on this date.
The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The prophecy of Simeon
The Flight to Egypt
Loss of Child Jesus for 3 days
Meeting Jesus carrying His Cross
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The Pieta – receiving Jesus’ Body
The Burial of Jesus
Our Lady of Sorrows is the Patron of:
people named Dolores, Dolorita, Lola and Pia. Poland: the icon Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen and Patroness of Poland (see also: Patron saints of Poland § Primary) was canonically crowned by Pope Paul VI on 15 August 1967. Malta: on Friday of Sorrows, almost all parishes in Malta hold devotional penitentiary processions with a life-size statue of Our Lady of Sorrows through the streets of the parish. Slovakia: 15 September is also a national public holiday the Congregation of Holy Cross Order of the Servants of Mary Mola di Bari and the Molise region of Italy Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga, Queen and Patroness of the City and Province of Cavite, Philippines Mississippi, United States Dolores, Abra, Philippines Lanzarote, Canary Islands Mater Dolorosa (Berlin-Lankwitz) Pinabacdao, Samar, Philippines Jia-an, Jiabong, Samar, Philippines Ronda, Cebu, Philippines Tanawan, Bustos, Bulacan, Philippines
And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”… Luke 4:36
REFLECTION – “God is Spirit (Jn 4:24) and, being Spirit and incorporeal, He begot spiritually, by an inscrutable and incomprehensible generation. The Son Himself says of the Father: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you'” (Ps 2:7). This ‘today’ is not recent but eternal; this ‘today’ is timeless, before all ages. “From the womb before the morning star I begot you” (Ps 109 [110]:3). So believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. He is the Only-begotten Son according to the words of the Gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his Only-begotten Son, so that they who believe in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn 3:16) (…) Saint John witnessed to this saying: “We saw his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten from the father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).
Trembling before Him the demons said: “Leave us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of the living God.” So He is the Son of God by nature and not by adoption, being begotten of the Father (…) For the Father, who is true God, begot a Son who is true God like Himself (…) The Father did not beget the Son in the way that the human mind begets speech. For the mind has a substantial reality within us but our speech, once uttered, is scattered on the air and expires. We know that Christ was begotten not as an uttered word but as “the living and abiding Word” (1Pt 1:23), not a word spoken by the lips and scattered but begotten by the Father eternally, indefinably and substantially. “For in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1), the Word who knew the Father’s will and made all things by the Father’s decree, the Word who descended and ascended (cf. Is 55:10-11) (…) This Word is endowed with authority and universal rule, for “the Father has entrusted all things to the Son” (cf. Jn 13:3).” … St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-387) – Baptismal Catechesis, no. 11, 5-10
PRAYER – God our Father, Your rule is a rule of love, Your providence is full of mercy for Your people. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Word made flesh and His sorrowful Mother, grant the spirit of wisdom and understanding in Your Word, Your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by the light of His Resurrection we may know our eternal home and strive to attain eternal joy there with You. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 1 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – Tuesday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time
As we enter the Month of our Sorrowful Mother, let us unite ourselves to her and offer her our meagre consolation.
O Sorrowful Virgin, Give Me thy Sorrows! By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor
O sorrowful Virgin, unite me at least to the humiliations and wounds of thy Son, so that both He and thee, may find comfort, in having someone sharing thy sufferings. Oh, how happy I would be if I could do this! For is there perhaps anything greater, sweeter, or more advantageous for a person? Why dost thou not grant me what I ask? If I have offended thee, be just and pierce my heart. If I have been faithful to thee, leave me not without a reward: give me thy sorrows! Amen
Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Day Two
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, admirable Mary, the Son of God delights in your birth, for He beholds the one chosen to be His Mother and oh! such a beloved Mother. May your birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining from your divine Son the grace to be born again spiritually to a holy life, perfectly conformed to yours, so that I may merit to obtain eternal glory. Dearest Mother, please pray for me and for these my intentions… ……………………… (State your intentions)
Hail Mary…
Prayer: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Grant to us Your servants, we beseech You, O Lord, the gift of Your heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 31 August – The last day of the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – Monday of the Twenty Second week in Ordinary Time
Deign, O Immaculate Virgin By St Paschasius Radbertus (785–865)
Deign, O Immaculate Virgin, Mother most pure, to accept the loving cry of praise which we send up to you from the depths of our hearts. Though they can but add little to your glory, O Queen of Angels, you do not despise, in your love, the praises of the humble and the poor. Cast down upon us a glance of mercy, O most glorious Queen, graciously receive our petitions. Through your immaculate purity of body and mind, which rendered you so pleasing to God, inspire us with a love of innocence and purity. Teach us to guard carefully the gifts of grace, striving ever after sanctity, so that, being made like the image of your beauty, we may be worthy to become the sharers of your eternal happiness. Amen
Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
DAY ONE
Heavenly Child, lovable Mary, the Eternal Father delights in your birth, for He beholds in your coming into this world one of His creatures who is so perfect that she will become the worthy Mother of His divine Son. May your birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from the heavenly Father, the pardon of my sins and an abiding sorrow for them. Dearest Mother, please pray for me and for these my intentions… ……………………………… (State your intentions)
Hail Mary…
Prayer: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray: Grant to us Your servants, we beseech You, O Lord, the gift of Your heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
At the Birth of the Blessed Virgin , the Immaculate Conception is made visible for all to see. Today we can begin to carry out Our Lord’s dying desire “Behold your mother!” (Jn 19:27). As we gaze upon the beauty of Mary, we experience the reversal of the evil effects of the fall of both angels and humankind. When Mary looks upon her own beauty manifested at her nativity,the sight moves the affection of her Immaculate Heart to the Highest Good – and she takes us with her!And so, today as we begin our journey to her nativity, we remind ourselves of her Immaculate Conception by this most beautiful prayer of St Pius X.
O Most Holy Virgin By St Pope Pius X (1835-1914)
Most holy Virgin, who pleased our Lord and became His Mother, Virgin Immaculate in your body and soul, in your faith and love, at this solemn jubilee of the promulgation of the dogma which proclaimed you to the entire world as conceived without sin, look kindly on us, unfortunate ones, who implore your powerful protection. The infernal serpent, upon whom the primeval curse was laid, continues, alas, to attack and tempt the hapless children of Eve. Ah! Do you, our blessed Mother, our Queen and Advocate, who at the first moment of your conception did crush the enemy’s head, do you gather together our prayers and we beseech you (our hearts one with yours), present them before God’s throne, that we may never allow ourselves to be caught in the snares laid for us but that we may reach the portal of salvation and that the Church and Christian society may once more chant the hymn of deliverance, of victory and of peace. Amen
Composed for the fiftieth anniversary of the definition of the Immaculate Conception, 8 September 1903.
Announcing a Novena for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Begins 30 August In preparation for the Feast on 8 September
Many days passed before God finally completed the masterpiece of His creation. For nine months, the soul of Mary had given form to her virginal body and the hour of her happy birth approached. As the suffocating Palestinian summer neared its end, the mellowing sun poured abundant torrents of golden light on the opulent plain of Samaria, ripening the rich orchards of autumn fruit . On a magnificent September day, with nature adorned in radiant beauty, the most Holy Virgin came into the world in the white-walled city of Nazareth.
She was probably born in the same house where the great mystery of the Incarnation later took place and where Jesus spent most of His childhood and youth in work and prayer. The angels did not acclaim the coming of the glorious Queen with hymns of joy as they later did the birth of the Saviour . Invisible to the eyes of mortal men, the angels considered it an honour to mount guard around the humble crib over which Saints Joachim and Anne lovingly watched. The prophecy of Isaias had come to pass. The root of Jesse, ten centuries removed, had sprouted a new branch. On this same branch in but a few years more, would blossom the eternal Flower, the Incarnate Word.
Our Morning Offering – 29 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Memorial of the Passion of St John the Baptist
To You We Cry, O Queen of Mercy! By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor Mellifluus (Mellifluous Doctor)
To you we cry, O Queen of Mercy! Return, that we may behold you dispensing favours, bestowing remedies, giving strength. Ah, tender Mother! Tell your all-powerful Son that we have no more wine. We are thirsty after the wine of His love, of that marvelous wine that fills souls with a holy inebriation, inflames them, and gives them the strength to despise the things of this world and to seek with ardour heavenly goods. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 27 August – The Memorial of St Amadeus of Lausanne OCist (1110—1159) Bishop (I am unsure of whether he is a Saint or a Blessed as there seems to be disagreement about the final confirmation of his cultus. Whichever, he is a Saint of God!)
“O how marvellous are His wounds by which the wounds of the world were healed! How victorious His wounds, by which He slew death and stung hell!”
“Your Son appeared to us as an abundance of food when grievous famine threatened, as a spring of living water, to a life in distress and fainting from thirst in the heat.”
“He came from Him, from whom He did not depart, going forth from Him, with whom He stayed, so that without intermission, He was wholly in eternity, wholly in time, wholly was He found in the Father when wholly in the Virgin, wholly in His own majesty and in His Father’s, at the time when He was wholly in our humanity. ”
“He himself is your son, O Mary, He Himself rose from the dead on the third day and with your flesh ascended above all the heavens that He might fill all things. Therefore, O blessed lady, you have your joy, the object of your desire and the crown of your head have been granted you. He has brought to you the sovereignty of heaven through His glory, the kingdom of the world though His mercy, the subjugation of hell through His power. All things with their diverse feelings respond to your great and unspeakable glory – angels by honour, mortals by love, demons by terror. For you are venerated in heaven, loved in the world, feared in hell.”
“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?”
Thought for the Day – 22 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
“When the Virgin Mary was borne into Heaven, soul and body, by the Angels, she was received with great rejoicing by the entire company of the blessed. A halo of light surrounded her, as her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, placed her on His right hand and proclaimed her Queen of Heaven and Earth. It was fitting that this supreme dignity should have been accorded her, for she was the beloved daughter of the Eternal Father, the Immaculate spouse of the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God, the Word made man and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Mary is Queen of the Angels because, even though she is inferior to them, by reason of her human nature, she is superior to them, by reason of her dignity as Mother of God. What Angel could say to the Incarnate Word: “You are my son?” What Angel could command Him, as she could, in her role of Mother?
Mary has yet another claim to her title which no Angel could ever have. She participated in the Passion of her Son Jesus,offering herself along with Him, as a victim of expiation. She made a contribution, in the supernatural order of the Redemption, which neither Angel nor Saint, could have made. With Jesus, through Jesus and in Jesus, she is the co-redemptrix of the human race. Let us bow low before such greatness and join with the choirs of the blessed, in paying homage to her.”
Quotes of the Day – 22 August – The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
“Every Saint belongs to the court of the Queen of All Saints.”
St John Eudes (1501-1680)
“Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection and having in her care, the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since, she has been appointed by God, to be the Queen of heaven and earth and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints and, even stands at the right hand, of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard!”
Bl Pius IX (1792-1878)
Ineffabilis Deus (which proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 1854)
“To serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign there and to live under her commands, is more than to govern.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“She is more Mother than Queen.”
St Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
“With the certainty of faith, we know that Jesus Christ is king in the full, literal and absolute sense of the word; for He is true God and man. This does not, however, prevent Mary from sharing His royal prerogatives, though in a limited and analogous manner; for she was the Mother of Christ and Christ is God and she shared in the work of the divine Redeemer, in His struggles against enemies and in the triumph He won over them all. From this union with Christ the King she assuredly obtains so eminent a status that she stands high above all created things and upon this same union with Christ is based that royal privilege, enabling her to distribute the treasures of the kingdom of the divine Redeemer.”
Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
Excerpted from Ad Caeli Reginam
“Mary … as the Mother of our Lord, comes nearer to Him than any angel, nearer even than the Seraphim who surround Him and cry continuall, “Holy Holy Holy” … The Blessed Mother of God has hosts of angels who do her service and she is their Queen.”
“Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks and herein lies her power. While she defends the Church, neither height nor depth, neither men nor evil spirits, neither great monarchs, nor craft of man, nor popular violence, can avail to harm us; for human life is short but Mary reigns above, a Queen forever.”
One Minute Reflection – 22 August – Saturday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Ezekiel 43: 1-7ab, Psalms 85: 9ab,10, 11-12, 13-14, Matthew 23:1-12 and The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” … Matthew 23:12
REFLECTION – “Humility is a secret power the saints receive when they bring all their life’s ascetical practices to a successful conclusion. For indeed, this power is only bestowed on those who attain to the perfection of virtue through the strength of grace … It is the same power the blessed Apostles received in the form of fire. Our Saviour commanded them, in fact, not to leave Jerusalem until they had received the power from on high (Acts 2:3; 1:4). Here Jerusalem stands for virtue; the power is humility and the power from on high, is the Paraclete, in other words the Consoler Spirit.
Now this is exactly what Sacred Scripture had said – these mysteries are revealed to the humble (Lk 10:21). To the humble it is given to receive within themselves that Spirit of revelation that uncovers mysteries. That is why certain saints have said that humility is what brings the soul to fulfilment in divine contemplation. So let no-one start thinking they have attained complete humility because at some moment a thought of compunction came to them or because they shed a few tears …. But if someone has overcome every contrary spirit …, if he has overturned and subjected all the strongholds of the enemy and if he then feels that he has received that grace in which “the Spirit bears witness to our spirit” (Rom 8:16), in the apostle Paul’s words, then there is the perfection of humility. Blessed are they who possess it. For they continually embrace the breast of Jesus (cf. Jn 13,25).” … St Isaac the Syrian of Nineveh (c 613-c 700) Bishop of Nineveh, Monk at Mosul – Ascetical discourses, 1st series, no 20
PRAYER – Almighty God, our Father, You have given us Mary, the Mother of Your Son, to be our Mother and our Queen. Grant that, supported by her example and her prayers, we may learn true humility and come to the kingdom of heaven and to the glory destined for Your children. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 22 August – Saturday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time and The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
Salve Regina Hail Holy Queen By Blessed Herman the Cripple (1013–1054)
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, Poor banished children of Eve, To thee do we send up our sighs, Mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy toward us And after this our exile, Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus
This line, below, by St Bernard (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, ℟ that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Queenship of Mary (Memorial): On 22 August, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates a memorial in honour of the Queenship of Mary. This memorial is placed an octave, that is, eight days after celebrating Mary’s Assumption into Heaven. The Queenship can be considered a prolongation of the celebration of the Assumption. The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary – 22 August – A Marian feast day decreed by Pope Pius XII on 11 October 1954, in his encyclical Ad caeli reginam to recognise and celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of the world, of the universe, of the angels, of heaven, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, all Saints,of Families, Queen conceived without original sin Queen assumed into Heaven, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of Mercy, Queen of Peace. Amen, Holy Queen and Mother!
St Andrew of Fiesole St Anthusa of Seleucia St Antoninus of Rome St Arnulf of Eynesbury St Athanasius of Tarsus Bl Bernard Perani St Dalmau Llebaría Torné Bl Élie Leymarie de Laroche St Epictetus of Ostia St Ethelgitha of Northumbria St Fabrician of Toledo St Felix of Ostia Bl Giacomo/James Bianconi OP (1220–1301) Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/22/saint-of-the-day-22-august-blessed-giacomo-bianconi-op-1220-1301/ St Gunifort St Joan Farriol Sabaté St John Kemble (1599 – 1679) Martyr Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/22/saint-of-the-day-22-august-st-john-kemble-1599-1679-martyr/ St John Wall St Josep Roselló Sans St Julio Melgar Salgado St Maprilis of Ostia St Martial of Ostia St Maurus of Rheims St Narciso de Esténaga y Echevarría St Philibert of Toledo Bl Richard Kirkman St Saturninus of Ostia Bl Simeon Lukach St Sigfrid of Wearmouth St Symphorian of Autun Blessed Timoteo da Monticchio OFM (1444-1503) Priest St Thomas Percy St Timothy of Rome Bl William Lacey _ Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: • Blessed Dalmau Llebaría Torné • Blessed Joan Farriol Sabaté • Blessed Josep Roselló Sans • Blessed Julio Melgar Salgado • Blessed Narciso de Esténaga y Echevarría
Our Morning Offering – 21 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Friday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of St Pope Pius X (1835-1914) (Pontiff 1903-1914)
O Most Holy Virgin By St Pope Pius X (1835-1914)
Most holy Virgin, who pleased our Lord and became His Mother, Virgin Immaculate in your body and soul, in your faith and love, at this solemn jubilee of the promulgation of the dogma which proclaimed you to the entire world as conceived without sin, look kindly on us, unfortunate ones, who implore your powerful protection. The infernal serpent, upon whom the primeval curse was laid, continues, alas, to attack and tempt the hapless children of Eve. Ah! Do you, our blessed Mother, our Queen and Advocate, who at the first moment of your conception did crush the enemy’s head, do you gather together our prayers and we beseech you (our hearts one with yours), present them before God’s throne, that we may never allow ourselves to be caught in the snares laid for us but that we may reach the portal of salvation and that the Church and Christian society may once more chant the hymn of deliverance, of victory and of peace. Amen
Composed for the fiftieth anniversary of the definition of the Immaculate Conception, 8 September 1903.
Quote/s of the Day – 20 August – The Memorial of St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Docotr, “Doctor of Light”
“In every lodging, at every corner, have reverence for thy Angel. Do not dare to do in his presence what you would not dare to do, if I were there. Or do you doubt that he is present whom you do not behold? What if you should hear him? What if you should touch him? What if you should scent him? Remember, that the presence of something is not proved only by the sight of things.”
” It is true that the creature loves less because she is less. But if she loves with her whole being, nothing is lacking, where everything is given.”
“There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge; that is Curiosity. There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is Vanity. There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve; that is Love.”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
“A saint is not someone, who never sins, but one who sins less and less frequently and gets up more and more quickly.”
“Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others on earth, so also in heaven is her glory unique. If eye has not seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), who can express what He has prepared for the woman who gave Him birth and who loved Him, as everyone knows, more than anyone else?”
“Rest is in Him alone. Man knows no peace in the world but he has no disturbance when he is with God.”
Jesu Dulcis Memori
Jesus, the very thought of Thee with sweetness fills my breast, But sweeter far Thy face to see and in Thy presence rest.
Nor voice can sing nor heart can frame, Nor can the memory find a sweeter sound than Jesus’ name, O Saviour of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart, O joy of all the meek to those who fall, how kind Thou art, how good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah this nor tongue nor pen can show, the love of Jesus, what it is none but His loved ones know.
Jesus our only joy be Thou as Thou our prize wilt be. Jesus, be Thou our glory now and through eternity. Amen
Thought for the Day – 15 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“It is generally believed that Our Blessed Lady died, since she would not have wished to escape death anymore than her divine Son did. Our Lord, however, had see her sharing in His agony and death upon Mount Calvary and He willed that her own death would be so peaceful as hardly to justify the name.
The just die, in the love of God and the Martyrs died, for the love of God. But Mary died, consumed by the love of God. It was not disease which brought an end to her life but love. Her love for Jesus, was more ardent and more perfect, than that of any other creature. She loved Him, when she held Him in her arms in the stable at Bethlehem, when she fled with Him into Egypt and, when she offered Him in the temple to His heavenly Father. She loved Him, when she found Him after He had been lost and when she looked after Him in their home at Nazareth. She loved Him, as she followed Him to His death on Calvary. She loved Him, in the joy of His Resurrection and, subsequently, of His Ascension into Heaven. Jesus desired her to remain on earth for a while, to comfort the infant Church and to initiate the loving patronage which she would exercise over it, in Heaven. Her love grew, from day to day, until it entirely consumed her and her Immaculate Heart could no longer contain it. Mary fulfilled, in a most perfect manner, the Creator’s command to His creatures, to love Him with all their hearts and with all their strength. Consequently, her love reached such a peak, that her soul, in it’s final ecstasy, glided from her body.
Let us ask our Mother, Mary, to help us to die with the love and grace of God in our hearts and, with the names of Jesus and Mary on our lips.”
Quote/s of the Day – 15 August – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven
“It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles… it was fitting that God’s Mother should possess what belongs to her Son and that she should be honoured by every creature as the Mother and the Handmaid of God.”
St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church
“As the most glorious Mother of Christ, our Saviour and our God and the giver of life and immortality, has been endowed with life by Him, she has received an eternal incorruptibility of the body together with Him who has raised her up from the tomb and has taken her up to Himself in a way known only to Him.”
St Modestus of Jerusalem (Died 630)
“And with regard to ourselves, how deservedly do we keep the Feast of the Assumption with all solemnity. What reasons for rejoicing, what motives for exultation have we on this most beautiful day! The presence of Mary illumines the entire world so that even the holy city above has now a more dazzling splendour from the light of this virginal Lamp. With good reason, thanksgiving and the voice of praise, resound today throughout the courts of Heaven… let us not complain, for here we do not have a lasting city but we seek one that is to come, the same which the blessed Mary entered today.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor
One Minute Reflection – 15 August – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, Readings: Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10, Psalms 45: 10, 11, 12, 16, 1 Corinthians 15:20-27, Luke 1:39-56
My soul glorifies the Lord … Luke 1:46
REFLECTION – “He himself is your son, O Mary, He Himself rose from the dead on the third day and with your flesh ascended above all the heavens that He might fill all things. Therefore, O blessed lady, you have your joy, the object of your desire and the crown of your head have been granted you. He has brought to you the sovereignty of heaven through His glory, the kingdom of the world though His mercy, the subjugation of hell through His power. All things with their diverse feelings respond to your great and unspeakable glory – angels by honour, mortals by love, demons by terror. For you are venerated in heaven, loved in the world, feared in hell.
Rejoice, therefore and be glad, for He who receives you has arisen, your glory, lifting up your head. You rejoiced at His conception, you were afflicted at His passion. Rejoice again in His resurrection and your joy no-one will take from you. Christ, rising from the dead, dies no more; death will have no more dominion over Him.
The Spirit calls you, God says to you: “Arise, hasten, my love, my dove, my fair one and come. For the winter is past, the rain has departed and gone, the flowers have appeared on our earth. The time for pruning has come” (Sg 2:10-12). … Then the censer, following the incense and lifted up by the hand of the Lord, mounts to the throne of God. It goes up attended by a train of angelic spirits calling out on high and saying: “Who is this who comes up through the desert like a column of smoke from the odour of myrrh and incense and all the powders of perfume?” (Sg 3:6). … St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) Cistercian Monk, then Bishop – Homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary VI, SC 72
PRAYER – My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour!
For He has blessed me lavishly
and makes me ready to respond.
He shatters my little world
and lets me be poor before Him.
He takes from me all my plans
and gives me more than I can hope for or ask.
He gives me opportunities
and the ability to become free
and to burst through my boundaries.
He gives the strength to be doing,
to build on Him alone,
for He shows Himself
as the ever greater One in my life.
He has made known to me this!
It is in my being servant that it becomes possible.
For God’s kingdom to break through
here and now.
Amen
A Magnificat Translated from the German by Olga Warnke of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Our Morning Offering – 15 August – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven
Who is She Ascends So High? By Sir John Beaumont (1582-1628)
Who is she ascends so high,
Next the heav’nly King,
Round about whom angels fly,
And her praises sing?
Who is she adorned with light,
Makes the sun her robe?
At whose feet the queen of night
Lays her changing globe?
This is she in whose pure womb
Heaven’s Prince remained,
Wherefore in no earthly tomb
Could she be contained.
Heav’n she was, which held that fire,
Whence the world took light,
And to heav’n doth now aspire,
Flames with flames unite.
She that did so clearly shine,
Our Day once begun,
See how bright her beams decline,
Sitting with the Sun.
Who is She Ascends So High? was written by the English poet, Sir John Beaumont (1582-1628). In 1607 and again in 1625, both he and and his wife were charged and fined as Roman Catholic Recusants for refusing to attend Anglican services. In 1626 he was created a Baronet by King Charles I (1600-1649), who himself had married a Catholic and allowed her to practice her faith openly and freely. In the Divine Office, Who is She Ascends So High? is used on Feast Days of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The suggested musical setting in the Divine Office is the hymn tune – Assumpta Est. The tune used in the following video is unknown.
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (however, in most countries of Africa, the Solemnity will be celebrated on the Sunday following the 15th).
The Feast celebrates the Assumption of the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven upon her death. According to Pope Benedict XIV, it is a probable opinion, which it is impious to deny, though not an article of faith but has since in 1950 has been raised to a DOGMA of the Faith. The origin of the Feast day is not known but it was celebrated in Palestine before the year 500.
It is a holy day of obligation, it’s vigil being a fast day, in many English-speaking countries. Among the many masters who have painted the subject of the Assumption are Fra Angelico, Ghirlandajo, Rubens, Del Sarto and Titian. Patronages – Acadians, Cajuns, Cistercian Order, Cistercians, fish dealers, fish-mongers, French air crews, harness makers, France, Guatemala, India, Jamaica, Malta, Paraguay, Slovakia, east Africa (region of east Africa which includes diverse countries, proclaimed on 15 March 1952 by Pope Pius XII) South Africa (this is not a region but a country) and the Assumption is, therefore, the Patronal Feast of the Country of South Africa – proclaimed on 15 March 1952 by Pope Pius XII), 24 dioceses, 38 cities.
Martyrs of Nicomedia – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together. No details survive but the names – Eutychian, Philip and Straton. They were martyred in Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey).
Martyred in the Mexican Revolution: 4 Saints –
St David Roldán Lara
St Luis Batiz Sainz
St Manuel Moralez
St Salvador Lara Puente
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939.
• Blessed Agustì Ibarra Angüela
• Blessed Carmelo Sastre y Sastre
• Blessed Clemente Vea Balaguer
• Blessed Francisco Míguez Fernández
• Blessed Ildefonso Alberto Flos
• Blessed Jaume Bonet Nadal
• Blessed Joan Ceró Cedó
• Blessed Josep Santonja Pinsach
• Blessed Juan Francisco Barahona Martín
• Blessed Juan Mesonero Huerta
• Blessed Luis Ros Ezcurra
• Blessed Manuel Formigo Giráldez
• Blessed Miguel Alberto Flos
• Blessed Sebastià Balcells Tonijuan
• Blessed Severiano Montes Fernández
Our Morning Offering – 13 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Thursday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time and the Feast of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners
Shelter Me Under Your Mantle Refuge of Sinners By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to you who are the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the hope, the refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate you, great Queen
and I thank you for the many graces
you have bestowed upon me even unto this day,
in particular for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often served by my sins.
I love you, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve you willingly forever
and to do what I can,
to make you loved by others also.
I place in you all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as your servant
and shelter me under your mantle,
you who are the Mother of Mercy.
And since you are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From you I implore a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through you I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by your love for Almighty God,
I pray you to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until you shall see me safe in heaven,
there to bless you
and sing of your mercies through all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen
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
Our Morning Offering –8 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Saturday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time
Mary Our Strength By Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) (Pontiff 1939-1958)
O Virgin, fair as the moon,
delight of the angels and saints in heaven,
grant that we may become like you
and that our souls may receive a ray of your beauty,
which does not decline with the years
but shines forth into eternity.
O Mary, sun of heaven,
restore life where there is death
and enlighten spirits, where there is darkness.
Turn your countenance to your children
and radiate on us your light and your fervour.
O Mary, powerful as an army,
grant victory to our ranks.
We are very weak
and our enemy rages with uttermost conceit.
But under your banner
we are confident of overcoming him. ….
Save us, O Mary,
fair as the moon,
bright as the sun,
awe-inspiring as an army set in battle array
and sustained not by hatred
but by the ardour of love.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 7 August – The Memorial of St Albert of Trapani O.Carm. (c 1240-1307) and St Cajetan (1480-1547)
Heal us Lord God Prayer of St Albert of Trapani O.Carm. (c 1240-1307)
O my God,
You have created the human race
by Your wonderful power.
It is an act of Your clemency that has called us
to share Your glory and eternal life.
When the first sin condemned us to suffer death,
out of Your goodness,
You wished to redeem us
through the blood of Your Son,
To unite us to You through our faith
and Your great mercy.
You have brought us back
from the shame of our sin,
You have veiled our dishonour
in the brightness of Your glory.
Look now and see that what You have created,
giving it subtle limbs and joints
and made beautiful through its immortal soul,
is now subject to the attack of Satan.
Be pleased Lord
to reconstitute Your work and heal it.
May Your power be glorified
and may the malice of the enemy be stunned.
Amen
St Albert of Trapani (c 1240-1307)
“My desire is not my way but Your way.”
“I am a sinner and do not think much of myself; I have recourse to the greatest servants of the Lord, that they may pray for me to the blessed Christ and His Mother. But do not forget, that all the saints cannot endear you to Christ as much as you can yourself. It is entirely up to you!”
“May all praise and thanks be continually given to the Most Holy and Most August Sacrament.”
“We may seek graces but shall never find them without the intercession of Mary.”
Our Morning Offering – 7 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Friday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, Heart of Love and Mercy
O Most Blessed Mother,
heart of love,
heart of mercy,
ever listening, caring, consoling,
hear our prayer.
As your children,
we implore your intercession
with Jesus your Son.
Receive with understanding
and compassion
the petitions we place before you today,
especially those so deep in our heart.
We are comforted in knowing
your heart is ever open
to those who ask for your prayer.
We trust to your gentle care and intercession,
those whom we love
and those who are sick or lonely or hurting.
Help all of us, Holy Mother,
to bear our burdens in this life
until we may share eternal life
and peace with God forever.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 5 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of the Dedication of Mary Major
“Mary was placed by God in the centre of history and we can say, that everything was made through her and with her and in her.”
St Bernard (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
“Mary is the divine Page on which God the Father wrote the Word of God, His Son. Let us draw near to her and read her!”
St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church
“The single richest treasure in the Vatican is the Rosary.”
Bl Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
“All to Jesus through Mary, all to Mary for Jesus.”
St Marcellin Champagnat (1789-1840)
“No matter how enormous our sins may be, no matter how irresistible our carnal instincts may seem, no matter how hopelessly we may have plunged into the depths of evil, it is enough for us to raise our eyes in confidence towards Mary. … Like a merciful Mother, she will obtain for us from God, forgiveness and the strength to return to the path of penitence and of peace. … Let us turn to her with trust and humility and she will certainly assist us.”
AnaStpaul 
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