| Devotion to Our Lady |
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DEVOTION TO OUR LADY ON A PLATE!
All that you need to help you spark and maintain a true devotion to Our Lady.
Seasonal prayers, daily meditations, Rosary meditations, Seven Sorrows meditations, prayers of saints to Mary, daily feast of Mary, key readings from the most important books on Our Lady, rule of life, daily examination of conscience, and much more—all laid on plate for you! You do not have to research, nor buy books, nor do your own work—all is laid at your feet. All you have to do is use it—plant it, water it and make your devotion to Mary grow!
SATURDAY'S DAILY MARY
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YOUR DAILY ROSARY MEDITATIONS
Ten Scriptural quotes,
one for each Hail Mary. Say the appropriate one before saying the Hail Mary. THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
1. THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD FROM THE DEAD
1. And when the Sabbath was past, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men. Later the guards came into the city, and told the Chief Priests all things that had been done. And they, being assembled together with the Ancients, taking counsel, gave a great sum of money to the soldiers, saying: “Say you: ‘His disciples came by night, and stole Him away when we were asleep!’ And if the governor shall hear this, we will persuade him, and secure you!” So they, taking the money, did as they were taught: and this word was spread abroad among the Jews―even unto this day. 2. Very early in the morning Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, so that, coming to see the sepulcher, they might anoint Jesus. Mary Magdalen came first unto the sepulcher, when it was yet dark; and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulcher. She ran, therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith to them: “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid Him!” 3. Meanwhile, with the sun being now risen, the other women arrived at the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they said one to another: “Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulcher?” For it was very great. And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. And entering into the sepulcher, they found not the Body of the Lord Jesus. They saw a young man, sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe―and they were astonished. They were afraid and bowed down, their countenance towards the ground. And the angel answering, said to the women: “Be not afraid! For I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified! Why seek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how He spoke unto you, when He was in Galilee, saying: ‘The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again!’ He is risen! He is not here! Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid. Now go quickly, tell His disciples and Peter that He will go before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him, as He told you!” 4. But they going out, fled from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, running to tell His disciples. For a trembling and fear had seized them: and they said nothing to any man; for they were afraid. And going back from the sepulcher, they told all these things to the Eleven, and to all the rest. And these words seemed to them as idle tales; and they did not believe them. 5. In the meantime, Peter went out, and that other disciple, and they came to the sepulcher. And they both ran together, and that other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulcher. And when he stooped down, he saw the linen cloths lying; but yet he went not in. Then cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulcher, and saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin that had been about His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapped up into one place. Then that other disciple also went in, who came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed. For, as yet, they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. The disciples therefore departed again to their home. 6. Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalen, out of whom He had cast seven devils. Mary, having returned again to the sepulcher, stood outside, weeping. Now as she was weeping, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and she saw two angels in white, sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the Body of Jesus had been laid. They said to her: “Woman, why weepest thou?” She said to them: “Because they have taken away my Lord; and I know not where they have laid Him!” When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing; and she knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her: “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?” She, thinking it was the gardener, saith to Him: “Sir, if Thou hast taken Him out of here, tell me where Thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away!” Jesus said to her: “Mary!” She, turning, said to Him: “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Master). Jesus said to her: “Do not touch Me! For I am not yet ascended to My Father! But go to My brethren and say to them: ‘I ascend to My Father and to your Father, to My God and your God!’” Mary Magdalen went and told the disciples: “I have seen the Lord! And these things He said to me!” 7. In the meantime, Jesus met the women, saying: “All hail!” But they came up and took hold of His feet, and adored Him. Then Jesus said to them: “Fear not! Go, tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, there they shall see Me!” The women told these things to the Apostles. And these words seemed to them as idle tales; and they did not believe them. And they hearing that He was alive, and had been seen, did not believe. And after that He appeared in another shape to two of them walking, as they were going into the country. And they going told it to the rest: neither did they believe them. At length He appeared to the Eleven as they were at table: and He upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen Him after He was risen again. 8. Two disciples, the same day, walked to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And while they talked and reasoned, Jesus Himself joined them. But their eyes were held, that they should not know Him. And He said to them: “What are you talking about and why are you so sad?” And Cleophas said to Him: “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, and how our Chief Priests and princes delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. We hoped, that it was He that should have redeemed Israel! Today is the third day since these things were done and some women of our company, who were at the sepulcher, and not finding His body, came and frightened us, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that He is alive!” 9. Then Jesus said to them: “O foolish, and slow of heart to believe in all things which the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them, in all the Scriptures, the things that were concerning Him. And as they drew near to the town where they were going, they constrained Him; saying: “Stay with us, because it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent!” And He went in with them. And it came to pass, whilst He was at table with them, He took bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him: and He vanished out of their sight. And they said one to the other: “Was not our heart burning within us, whilst He spoke in this way, and opened to us the Scriptures?” And rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the Eleven gathered together, and those that were staying with them, saying: “The Lord is risen indeed!” 10. Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, who is called “Didymus”, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them: “Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe!” And, after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: “Peace be to you!” Then he saith to Thomas: “Put in thy finger here, and see My hands; and bring here thy hand, and put it into My side―and be not faithless, but believing!” Thomas answered, and said to Him: “My Lord, and my God!” Jesus saith to him: “Because thou hast seen Me, Thomas, thou hast believed! Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed!” 2. THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD INTO HEAVEN 1. And the Eleven Disciples went into Galilee, and Jesus led them out as far as Bethania, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing Him they adored: but some doubted. 2. They, therefore, who were come together, asked Him, saying: “Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” And Jesus, spoke to them, saying: “It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in His own power.” 3. And Jesus said to them: “All power is given to Me in Heaven and in Earth. But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts of the Earth. Go ye into the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. Teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” 4. “He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.” 5. “And these signs shall follow them that believe—In My Name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.” 6. “Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world!” 7. And the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, lifting up His hands, He blessed them. And it came to pass, whilst He blessed them, He departed from them, and was carried up to Heaven while they looked on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. He now sitteth on the right hand of God. 8. And while they were beholding Him going up to Heaven, behold two men stood by them, in white garments, who also said: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to Heaven? This Jesus, Who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come, as you have seen Him going into Heaven!” 9. Then they adoring went back from the mount, which is near Jerusalem, that is called Olivet, and with great joy returned to Jerusalem, which is within a Sabbath day’s journey. 10. And when they reached Jerusalem, they went up into an upper room, where abode Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Jude the brother of James. All these were persevering with one mind in prayer with the women, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren. 3. THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST AT PENTECOST 1. And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place. 2. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. 5. And when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because that every man heard them speak in his own tongue. 6. And they were all amazed and astonished, and wondered, saying one to another: “What meaneth this?” But others mocking, said: “These men are full of new wine!” 7. But Peter standing up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke to them: “Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and with your ears receive my words! For these are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day!” 8. “Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you―as you also know. This same Being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you, by the hands of wicked men, have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of Hell, as it was impossible that He should be held by it. 9. When they had heard these things, they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter, and to the rest of the Apostles: “What shall we do, men and brethren?” But Peter said to them: “Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins―and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! The promise is to you, your children and to all that are far off, whomsoever the Lord our God shall call!” 10. And with very many other words did he testify and exhort them, saying: “Save yourselves from this perverse generation!” They, therefore, that received his word, were baptized; and there were added in that day about three thousand souls. And they were persevering in the doctrine of the Apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul―many wonders also and signs were done by the Apostles in Jerusalem, and there was great fear in all. And all they that believed, were together, and had all things common. Their possessions and goods they sold, and divided them to all, according as everyone had need. 4. THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR LADY INTO HEAVEN 1. “Lift up your eyes to Heaven” (Isaias 51:6). 2. “Look up to Heaven and see, and behold the sky, that it is higher than thee” (Job 35:5). 3. “They shall make themselves wings like those of an eagle, and shall fly towards Heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). 4. “Who mounteth above the Heaven of Heaven” (Psalm 67:34). 5. “If I ascend into Heaven, Thou art there” (Psalm 138:8). 6. “And He had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of Heaven” (Psalm 77:23). 7. “God give thee the dew of Heaven” (Genesis 27:28). 8. “Then hear thou from Heaven, and do justice to thy servants” (2 Paralipomenon 6:23). 9. “Hear thou from Heaven their prayers and their supplications” (2 Paralipomenon 6:35). 10. “Hear thou from thy dwelling place, that is, from Heaven, and show mercy!” (2 Paralipomenon 6:21). 5. THE CORONATION OF OUR LADY IN HEAVEN 1. “Be thou faithful until death―and I will give thee the crown of life!” (Apocalypse 2:10). 2. “When the Prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). 3. “Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown!” (Apocalypse 3:11). 4. “Thou shalt put her on as a robe of glory, and thou shalt set her upon thee as a crown of joy” (Ecclesiasticus 6:32). 5. “God will clothe thee with the double garment of justice, and will set a crown on thy head of everlasting honor” (Baruch 5:2). 6. “Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God” (Isaias 62:3). 7. “That thou mayest receive a crown as an ornament of grace” (Ecclesiasticus 32:3). 8. “And a great sign appeared in Heaven―a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Apocalypse 12:1). 9. “With the crown set upon her head, to show her beauty to all … for she was exceedingly beautiful” (Esther 1:11). 10. “A jewel upon thy forehead and earrings in thy ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head” (Ezechiel 16:12). VARIOUS LITANIES IN HONOR OF OUR LADY
Litany of Loreto Introduction
This litany to the Blessed Virgin Mary was composed during the Middle Ages. The place of honor it now holds in the life of the Church is due to its faithful use at the shrine of the Holy House at Loreto. It was definitely approved by Sixtus V in 1587, and all other Marian litanies were suppressed, at least for public use. Its titles and invocations set before us Mary's exalted privileges, her holiness of life, her amiability and power, her motherly spirit and queenly majesty.
The principle that has been followed in their interpretation is the one enunciated by the same Pius IX: "God enriched her so wonderfully from the treasury of His divinity, far beyond all angels and saints with the abundance of all heavenly gifts, that she . . .should show forth such fullness of innocence and holiness, than which a greater under God is unthinkable and which, beside God, no one can even conceive in thought. Hence, whatever virtue and holiness is found in angels and saints must be present in Mary in an immeasurably higher degree. The Litany of Loreto Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, Pray for us. Holy Mother of God, Pray for us. Holy Virgin of virgins, Pray for us. . Mother of Christ, Pray for us. Mother of divine grace, Pray for us. Mother most pure, Pray for us. Mother most chaste, Pray for us. Mother inviolate, Pray for us. Mother undefiled, Pray for us. Mother most amiable, Pray for us. Mother most admirable, Pray for us. Mother of good counsel, Pray for us. Mother of our Creator, Pray for us. Mother of our Savior, Pray for us. Mother of the Church, Pray for us. Virgin most prudent, Pray for us. Virgin most venerable, Pray for us. Virgin most renowned, Pray for us. Virgin most powerful, Pray for us. Virgin most merciful, Pray for us. Virgin most faithful, Pray for us. Mirror of justice, Pray for us. Seat of wisdom, Pray for us. Cause of our joy, Pray for us. Spiritual vessel, Pray for us. Vessel of honor, Pray for us. Singular vessel of devotion, Pray for us. Mystical rose, Pray for us. Tower of David, Pray for us. . Tower of ivory, Pray for us. House of gold, Pray for us. Ark of the covenant, Pray for us. Gate of Heaven, Pray for us. Morning star, Pray for us. Health of the sick, Pray for us. Refuge of sinners, Pray for us. Comforter of the afflicted, Pray for us. Help of Christians, Pray for us. Queen of angels, Pray for us. Queen of patriarchs, Pray for us. Queen of prophets, Pray for us. Queen of apostles, Pray for us. Queen of martyrs, Pray for us. Queen of confessors, Pray for us. Queen of virgins, Pray for us. Queen of all saints, Pray for us. Queen conceived without Original Sin, Pray for us. Queen assumed into Heaven, Pray for us. Queen of the most Holy Rosary, Pray for us. Queen of peace, Pray for us. Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body, and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy everlasting happiness. Through Christ Our Lord. R. Amen 1. THE ANNUNCIATION
1. And in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent, from God, into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth. 2. He was sent to a Virgin espoused to a man, whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the Virgin’s name was Mary. 3. And the Angel, being come in, said unto her: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women!” 4. Who, having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought within herself what manner of salutation this should be. 5. And the Angel said to her: “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God!” 6. “Behold! Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His Name Jesus.” 7. “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David, His father; and He shall reign in the House of Jacob for ever. And of His kingdom there shall be no end.” 8. And Mary said to the Angel: “How shall this be done, because I know not man?” 9. And the Angel, answering, said to her: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And, therefore also, the Holy, which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.” 10. And Mary said: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord! Be it done unto me according to thy word!” And the Angel departed from her. 2. THE VISITATION 1. A priest, named Zachary, and his wife, Elizabeth, were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame. And they had no son, for Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years. 2. And it came to pass, when Zachary executed the priestly function, going into the Temple of the Lord in the order of his course before God, for it was his lot to offer incense, according to the custom of the priestly office. And all the multitude of the people was praying outside, at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zachary, seeing him, was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 3. The angel said to him: “Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice in his nativity. For he shall be great before the Lord; and shall drink no wine, nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias; that he may turn the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the incredulous to the wisdom of the just, to prepare unto the Lord a perfect people.” 4. Zachary said to the angel: “Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years!” And the angel answering, said to him: “I am Gabriel, who stands before God: and am sent to speak to thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be able to speak until the day wherein these things shall come to pass, because thou hast not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time!” 5. The people were waiting for Zachary; and they wondered that he tarried so long in the Temple. And when he came out, he could not speak to them―and they understood that he had seen a vision in the Temple. And he made signs to them, and remained dumb. 6. And it came to pass, after the days of his office were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days, Elizabeth, his wife, conceived and hid herself five months, saying: “Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He hath had regard to take away my reproach among men!” 7. And Mary, rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. 8. And Elizabeth cried out with a loud voice, and said: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb! And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leapt for joy! And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.” 9. And Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is His Name. And His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him. He hath showed might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy: as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His seed for ever.” 10. And Mary abode with her about three months; and she returned to her own house. Now Elizabeth’s full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolks heard that the Lord had showed His great mercy towards her, and they congratulated her. And it came to pass, that, on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they called him by his father’s name―Zachary. And his mother answering, said: “Not so! But he shall be called John!” And they said to her: “There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name!” And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And demanding a writing table, he wrote, saying: “John is his name!” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their neighbors; and all these things were noised abroad, over all the hill country of Judea. And all they that had heard them, laid them up in their heart, saying: “What a one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him!” 3. THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD AT BETHLEHEM 1. And it came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem―because he was of the house and family of David―to be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with Child. 2. And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 3. And there were, in the same country, shepherds watching and keeping the night watches over their flock. And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: “Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy―that shall be to all the people!” 4. “For, this day, is born to you a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you―you shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger!” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: “Glory to God in the highest; and on Earth peace to men of good will!” 5. And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into Heaven, the shepherds said one to another: “Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath showed to us!” And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant, lying in the manger. And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this Child. And all that heard, wondered at those things that were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. 6. When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of King Herod, behold, there came Wise Men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East, and are come to adore Him.” And King Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling together all the Chief Priests and the Scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born. But they said to him: “In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet: ‘And thou Bethlehem, the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the Captain that shall rule My people Israel.’” 7. Then Herod, privately calling the Wise Men, learned diligently of them the time of the star, which appeared to them; and, sending them into Bethlehem, said: “Go and diligently inquire after the Child, and, when you have found Him, bring me word again, that I also may come to adore Him.” Who, having heard the king, went their way; and, behold, the star which they had seen in the East, went before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. And, seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His Mother, and falling down they adored Him; and opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts―gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And, having received an answer, in sleep, that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country. 8. And, after they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, in his sleep, saying: “Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee! For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him.” Who arose, and took the Child and His Mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod―that it might be fulfilled, which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt have I called My Son.” 9. Then Herod, perceiving that he was deluded by the Wise Men, was exceedingly angry; and, sending soldiers, killed all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the Wise Men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying: “A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not!” But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared, in Egypt, to Joseph in his sleep, saying: “Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of the Child.” 10. Who arose, and took the Child and His Mother, and came into the land of Israel. But, hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea, in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there―and, being warned in sleep, retired into the quarters of Galilee. And coming, he dwelt in a city called Nazareth― that it might be fulfilled which was said by prophets: “That He shall be called a Nazarene.” 4. THE PRESENTATION OF THE INFANT JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 1. And after the days of her purification were accomplished, according to the law of Moses, they carried Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord―as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every male, opening the womb, shall be called holy to the Lord!”―and to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 2. And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him. 3. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the Temple. 4. And when His parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law, Simeon also took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: “Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace; because my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples―a light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel!” 5. And His father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning Him. 6. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother: “Behold this Child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; and thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.” 7. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow for eighty-four years; who departed not from the Temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. 8. Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord; and spoke of Him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. 9. And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. 10. And the Child grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in Him. 5. THE FINDING OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 1. And His parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the Pasch. 2. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast. 3. And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the Child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and His parents knew it not. 4. And thinking that He was in the company of others, they came a day’s journey, and sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. And not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 5. And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found Him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His wisdom and His answers. And seeing Him, they wondered. 6. And His mother said to Him: “Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing!” 7. And He said to them: “How is it that you sought Me? Did you not know, that I must be about My Father’s business?” And they understood not the word that He spoke unto them. 8. And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. 9. And His Mother kept all these words in her heart. 10. And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men. 1. THE AGONY OF OUR LORD IN THE GARDEN
1. And a hymn being said, going out, He went, according to His custom, to the Mount of Olives. He went forth over the brook Cedron and His disciples also followed Him. Then Jesus came with them into a country place, a farm which is called Gethsemane. And taking with Him Peter and James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, He said to His disciples: “Sit you here, till I go yonder and pray!” And He began to fear and to be heavy, and grow sorrowful and to be sad. Then He said to them: “My soul is sorrowful even unto death: stay you here, and watch with Me!” 2. And when He was gone forward a little, and was withdrawn away from them a stone’s cast, He fell upon His face, flat on the ground; and He prayed, that if it might be, the hour might pass from Him, saying: “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me--remove this chalice from Me! Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done!” 3. And He cometh to His disciples and findeth them asleep, and He saith to Peter: “What! Could you not watch one hour with Me? Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation! The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak!” 4. Again the second time, He went and prayed, saying: “My Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must drink it, Thy will be done!” And He cometh again and findeth them sleeping―for their eyes were heavy and they knew not what to answer Him. 5. And leaving them, He went again and He prayed the third time, saying the same words. And there appeared to Him an angel from Heaven, strengthening Him. And, being in an agony, He prayed the longer. And His sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground. And when He rose up from prayer, and was come to His disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow and saith to them: “Sleep ye now and take your rest! It is enough! Behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners! Rise! Let us go! Behold he is at hand that will betray Me!” 6. And while He was yet speaking, behold, Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, came―and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs―sent from the Chief Priests and the Ancients of the people. Judas, who betrayed Him, knew the place; because Jesus had often visited there―together with His disciples. Judas, therefore, having received a band of soldiers and servants from the Chief Priests and the Pharisees, cometh there with lanterns and torches and weapons. And he, that betrayed Him, gave them a sign, saying: “Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is He! Hold Him fast and lead Him away carefully!” And forthwith coming to Jesus, and immediately going up to Him, he said: “Hail, Rabbi!” And he kissed Him. And Jesus said to him: “Friend, whereto art thou come? Judas, dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss?” 7. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said to them: “Whom seek ye?” They answered Him: “Jesus of Nazareth!” Jesus saith to them: “I am He!” And Judas also, who betrayed Him, stood with them. As soon, therefore, as He had said to them: “I am He”, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Again, therefore, He asked them: “Whom seek ye?” And they said: “Jesus of Nazareth!” Jesus answered: “I have told you that I am He! If therefore you seek Me, let these go their way!” That the word might be fulfilled which He said: “Of them whom Thou hast given Me, I have not lost any one” Then they came up, and laid hands on Jesus, and held Him. 8. And they, that were about Him, seeing what would follow, said to Him: “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And, behold, one of them that was with Jesus, Simon Peter, having a sword, stretching forth his hand, drew out his sword and struck the servant of the High Priest and cut off his right ear. And the name of the servant was Malchus. Then Jesus saith to him: “Put up thy sword into the scabbard! For all that take the sword shall perish with the sword! The chalice which My Father hath given Me―shall I not drink it? Thinkest thou that I cannot ask My Father, and He will give Me presently more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that so it must be done? Suffer ye thus far!” But when Jesus had touched his ear, He healed him. 9. And Jesus said―to the Chief Priests, Magistrates of the Temple and the Ancients, that were come unto Him: “You are come out as it were to a robber, with swords and clubs, to apprehend Me! I sat daily with you, teaching in the Temple, and you laid not hands on Me! But this is your hour and the power of darkness!” Now all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then the disciples, all leaving Him, fled away. And a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and they laid hold on him. But he, casting off the linen cloth, fled from them naked. 10. Then the band and the tribune, and the servants of the Jews, apprehending and holding Jesus, bound Him and led Him away to Annas first, for he was father-in-law to Caiphas, who was the High Priest of that year, and then to Caiphas, where the Scribes and the Ancients were assembled. But Peter followed afar off. 2. THE SCOURGING OF OUR LORD AT THE PILLAR 1. And when morning was come, all Chief Priests holding a consultation with the Ancients of the people and the Scribes and the whole Council, took counsel against Jesus, that they might put Him to death. And the whole multitude of them, rising up, binding Jesus, led Him away from Caiphas to the governor’s hall and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. They went not into the hall, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Pasch. 2. Pilate, therefore, went out to them, and said: “What accusation bring you against this Man?” They answered and said to him: “If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up to thee!” And they began to accuse Him, saying: “We have found this Man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that He is Christ the King!” 3. And when He was accused by the Chief Priests and Ancients, He answered nothing. Then Pilate saith to Him: “Dost not Thou hear how great testimonies they allege against Thee?” And He answered him not a word; so that the governor wondered. And Pilate again asked Him, saying: “Answerest Thou nothing? Behold in how many things they accuse Thee!” But Jesus still answered nothing; so that Pilate wondered exceedingly. 4. Pilate therefore said to them: “Take Him you, and judge Him according to your law!” The Jews therefore said to him: “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death!” That the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He said, signifying what death He should die. But they were more earnest, saying: “He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.” But Pilate, hearing “Galilee”, asked if the Man were of Galilee. And when he understood that He was of Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him away to Herod, who was also at Jerusalem in those days. 5. And Herod, seeing Jesus, was very glad; for he was desirous of a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to see some sign wrought by Him. And he questioned Him in many words. But He answered him nothing. And the Chief Priests and the Scribes stood by, earnestly accusing Him. And Herod, with his army, set Him at nought, and mocked Him, putting on Him a white garment, and sent Him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate were made friends that same day; for, before, they were enemies one to another. 6. And Pilate, calling together the Chief Priests, and the Magistrates, and the people, said to them: “You have presented unto me this Man, as one that perverts the people; and, behold I, having examined Him before you, find no cause in this Man, in those things wherein you accuse Him. No, nor Herod neither! For I sent you to him, and behold, nothing worthy of death is done to Him!” But they cried again, saying: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” And he said to them again: “Why? What evil hath this Man done? I find no cause of death in Him. I will chastise Him therefore, and let Him go!” But they cried again, saying: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” 7. Pilate, therefore, went into the hall again, and called Jesus. And Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked Him, saying: “Art Thou the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered: “Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of Me?” Pilate answered: “Am I a Jew? Thy own nation, and the Chief Priests, have delivered Thee up to me! What hast Thou done?” 8. Jesus answered: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now My Kingdom is not from hence.” Pilate therefore said to Him: “Art Thou a king then?” Jesus answered: “Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world―that I should give testimony to the truth. Everyone that is of the truth, heareth My voice!” Pilate saith to Him: “What is truth?” 9. And when Pilate said this, he went out again to the Jews, and saith to them: “I find no cause in Him! But you have a custom that I should release one unto you at the Pasch! Will you, therefore, that I release unto you the King of the Jews?” Then they all cried again, saying: “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. Pilate said to them: “What shall I do then with Jesus, that is called Christ?” They all said: “Let Him be crucified!” The governor said to them: “Why? What evil hath He done?” But they cried out the more, saying: “Let Him be crucified!” And the whole people answering, said: “His blood be upon us and our children!” 10. But they insisted with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified; and their voices prevailed. And Pilate seeing that he prevailed nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, taking water, washed his hands before the people, saying: “I am innocent of the Blood of this just Man―look you to it!” And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them Barabbas, whom they had desired―who, for murder and sedition, had been cast into prison; but he had Jesus scourged and delivered up to their will. 3. THE CROWNING OF OUR LORD WITH THORNS 1. Then the soldiers of the governor led Jesus away into the hall, the court of the palace, and they called together unto Him the whole band; and stripping Him, they put a scarlet cloak about Him. 2. And plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand. 3. And they began to salute Him, and, bowing the knee before Him, they adored Him. And they mocked Him, saying: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 4. And they took the reed and struck His Head with the reed. And they did spit on Him and they gave Him blows. 5. And after they had mocked Him, they took off the purple cloak from Him, and put on Him His own garments, and led Him back to Pilate. 6. Pilate therefore went forth again, and said to them: “Behold, I bring Him forth unto you, that you may know that I find no cause in Him!” Jesus therefore came forth, bearing the crown of thorns. And Pilate said to them: “Behold the Man!” When the Chief Priests, therefore, and the servants had seen Him, they cried out, saying: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” 7. Pilate said to them: “Take Him you, and crucify Him! For I find no cause in Him!” The Jews answered him: “We have a law; and according to the law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God!” When Pilate therefore had heard this saying, he feared the more. And he entered into the hall again, and he said to Jesus: “Whence art Thou?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 8. Pilate therefore said to Him: “Speakest Thou not to me? Knowest Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and I have power to release Thee?” Jesus answered: “Thou shouldst not have any power against Me, unless it were given thee from above. Therefore, he that hath delivered Me to thee, hath the greater sin!” 9. And from henceforth Pilate sought to release Him. But the Jews cried out, saying: “If thou release this Man, thou art not Caesar’s friend! For whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Caesar!” Now when Pilate had heard these words, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat, in the place that is called Lithostrotos, and in Hebrew Gabbatha. And it was the Parasceve of the Pasch, about the sixth hour, and he said to the Jews: “Behold your King!” But they cried out: “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” 10. Pilate said to them: “Shall I crucify your King?” The Chief Priests answered: “We have no king but Caesar!” Then, therefore, he delivered Him to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led Him forth. 4. OUR LORD CARRIES HIS CROSS TO CALVARY “And bearing His own Cross, He went forth to that place which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew, Golgotha” (John 19:17). 1. And after they had mocked Him, they took off the cloak from Him, and put on Him His own garments, and led Him away to crucify Him. 2. And bearing His own Cross, He went forth to that place which is called “Calvary”―but in Hebrew, “Golgotha.” 3. And there were also two other malefactors, led with Him, to be put to death. 4. And going out, they found a man named Simon, who passed by, coming out of the country of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and of Rufus. And they forced Simon to take up His Cross. 5. And there followed Him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented Him. 6. But Jesus turning to them, said: “Daughters of Jerusalem! Weep not over Me; but weep for yourselves, and for your children! For behold, the days shall come, wherein they will say: ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps that have not given suck!’” 7. Jesus said to them: “Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills: ‘Cover us!’ For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done in the dry?” 8. Pilate wrote a title, also, and he put it upon the Cross. And the writing was: “Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.” 9. This title, therefore, many of the Jews did read―because the place where Jesus was crucified was near to the city―and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin. 10. Then the Chief Priests of the Jews said to Pilate: “Write not, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’!” Pilate answered: “What I have written, I have written!” 5. THE CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF OUR LORD “And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him” (Mark 15:26). 1. And it was the third hour when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, they crucified Him there. And Jesus said: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” The soldiers, therefore, when they had crucified Him, took and divided His garments, and they made four parts, to every soldier a part, and also His coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said then one to another: “Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be!” that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saying: “They divided My garments among them; and upon My vesture they cast lots.” And the soldiers indeed did these things. 2. And they put over His head the written inscription of His cause: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” And with Him they crucified two thieves; the one robber on His right hand, and the other on His left, so that the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith: “And with the wicked He was reputed.” And they sat and watched Him. 3. And they that passed by, blasphemed Him, wagging their heads, and saying: “Vah! Thou that destroyest the Temple of God, and in three days dost rebuild it! Save Thy own self! If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the Cross!” In like manner also the Chief Priests, with the Scribes and Ancients, mocking, said: “He saved others; Himself He cannot save! Let Christ the King of Israel come down now from the Cross! If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the Cross, that we may see and believe! He trusted in God; let Him now deliver Him if He will have Him! For He said: ‘I am the Son of God!’ He saved others; Himself He cannot save!” And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him and offering Him vinegar, and saying: “If Thou be the King of the Jews, save Thyself!” And the self-same thing the thieves, that were crucified with Him, also reproached Him with and reviled Him. 4. And one of those robbers, who were hanged, blasphemed Him, saying: “If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us!” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying: “Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art condemned under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man hath done no evil!” And he said to Jesus: “Lord! Remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy Kingdom!” And Jesus said to him: “Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me in paradise!” And it was almost the sixth hour. 5. Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, His Mother, and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus, therefore, had seen His Mother and the disciple standing, whom He loved, He saith to His Mother: “Woman, behold thy son!” After that, He saith to the disciple: “Behold thy Mother!” And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own. 6. And when the sixth hour was come, the sun was darkened and there was darkness over the whole Earth until the ninth hour. And, about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: “Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani?” That is: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” And some that stood there and heard, said: “Behold, this Man calleth Elias!” And the others said: “Let be! Let us see whether Elias will come to deliver Him!” 7. Afterwards, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said: “I thirst!” Now there was a vessel set there, full of vinegar. And immediately, one of them running, took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and hyssop and put it on a reed. And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar and hyssop, put it to His mouth and gave Him to drink. Jesus, therefore, when He had taken the vinegar, said: “It is consummated!”” 8. And Jesus, again crying with a loud voice, said: “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit!” And after saying this, bowing His head, He gave up the ghost. And the veil of the Temple was rent in two, from the top to the bottom. And the centurion, who stood over against Him, seeing that, crying out in this manner, He had given up the ghost, seeing what was done, glorified God, saying: “Indeed this was a just Man! Indeed this Man was the Son of God!” And all the multitude of them that were come together to that sight, and saw the things that were done, returned striking their breasts. 9.Then the Jews, because it was the Parasceve, that the bodies might not remain on the Cross on the Sabbath day—for, at the time of the Pasch or Passover, it was a great Sabbath day—besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers, therefore, came; and they broke the legs of the first and of the other, that was crucified with Him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, with a spear, opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. For these things were done, that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “You shall not break a bone of Him.” And again another Scripture saith: “They shall look on Him Whom they pierced.” And he that saw it, hath given testimony, and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true; that you also may believe. 10. And all His acquaintances, and the women that had followed Him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. Among whom was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joseph, and Salome: who, also, when He was in Galilee, followed Him, and ministered to Him, and many other women that came up with Him to Jerusalem. And when evening was now come, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a noble counsellor, who was also himself looking for the Kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate and begged the Body of Jesus. But Pilate wondered that He should be already dead. And sending for the centurion, he asked him if He were already dead. And when he had understood it by the centurion, he gave the Body to Joseph. And Joseph, buying fine linen and taking Him down, wrapped Him up in the fine linen, and laid Him in a sepulcher, which was hewed out of a rock. And he rolled a stone to the door of the sepulcher. And Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of Joseph, beheld where He was laid. |
THE MOTHER OF THE SAVIOR AND
OUR INTERIOR LIFE Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange O.P. PART 1
The Divine Maternity and the Plenitude of Grace CHAPTER 3 MARY’S PLENITUDE OF GRACE AT AND AFTER THE INCARNATION ARTICLE 5 THE PRINCIPAL MYSTERIES WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO MARY’S INCREASE IN GRACE AFTER THE INCARNATION These mysteries are those especially which the Rosary proposes for our consideration. THE NATIVITY Mary grew in humility, poverty and love of God by giving birth to her Son in a stable. His cradle was but a manger. But, by contrast, there were the angels there to sing: “Glory to God in the highest; and on Earth peace to men of good will.” Those words were sweet to the ears of the shepherds and of St. Joseph, and still more sweet to the ears of Mary. They were the beginning of a Gloria which the Church does not cease to sing at Mass while this world endures, and the liturgy of eternity has not yet replaced that of time. It is said of Mary that she kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. Though her joy at the birth of her Son was intense, she treasured it up in silence. St. Elizabeth alone received her confidences. God’s greatest actions defy human expression. What could Mary say to equal what she had experienced? THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE Mary said her Fiat in peace and holy joy on the day of the Annunciation. There was sorrow too in her heart at the thought of the sufferings which Isaias had foretold would befall her Son. Still more light is thrown for her on the mystery of the Redemption when the holy old man Simeon speaks of the Child Jesus as the “Salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles.” Mary remains silent in wonder and thanksgiving. Simeon continues: “This child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted.” Jesus, come for the salvation of all, will be the occasion of the fall of many, He will be a stumbling block (Isaias 8:14) for many of the Jews, who, refusing to recognize Him as the Messias, will fall into infidelity and thence to eternal ruin. (Romans 9:32; 1 Corinthians 1:3). Jesus Himself will say later: “Blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in Me!” (Matthew 11:6). Turning then to Mary herself, Simeon addressed to her the prophetic words: “And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed!” Mary will have a share in the Savior’s trials. His sufferings will be hers. Her very heart will be pierced by a sword of sorrow. Had the Son of Man not come thus on Earth, we should never have known the full malice of pride’s revolt against truth. The hidden thoughts of hypocrisy and false zeal were revealed when the Pharisees cried out for the crucifixion of Him Who is Holiness. Jesus’ fullness of grace had two apparently contradictory effects: the most perfect peace of soul; the will to offer Himself as a redemptive victim. Mary’s grace produced two similarly contrasting effects: the pure joys of the days of the Annunciation and the Nativity; the desire to be united most generously to the sufferings of her Son for our salvation. Thus, presenting Him in the temple, she already offers Him for us. Joy and sorrow are wedded in the heart of the Mother of God who is already the Mother of all who will believe in her Son. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT St. Matthew tells us how, after the Magi had come to adore, an angel appeared to Joseph in his sleep saying: “Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt; and be there until I shall tell thee! For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him!” True to the angel’s prophecy, Herod ordered the massacre of all the children of two years and under, in and around Bethlehem. It is Jesus whom this king fears. He fears where there is no reason to fear, and despises God’s anger which he should hold in dread. Mary and Joseph are called to share in Jesus’ sufferings. “Before, they had lived in peace and earned their bread without anxiety by the labor of their hands. But as soon as Jesus is given to them their tranquil calm is broken . . . they must share in His Cross.” The Holy Innocents share also in the Cross. Their massacre shows us that they were predestined from all eternity for the glory of martyrdom. When Herod has died, an angel appears again to Joseph to tell him that the time has come to go to Nazareth in Galilee. THE PRINCE OF PEACE
By Archbishop Alban Goodier, S.J. (1869-1939) We will focus only on the chapters that pertain to Our Lady 20—MARY ALONE
“And the Angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38). 1. There can be few more beautiful or more fruitful matters for contemplation than the sight and the thoughts of Mary after the Angel had “departed from her.” If “there is joy before the angels of God upon one sinner that doth penance,” what must have been the joy in Heaven when the “fiat” of Mary had been spoken, and the gate had thereby been opened by which myriads of sinners were to enter in! The Angel departed with his message of joy, but God did not depart; that instant He began His life as man on Earth, the entire possession of her whom He had chosen for His very own. Mary at that moment, the little child lost in bewildering adoration, is the joy of mankind, the joy of all the world, the joy of all the angels, the joy of God the Father, the joy of God the Son, the joy of God the Holy Ghost; and she is the joy of each individual soul that comes into the world and realizes even a little what it possesses in her. 2. What were Mary’s thoughts when she came to herself, and understood what had been done? Within her own body was living the very Son of God; the Son of God was hers forever; in a special and a very true way she could anticipate the consecrating words of the great High Priest, and of every priest that was to come after: “This is My Body—This is My Blood.” It was hers, and was God’s free gift to her; even Mary could deserve no such honor; and therefore she would follow up her great act of Faith with a jubilant act of humility: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, because He hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden.” The Child was hers, blending into one inseparable entity a perfect saint’s love of God, and a perfect mother’s love of a perfect child. In such a union one can scarcely speak of joy, as one feels that joy is an inadequate term when speaking of the consummation in Heaven. 3. And on the other side saints and mystical writers have reveled in the thought of the heart of Jesus Christ when it now for the first time began to beat. They see four new relations. It found a new relation with the Father. Now for the first time can God the Son feel towards the Father, and love the Father, and serve the Father, while confined within the bondage of humanity. He now knows what it is to love, and to be unable to give that love free scope. Now for the first time God the Son has experience of human love for a human being. It knows a child’s love for its mother. And now He sees human nature from the perspective of a human being: “for though He was by nature God, yet He did not set great store on His equality with God: rather, He emptied Himself by taking the nature of a slave and becoming like unto men.” Henceforth He is one with man, one with him in his littleness, one with him in his weariness; already His love is not only that of an onlooker, but of one who treads the path alongside. SUMMARY 1. Mary after the Annunciation is the joy of all Heaven and Earth, the one perfect thing outside of God Himself, in the truest sense “our fallen nature’s solitary boast!” 2. It is easy to follow the affections of the heart of Mary at this moment, and to make them with her—Faith and humility, love and adoration, etc. 3. Nor is it difficult to follow and to respond to the first affections of the Heart of Jesus when it first began to beat. 
YOUR DAILY DATE WITH MARY
December 21st Today we celebrate Our Lady of Acheul (Amiens, France) he church containing the shrine of Our Lady of Acheul, was located near Amiens. In fact Saint Acheul was once considered the mother-church of the cathedral of Amiens, and was sometimes called the “old cathedral of Amiens,” although this is no longer believed.
The church stands on the very place where once a Roman temple stood, and legend tells that Saint Firminus was the Apostle of Amiens, arriving there before the close of the third century after Christ. It is said that by the eloquence of his preaching and the number of his miracles, Saint Firmin converted many idolaters to the True Faith and baptized three thousand men in forty day. The early church, built around the year 300, contained the remains of the martyred saint. This church was devastated repeatedly by the invasion of the Normans, and was finally totally destroyed in 1218. The relics of Saint Firmin were transferred to the Cathedral of Amiens during the Middle Ages. The shrine of the Virgin of Saint Acheul is noteworthy for a singular miracle of an apparition which occurred during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The celebrant, after the consecration, saw a hand appear from within a luminous cloud, and the hand of Christ take the Sacred Host and drop it into the chalice. Some of the faithful present likewise witnessed the same thing; a certain skeptic was brought to his knees in humble acceptance of the fact that the Holy Sacrifice is truly the same as that of Calvary. The armorial bearings of the abbey of Saint-Acheul displays a hand in remembrance of this miracle. The present cathedral of Saint Acheul was not finished until the fifteenth century. After the erection of the new cathedral at Amiens, Saint Acheul was known as the church of Our Lady of Acheul. Miracles took place frequently and pilgrimages continued for many years. The church of Saint Acheul was destroyed by a natural phenomenon, probably a strong storm, in about the year 1750. It was rebuilt, and completed in 1760. 
WORDS OF OUR LADY TO TAKE TO HEART!
December 21st COUNSELS OF OUR LADY TAKEN FROM HER WORDS TO THE
VENERABLE MARY OF AGREDA IN THE BOOK "THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD" Our Lady Speaks of the Fall of Those Who Hold High Positions Part 2 There are other reasons for this kind of danger, which must be referred to the Lord Himself. For the sins of those souls who, by their state or by their advanced virtues, are more closely bound to their God, are weighed in the balance of God’s justice in quite a different way from the sins of those who have been less favored by His mercy. Although the sins of all are more or less essentially the same, yet the circumstances of sin are very different. For the priests and teachers, the powerful and the dignitaries, and those who, on account of their station or by reputation, are supposed to be advanced in a holy life, cause great scandal by their fall or by any sins they commit. There is much more of bold disrespect in their presumption and temerity against God, whom they know better and to whom they owe much more, but whom they offend with more deliberation and knowledge than the ignorant. Hence, as is evident from the tenor of all the Holy Scriptures, the sins of Catholics, and especially of those that are instructed and enlightened, are so displeasing to God. As the term of each man’s life is preordained for each one as the time in which he is to gain the eternal reward, so the measure or number of sins to be borne by the patience or forbearance of the Lord is likewise preordained. This measure of divine justice is determined not only by the number and quantity of the sins, but also by their quality and weight. Thus it may happen, that in the souls favored by greater enlightenment and graces of Heaven, the grievousness supplies what is wanting in the number of the sins, and that with fewer sins they are forsaken sooner and chastised more severely than others with many more sins. Nor can all expect for themselves the same issue as David (2 Kings 12:13) and Saint Peter; because not all of them have to their credit as many good actions to be remembered by the Lord. Besides the special privileges of some cannot be set up as a rule for all others; because, according to the secret judgments of the Lord, not all are destined for a special office. By this explanation thou wilt be able to satisfy thy doubts and thou wilt understand what a bitter evil so many souls incur, whom the Almighty has redeemed by His Blood, placed in the way of light and drawn toward Himself; and how some persons can fall from a more exalted state into more perverse obstinacy than others below them in station. This truth is well illustrated in the mystery of my Son’s Passion, in which the priests, scribes and the whole people were much more indebted to their God than the heathens, who knew not of the true religion. I desire that this truth, as exhibited by their example, convince thee of this terrible danger and excite in thee holy fear. And with this fear join humble thanks and an exalted esteem of the favors of the Lord. In the days of abundance, be not unmindful of the hour of want (Ecclesiasticus 13:25). Ponder as well the one as the other within thyself, and remember that thou carriest thy treasure in a fragile vessel, which thou canst easily lose (2 Corinthians 4:7). Know well, that the reception of such blessings argues not merit, and the possession of them is not due to thee in justice, but comes to thee by generosity and kindness. That the Most High has favored thee with so much familiar communication is no assurance that thou canst not fall, and no license to live carelessly and without reverence and fear. All things happen to thee according to the number and greatness of thy blessings; for the wrath of the serpent has increased toward thee in proportion, and is more alert against thee than against other souls. He has become aware that the Most High has not been so generously loving to men of many generations as toward thee, and if thou meet so many blessings and mercies with ingratitude, thou shalt be most wretched and worthy of a rigorous punishment, against which thou canst make no objection. 
THE SAINTS ON MARY
Short Quotes by the Saints about Mary St. Alphonsus Liguori
Since Mary is our Mother, we may consider how great is the love she bears us; love towards our children is a necessary impulse of nature; and St. Thomas (De Dil. Chr. c. 13) says that this is the reason why the divine law imposes on children the obligation of loving their parents; but gives no express command that parents should love their children, for nature itself has so strongly implanted it in all creatures, that, as St. Ambrose remarks, “we know that a mother will expose herself to danger for her children,” and even the most savage beasts cannot do otherwise than love their young (Hexam. l. 6. c. 4). It is said that even tigers, on hearing the cry of their cubs taken by hunters, will go into the sea and swim until they reach the vessel in which they are. Since the very tigers, says our most loving Mother Mary, cannot forget their young, how can I forget to love you, my children? And even, she adds, were such a thing possible as that a mother should forget to love her child, it is not possible that I should cease to love a soul that has become my child: “Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet will I not forget thee” (Isaias 49:15). Mary is our Mother, not, as we have already observed, according to the flesh, but by love; “I am the Mother of fair love” (Ecclesiasticus 24:24); hence it is the love only that she bears us that makes her our mother; and therefore someone remarks, “that she glories in being a mother of love, because she is all love towards us whom she has adopted for her children” (Paciucch. In Psalm 86. Exc. 22). And who can ever tell the love that Mary bears us miserable creatures? Arnold of Chartres tells us that “at the death of Jesus Christ, she desired with immense ardor to die with her Son, for love of us” (Ibid. Exc. 1); so much so, adds St. Ambrose, that whilst “her Son was hanging on the cross, Mary offered herself to the executioners” (Inst. Virg. c. 7), to give her life for us. 
MULTIPLE WAYS TO HONOR OUR LADY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
1. DECORATE YOUR MAIN STATUE OF OUR LADY WITH FLOWERS AND CANDLES Make a Crown of Flowers for your chief statue of Our Lady and/or adorn your indoor and outdoor Mary statues with fresh blooming flowers this month. Add a candle too for an extra touch. If you don't have a Mary statue, now would be a good time to get one. Even if it's just a small statue for your desk or nightstand, no Catholic should be without it! You could even set up a mini-altar dedicated to Our Lady and place the statue at its center, surrounded by candles and flowers―lighting the candles during the family Rosary and other times of prayer. 2. PRAY A NOVENA TO OUR LADY Sometime during the month, perhaps each month, pray a novena to the Blessed Mother for a particular intention that you want to entrust to her, for yourself or for someone else. If you don't already have a favorite novena to Our Lady, try one of our Novenas to Our Lady (click here for the novena index page). 3. PRAY AND MEDITATE UPON THE LITANY OF OUR LADY (LITANY OF LORETO) The Litany of Loreto―the official and classic litany to Our Lady ― is a beautiful prayer that deserves more than just a mere quick recitation. It is traditionally said daily throughout the months of May and October ― but can be said daily throughout the year. Click here for a full set of short reflections upon each of the invocations in that beautiful litany. 4. SPREAD DEVOTION TO THE HOLY ROSARY Outside of the Mass, there is no prayer more pleasing to Our Lady and more efficacious for her intercession than the Holy Rosary. If you have not already acquired and perfected this spiritual discipline, then make an effort to pray the Rosary daily―and then continue to do so for the rest of your life. If you already do this, then consider encouraging others to do the same. Renew your fervor for the Rosary by reading Our Lady’s Fifteen Promises to those who pray her Rosary (click here). Introduce others to the Holy Rosary, or lead them back to praying the Rosary―only 2% of American Catholics pray the Rosary daily, despite Our Lady’s requests at Fatima and Akita that we pray the Rosary “very much”! Distribute Rosaries with Rosary instructions on how to pray and meditate the Rosary to others as the opportunity arises. There are many graces to be gained for those who promote the practice of praying and meditating the Holy Rosary! 5. SPREAD THE TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT There is no better, no more thorough, no more effective and pleasing devotion to Our Lady than that propagated by the St. Louis de Montfort and commonly known as the “True Devotion Consecration to Mary.” 6. BROADEN YOUR MARIAN DEVOTION Our Lady is the Mother of the Universal Church. There are many ways she has affected Christians in various times and places during these nearly 2,000 years since she walked the earth. It is fascinating to read the stories behind each one, and many are associated with miracles, apparitions, saints, and holy images. Will one of them touch you in a special way? Consider researching and adopting a special devotion to Mary under one of her many titles. For example, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Lady of Good Success, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady Undoer of Knots, etc.. This could become an annual tradition for you and your family to learn about a new Marian devotion each May. There are more of them than years in your life! Read the Calendar Section (index page here) to see the vast variety of feasts throughout the world that are celebrated in honor of Our Lady almost every day of the year! 7. SHARE THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL When Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Labouré and gave her the vision of the Miraculous Medal in 1830, she promised great graces to those who would wear the medal. It was called “Miraculous” by the faithful for good reason, as it became the means of conversion for even the most hardened of atheists to the truth of the Catholic Faith. Read more about St. Catherine Laboure (here) and the Miraculous Medal (here). Consider buying packets of Miraculous Medals and have them blessed with this Blessing and Investiture of the Miraculous Medal (see blessing and enrollment here), and distribute them as the Holy Spirit leads. Mary changes lives through the power of her Sacramentals! 8. MEMORIZE A MARIAN PRAYER OR HYMN You may already know certain prayers to Our Lady by heart―such as the Memorare and the Hail Holy Queen. This month you can add more Marian hymns and prayers into your mental index. These prayers and hymns become a great solace during trying moments and can be recited often. You can memorize this beautiful Prayer of Praise to Our Lady composed by St. Ephraim, or learn to sing traditional Marian hymns such as the Regina Caeli and the Salve Regina (the Hail Holy Queen in Latin). It is an incredibly beautiful melody, and supernaturally consoling. Then you can sing this prayer after finishing your Rosary instead of reciting it; and, as St. Augustine says, “He who sings prays twice!” 9. GET INVESTED IN THE SCAPULAR If you haven't been invested (clothed) in the scapular, then this is a good time to do it. A scapular is basically a mini religious habit for the laity, an outward symbol of your consecration to the Blessed Mother, that you wear daily underneath your clothes. The original and most common scapular is the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel which has special prayers and graces associated with it, namely the famous "Scapular Promise" that those who die wearing Our Lady's scapular will not spend eternity in Hell (read more here). Most scapulars come with the proper prayer for investment (or enrollment) that the priest prays for you while blessing the scapular; if not, you can find it at the following link (here). If you have any more questions on the Brown Scapular, you might find you answers among these FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) which are listed here 10. READ A BOOK ABOUT MARY The best way to increase your devotion to the Blessed Mother is simply by reading more about her. There is no shortage of great Catholic books on Mary that unpack the mysteries of her life, virtues, and perfect union with her son, Jesus, and the treasures of grace this unfolds in the life of every Christian who turns to her in faith. Make a goal to read one each month. 11. PRAY THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is like the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours) in that it is comprised of prayers said at various hours throughout the day, but different in that they are all in praise of Our Lady. Once upon a time, in Church history, the Little Office was the preferred way to pray the “Hours” for the laity. 
DAILY EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
What's the point of it all? A Method of Making the General Examen from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola There is no better way to make a daily examination of conscience or “Examen” as St. Ignatius calls it, than following the recommendations of St. Ignatius of Loyola, as described in his masterful Spiritual Exercises. Before we give any kind of list to help you with your daily Examen, it is good to review the points and purposes placed before us by St. Ignatius. ST. IGNATIUS: “The first point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the gifts received.” Ignatius once said that the most abominable sin he could imagine was the sin of ingratitude. He knew that an awareness of God's goodness and generosity is the foundation of our relationship with God. Once we recognize God's goodness, we spontaneously feel gratitude. Most people today are oblivious to God’s intervention in their lives—yes, even ‘good’ people. They only see God where and when they want to see Him. They fail or refuse to see Him in the disappointments, setbacks, failures, hurts and irritations of the day. Besides barely or never thanking Him for all the good things that come our way daily—life itself, relative health, relative wealth or well-being, security, job, food, drink, weather, relative peace (as opposed to war), being able to live in a non-Third World environment, having the Faith, the Mass, etc.—most people just blindly drag themselves through life, muttering and chuntering, groaning and moaning, about a myriad of things that they blindly encounter, failing to thank God for anything and everything—the pleasant and not so pleasant. Thus, in this first point, we express gratitude for the experiences and encounters during the day that have been good or pleasant or meaningful, whether they seem trivial or important. We thank God for the disappointments, setbacks, failures, hurts and irritations of the day. We also express gratitude for the larger gifts we have received: our Faith and our potential salvation, our life, our talents and abilities, significant relationships, whatever comes to mind. St. Thomas Aquinas says that if we feel that our love of God is weak or barely sparking, then the remedy is to start thanking God. At first, the person runs out of things to thank Him for very quickly—that is because the soul is blind to the incredible amount of things that God does for us. As our spiritual life deepens, we become more and more aware that all we have is gift, given to us far beyond anything we might expect or deserve. We might sometimes find ourselves in a mood of resentment or depression where a feeling of gratitude is hard to muster. At that time, it is all the more important for us to express thanks to God. Not to pretend to feelings we don't feel, but to acknowledge, at whatever level we can, the truth of God's goodness to us. ST. IGNATIUS: “The second point is to ask for the grace to know my sins and to root them out.” St. Ignatius gives his second point a moralistic tone. The particular grace we are seeking here can be expressed more broadly as the light to see our life the way that God sees it, without the illusions and deceptions that we commonly live by. If we are to ask for this grace wholeheartedly, it is important for us to know how desperately we are in need of it. Our Lord once said to one of His mystics that if she could see herself as He saw her, then she would die out of terror. All of us have terrible illusions about ourselves and think ourselves to FAR better than we are in reality. Psychology has shown that many of our true feelings and motivations are genuinely hidden from us. The unconscious part of ourselves can have a powerful influence on what we feel and how we act. Even apart from this, there is a natural tendency to rationalize our actions and to believe the sort of front we put on for other people. Or we can deny or repress unpleasant or embarrassing things about ourselves. Or we can have attitudes of self-deprecation or contempt that distort our view of ourselves and others. The possibilities for self-deception are endless. To truly know ourselves is not something that we are able to do alone. We need to ask the Holy Spirit for the light that can reveal us to ourselves. ST. IGNATIUS: “The third point is to demand an account of my soul from the moment of rising to that of the present examination, hour by hour or period by period. The thoughts should be examined first, then the words, and finally the actions.” The third point is the heart of the Examen. Our actions, words, thoughts, feelings can come from an internal source of freedom and openness to other people and God. Or they can come from what St. Paul calls the “flesh” or the “law of sin”; that is to say from the self-centeredness that inhabits all of us. We examine the events of our day methodically in order to uncover the source and the direction of our life that day. Ignatius suggests we move from thoughts to words to actions. However, it can be more fruitful to move the other way, to look at words and actions and then reflect on the real motivations, intentions and feelings that underlay them. Actions that are apparently good can be done for bad motives, such as a desire for praise. Such an action might be considered praiseworthy but really springs from self-centeredness. Some people are free from actions that are obviously sinful. But when we go to a deeper level of intention and feeling, we can discover that sin has a larger hold on our life than we suspect, that there are all sorts of subtle ways that we focus on self rather than moving outward, towards others and towards the Other―the capitalized “Other” being God. The Christian life aims at a purity of intention, where all our actions spring from freedom and grace. At first we achieve this type of freedom only sporadically and often fall short. But we can grow towards it. The examination of our day is not simply earnest introspection, it is prayer. It is going through our day with God, attentive to the inner feelings and desires which is where we experience God's call in the midst of everyday activity. ST. IGNATIUS: “The fourth point is to ask pardon of God our Lord for my faults.” Once we have reviewed our day, we may have come to a sense of the dynamic of sin and grace that has been operating in our life that day. The fourth point is our response to that awareness. Insofar as we have discovered grace and freedom operative during the day, our response is gratitude and wonder for the work of God in our soul. Genuine freedom always comes as a surprise to us, because it involves a sort of self-transcendence that we know we don't have in ourselves. When we discover that in our day, we need to praise God for it. Conversely, when we discover sinfulness and self-centeredness, our response is remorse and contrition. Contrition does not mean dwelling in guilt and shame and beating ourselves for not being perfect. It means recognizing our distance from God, our moving away from God, and asking for and receiving God's forgiveness. The difference between contrition and shame is that contrition is a feeling that moves us out of ourselves and towards God. Shame simply moves us deeper into ourselves. Like gratitude in the first point, we may not be able to deeply feel the contrition that is the proper response to recognition of our self-centeredness. But it is important then to express it, even if it doesn't seem very deep, by asking for pardon. ST. IGNATIUS: “The fifth point is to resolve to amend with the help of God's grace. Close with the Lord's Prayer.” We end the Examen by looking towards tomorrow with the desire and resolve to effect changes in action or attitude that God has called us to today. Alcoholics Anonymous has a slogan, “One Day at a Time” by which they mean that sobriety is not achieved by big and noble resolutions, but by trying to stay sober for one day. It can be useful to look at our spiritual life in that way. We deal with it one day at a time. In this fifth point we don't look at changing our whole lives, we simply look at what we want to change tomorrow, and ask God's help for it. Our lives are a drama of sin and grace. But this drama is being played out on the rather humble stage of our day to day life. Ignatius adds our need for God's grace, an important point. We are not resolving to perfect ourselves by force of our own will. We are resolving to open ourselves to grace through awareness of where we need it. ANIMA CHRISTI Soul of Christ, sanctify me Body of Christ, save me Blood of Christ, inebriate me Water from the side of Christ, wash me Passion of Christ, strengthen me O Good Jesus, hear me Within Thy wounds hide me Permit me not to be separated from thee From the wicked foe defend me At the hour of my death call me And bid me come to thee That with the Saints I may praise thee Forever and ever. Amen |