God, come to my assistance
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always
before me. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil
before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and
mayst overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was
conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive
me. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and
hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. To
my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones
that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from
my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart
in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast
me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen
me with a perfect spirit. I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from
blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my
mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou hadst desired
sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings
thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou
wilt not despise. Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will
with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then
shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and
whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy
altar.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have
mercy on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal,
have mercy on us.
Glory to Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us.
It is truly right to bless you, O God-bearing One, as the
ever-blessed and immaculate Mother of our God. More honorable
than the cherubim and by far more glorious than the seraphim;
ever a virgin, you gave birth to God the Word, O true Mother
of God, we magnify you.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord.
Truly, you are blessed among women. For you have changed
Eve's curse into a blessing; and Adam, who hitherto lay under
a curse, has been blessed because of you. Truly, you are
blessed among women. Through you the Father's blessing has
shone forth on mankind, setting them free of their ancient
curse. Truly, you are blessed among women, because through
you your forebears have found salvation. For you were to give
birth to the Saviour who was to win them salvation. Truly,
you are blessed among women, for without seed you have borne,
as your fruit, him who bestows blessings on the whole world
and redeems it from that curse that made it sprout thorns.
Truly, you are blessed among women, because, though a woman
by nature, you will become, in reality, God's mother. If he
whom you are to bear is truly God made flesh, then rightly do
we call you God's mother. For you have truly given birth to
God.
The Virgin has given birth to the Savior: a flower has
sprung from Jesse's stock and a star has risen from Jacob. O
God, we praise you.
Give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy
endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that he is good: that
his mercy endureth for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say,
that his mercy endureth for ever. Let them that fear the Lord
now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. In my trouble I
called upon the Lord: and the Lord heard me, and enlarged me.
The Lord is my helper: I will not fear what man can do unto
me. The Lord is my helper: and I will look over my enemies.
It is good to confide in the Lord, rather than to have
confidence in man. It is good to trust in the Lord, rather
than to trust in princes. All nations compassed me about; and
in the name of the Lord I have been revenged on them.
Surrounding me they compassed me about: and in the name of
the Lord I have been revenged on them. They surround me like
bees, and they burned like fire among thorns: and in the name
of the Lord I was revenged on them. Being pushed I was
overturned that I might fall: but the Lord supported me. The
Lord is my strength and my praise: and he is become my
salvation. The voice of rejoicing and of salvation is in the
tabernacles of the just. The right hand of the Lord hath
wrought strength: the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me:
the right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength. I shall not
die, but live: and shall declare the works of the Lord. The
Lord chastising hath chastised me: but he hath not delivered
me over to death. Open ye to me the gates of justice: I will
go into them, and give praise to the Lord. This is the gate
of the Lord, the just shall enter into it. I will give glory
to thee because thou hast heard me: and art become my
salvation. The stone which the builders rejected; the same is
become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing: and
it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord
hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein. O Lord, save
me: O Lord, give good success. Blessed be he that cometh in
the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of
the Lord. The Lord is God, and he hath shone upon us. Appoint
a solemn day, with shady boughs, even to the horn of the
altar. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my
God, and I will exalt thee. I will praise thee, because thou
hast heard me, and art become my salvation. O praise ye the
Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Mary has given birth to our Savior. John the Baptist saw
him and cried out: This is the Lamb of God, who takes away
the sins of the world.
Blessed art thou, O Lord the God of our father: and
worthy to be praised, and glorified, and exalted above all
for ever: and blessed is the holy name of thy glory: and
worthy to be praised, and exalted above all in all ages.
Blessed art thou in the holy temple of thy glory: and
exceedingly to be praised, and exceeding glorious for ever.
Blessed art thou on the throne of the thy kingdom, and
exceedingly to be praised, and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou, that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon
the cherubims; and worthy to be praised and exalted above all
for ever. Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven: and
worthy of praise, and glorious for ever. All ye works of the
Lord, bless the Lord: praise him above all for ever.
The robe you wear is white as spotless snow; your face is
radiant like the sun.
Praise ye the Lord in his holy places: praise ye him in
the firmament of his power. Praise ye him for his mighty
acts: praise ye him according to the multitude of his
greatness. Praise him with sound of trumpet: praise him with
psaltery and harp. Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise
him with strings and organs. Praise him on high sounding
cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: let every spirit
praise the Lord. Alleluia.
As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my
flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of
fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.
In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all
hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that
desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is
sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the
honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They
that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall
yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be
confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin.
What was born of Mary was therefore human by nature, in
accordance with the inspired Scriptures, and the body of the
Lord was a true body: It was a true body because it was the
same as ours. Mary, you see, is our sister, for we are all
born from Adam. The words of Saint John: THE WORD WAS MADE
FLESH, bear the same meaning, as we may see from a similar
turn of phrase in Saint Paul: CHRIST WAS MADE A CURSE FOR OUR
SAKE. Man's body has acquired something great through its
communion and union with the Word. From being mortal it has
been made immortal; though it was a living body it has become
a spiritual one; though it was made from the earth it has
passed through the gates of heaven. Even when the Word takes
a body from Mary, the Trinity remains a Trinity, with neither
increase nor decrease. It is for ever perfect. In the Trinity
we acknowledge one Godhead, and thus one God, the Father of
the Word, is proclaimed in the Church.
She is our mother--the mother of our life, the mother of
our incarnation, the mother of our light. As the Apostle says
of our Lord, HE BECAME FOR US BY GOD'S POWER OUR WISDOM AND
JUSTICE, AND HOLINESS AND REDEMPTION. She then, as mother of
Christ, is the mother of our wisdom and justice, of our
holiness and redemption. She is more our mother than the
mother of our flesh. Our birth from her is better, for from
her is born our holiness, our wisdom, our justice, our
sanctification, our redemption. PRAISE THE LORD IN HIS HOLY
ONES, say the Scriptures. If our Lord is to be praised in
those holy ones through whom he brings to being deeds of
power and miracles, how much more is he to be praised in her
in whom he fashioned himself, who is wonderfully beyond all
wonders.
O Virgin Mary, no other daughter of Jerusalem is your
equal, for you are the mother of the King of kings, you are
the Queen of heaven and of angelsBlessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Hail, full of grace;
the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Marvelous is the mystery proclaimed today: man's nature
is made new as God becomes man; he remains what he was and
becomes what he was not. Yet each nature stays distinct and
for ever undivided.
Ah, my Blessed Mother, it is not one sword only with
which I have pierced thy heart, but I have done so with as
many as are the sins which I have committed.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath
visited and wrought the redemption of his people: And hath
raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David
his servant: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our
fathers, and to remember his holy testament, The oath, which
he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may
serve him without fear, In holiness and justice before him,
all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of
the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to
prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his
people, unto the remission of their sins: Through the bowels
of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high
hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and
in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of
peace.
Father, source of light in every age, the virgin
conceived and bore your Son who is called Wonderful God,
Prince of Peace. May her prayer, the gift of a mother's love,
be your people's joy through all ages. May her response, born
of a humble heart, draw your Spirit to rest on your people.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring
us to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
Come, praise the Lord, all you that are the Lord's
servants. You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the
courts where our God dwells.
Mary the Dawn, Christ the Perfect Day; Mary the Gate,
Christ the Heavenly Way! Mary the Root, Christ the Mystic
Vine; Mary the Grape, Christ the Sacred Wine! Mary the Wheat,
Christ the Living-Bread; Mary the Stem, Christ the Rose
blood-red! Mary the Font, Christ the Cleansing Flood; Mary
the Cup, Christ the Saving Blood! Mary the Temple, Christ the
temple's Lord; Mary the Shrine, Christ the God adored! Mary
the Beacon, Christ the Haven's Rest; Mary the Mirror, Christ
the Vision Blest! Mary the Mother, Christ the mother's Son;
By all things blest while endless ages run.
Your name is Our Lady. You alone are Mother of God and
raised high over all the earth. O Spouse of God, we celebrate
you with faith, we honor you with longing, we venerate you
with awe; at every moment we exalt you and reverently
proclaim you blessed.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Christ.
The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand:
Until I make thy enemies thy footstool. The Lord will send
forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the
midst of thy enemies. With thee is the principality in the
day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from
the womb before the day star I begot thee. The Lord hath
sworn, and he will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever
according to the order of Melchisedech. The Lord at thy right
hand hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. He shall
judge among nations, he shall fill ruins: he shall crush the
heads in the land of the many. He shall drink of the torrent
in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
By your miraculous birth from the virgin you have
fulfilled the Scriptures: like a gentle rain falling upon the
earth you have come down to save your people. O God, we
praise you.
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall
delight exceedingly in his commandments. His seed shall be
mighty upon earth: the generation of the righteous shall be
blessed. Glory and wealth shall be in his house: and his
justice remaineth for ever and ever. To the righteous a light
is risen up in darkness: he is merciful, and compassionate
and just. Acceptable is the man that sheweth mercy and
lendeth: he shall order his words with judgment: because he
shall not be moved for ever. The just shall be in everlasting
rememberance: he shall not fear the evil hearing. His heart
is ready to hope in the Lord: his heart is strengthened, he
shall not be moved until he look over his enemies. He hath
distributed, he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth
for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory. The
wicked shall see, and shall be angry, he shall gnash with his
teeth and pine away: the desire of the wicked shall
perish.
In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God;
today he is born, the Savior of the world.
For our sakes God made him who did not know sin to be
sin, so that in him we might become the very holiness of
God.
For unto this are you called: because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should
follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in
his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, did not revile: when he
suffered, he threatened not: but delivered himself to him
that judged him unjustly. Who his own self bore our sins in
his body upon the tree: that we, being dead to sins, should
live to justice: by whose stripes you were healed.
Alleluia. Salvation, glory, and power is to our God. For
true and just are his judgments, who hath judged the great
harlot which corrupted the earth with her fornication, and
hath revenged the blood of his servants, at her hands. And
again they said: Alleluia. And her smoke ascendeth for ever
and ever. And the four and twenty ancients, and the four
living creatures fell down and adored God that sitteth upon
the throne, saying: Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out from
the throne, saying: Give praise to our God, all ye his
servants; and you that fear him, little and great. And I
heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the
voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders,
saying, Alleluia: for the Lord our God the Almighty hath
reigned. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him;
for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath
prepared herself.
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: And being with child, she cried travailing
in birth, and was in pain to be delivered. And there was seen
another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having
seven heads, and ten horns: and on his heads seven diadems:
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and
cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman
who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be
delivered, he might devour her son. And she brought forth a
man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and
her son was taken up to God, and to his throne. And the woman
fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by
God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred
sixty days.
HAIL, FULL OF GRACE, THE LORD IS WITH YOU. What joy could
surpass this, O Virgin Mother? What grace can excel that
which God has granted to you alone? What could be imagined
more dazzling or more delightful? Before the miracle we
witness in you, all else pales; all else is inferior when
compared with grace you have been given. All else, even what
is most desirable, must take second place and enjoy a lesser
importance. THE LORD IS WITH YOU. Who would dare challenge
you? You are God's mother; who would not immediately defer to
you and be glad to accord you a greater primacy and honor?
For this reason, when I look upon the privilege you have
above all creatures, I extol you with the highest praise:
HAIL, FULL OF GRACE, THE LORD IS WITH YOU. On your account
joy has not only graced men, but is also granted to the
powers of heaven.
Through you we drink from the wellsprings of salvation, O
Blessed Virgin Mary. From the sacred wounds of Christ, O
Blessed Virgin MaryGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, in now, and
will be for ever. Through you we drink from the wellsprings
of salvation, O Blessed Virgin Mary.
Blessed is the womb which bore you, O Christ, and the
breast that nursed you, Lord and Savior of the world.
Behold, O Mother of God, at thy feet a miserable sinner,
a slave of hell, who has recourse to thee and trusts in thee.
I do not deserve that thou shouldst even look at me; but I
know that thou, having seen thy Son die for the salvation of
sinners, hast the greatest desire to help them. I hear all
call thee the refuge of sinners, the hope of those who are in
despair, and the help of the abandoned. Thou art, then, my
refuge, my hope, and my help. Thou hast to save me by thy
intercession. Help me, for the love of Jesus Christ; extend
thy hand to a miserable creature who has fallen, and
recommends himself to thee. I know that thy pleasure is to
help a sinner to thy utmost; help me, therefore, now that
thou canst do so. By my sins I have lost divine grace, and
with it my soul; I now place myself in thy hands. Tell me
what I must do to recover the favor of my Lord, and I will
immediately do it. He sends me to thee that thou mayst help
me; and he wills that I should have recourse to thy mercy,
that not only the merits of thy Son, but also that thy
intercession may help me to save my soul. To thee, then, I
have recourse; do thou, who prayest for so many others, pray
also to Jesus for me. Ask him to pardon me, and he will
forgive me; tell him that thou desirest my salvation, and he
will save me; show how thou canst enrich those who trust in
thee. Amen. Thus I hope, thus may it be.
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour. 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 shewed 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 father, to Abraham
and to his seed for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
Princes of the heavenly hosts, we, though unworthy, beg
you to encircle us through your prayers under the shelter of
the wings of your spiritual glory. Guard us as we come to you
and sincerly cry: ";Deliver us from dangers, O princes of
the powers on high!";
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always
before me. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil
before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and
mayst overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was
conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive
me. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and
hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. To
my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones
that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from
my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart
in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast
me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen
me with a perfect spirit. I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from
blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my
mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou hadst desired
sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings
thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou
wilt not despise. Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will
with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then
shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and
whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy
altar.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have
mercy on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal,
have mercy on us.
Glory to Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us.
It is truly right to bless you, O God-bearing One, as the
ever-blessed and immaculate Mother of our God. More honorable
than the cherubim and by far more glorious than the seraphim;
ever a virgin, you gave birth to God the Word, O true Mother
of God, we magnify you.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord.
Virgin of virgins, you were untouched by that stain of
sin, that first of all evils, the sad inheritance of the
human race. From my earliest years I have placed my hope in
you. Where the power of evil overcomes me and makes my life
too sinful for your gaze, all the more will your unbounded
compassion show me your generous love, because my suffering
is so deep, my sinfulness so unworthy of your aid.
O Mother, how pure you are, you are untouched by sin;
yours was the privilege to carry God within you.
O Lord, thou has been our refuge from generation to
generation. Before the mountains were made, or the earth and
the world was formed; from eternity and to eternity thou are
God. Turn not man away to be brought low: and thou hast said:
Be converted, O ye sons of men. For a thousand years in thy
sight are as yesterday, which is past. And as a watch in the
night, things that are counted nothing, shall their years be.
In the morning man shall grow up like grass; in the morning
he shall flourish and pass away: in the evening he shall
fall, grow dry, and wither. For in thy wrath we have fainted
away: and are troubled in thy indignation. Thou hast set our
iniquities before thy eyes: our life in the light of thy
countenance. For all our days are spent; and in thy wrath we
have fainted away. Our years shall be considered as a spider:
the days of our years in them are threescore and ten years.
But if in the strong they be fourscore years: and what is
more of them is labour and sorrow. For mildness is come upon
us: and we shall be corrected. Who knoweth the power of thy
anger, and for thy fear can number thy wrath? So make thy
right hand known: and men learned in heart, in wisdom.
Return, O Lord, how long? and be entreated in favour of thy
servants. We are filled in the morning with thy mercy: and we
have rejoiced, and are delighted all our days. We have
rejoiced for the days in which thou hast humbled us: for the
years in which we have seen evils. Look upon thy servants and
upon their works: and direct their children. And let the
brightness of the Lord our God be upon us: and direct thou
the work of our hands over us; yea, the work of our hands do
thou direct.
The Lord God Most High has blessed you, Virgin Mary,
above all the women of the earth.
Sing ye to the Lord a new song, his praise is from the
ends of the earth: you that go down to the sea, and all that
are therein: ye islands, and ye inhabitants of them. Let the
desert and the cities thereof be exalted: Cedar shall dwell
in houses: ye inhabitants of Petra, give praise, they shall
cry from the top of the mountains. They shall give glory to
the Lord, and shall declare his praise in the islands. The
Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, as a man of war shall he
stir up zeal: he shall shout and cry: he shall prevail
against his enemies. I have always held my peace, I have kept
silence, I have been patient, I will speak now as a woman in
labour: I will destroy, and swallow up at once. I will lay
waste the mountains and hills, and will make all their grass
to wither: and I will turn rivers into islands, and will dry
up the standing pools. And I will lead the blind into the way
which they know not: and in the paths which they were
ignorant of I will make them walk: I will make darkness light
before them, and crooked things straight: these things have I
done to them, and have not forsaken them.
Sinless Virgin, let us follow joyfully in your footsteps;
draw us after you in the fragrance of your holiness.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, in my life I will praise the
Lord: I will sing to my God as long as I shall be. Put not
your trust in princes: in the children of men, in whom there
is no salvation. His spirit shall go forth, and he shall
return into his earth: in that day all their thoughts shall
perish. Blessed is he who hath the God of Jacob for his
helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God: who made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them. Who
keepeth truth for ever: who executeth judgment for them that
suffer wrong: who giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth
them that are fettered: the Lord enlighteneth the blind. The
Lord lifteth up them that are cast down; the Lord loveth the
just. The Lord keepeth the strangers, he will support the
fatherless and the widow: and the ways of sinners he will
destroy. The Lord shall reign for ever: thy God, O Sion, unto
generation and generation.
And now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob,
and formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed
thee, and called thee by thy name: thou are mine.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways,
before he made any things from the beginning. I was set up
from eternity, and of old before the earth was made. The
depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived, neither
had the fountains of waters as yet sprung out: The mountains
with their huge bulk had not as yet been established: before
the hills I was brought forth: He had not yet made the earth,
nor the rivers, nor the poles of the world. When he prepared
the heavens, I was present: when with a certain law and
compass he enclosed the depths: When he established the sky
above, and poised the fountains of waters: When he compassed
the sea with its bounds, and set a law to the waters that
they should not pass their limits: when he balanced the
foundations of the earth; I was with him forming all things:
and was delighted every day, playing before him at all times;
Playing in the world: and my delights were to be with the
children of men.
Blessed Lady, sky and stars, earth and rivers, day and
night--everything that is subject to the power or use of
man--rejoice that through you they are in some sense restored
to their lost beauty and are endowed with inexpressible new
grace. All creatures were dead, as it were, useless for human
beings or for the praise of God who made them. The world,
contrary to its true destiny, was corrupted and tainted by
the acts of human beings who served idols. Now all creation
has been restored to life and rejoices that it is controlled
and given splendor by those who believe in God.
The universe rejoices with new and indefinable
loveliness. Not only does it feel the unseen presence of God
himself, its Creator, it sees him openly, working and making
it holy. These great blessings spring from the blessed fruit
of Mary's womb.
Through the fullness of the grace that was given you,
dead things rejoice in their freedom, and those in heaven are
glad to be made new. Through the Son who was the glorious
fruit of your virgin womb, just souls who died before his
life-giving death rejoice as they are freed from captivity,
and the angels are glad at the restoration of their shattered
domain.
Lady, full and overflowing with grace, all creation
received new life from your abundance. Virgin, blessed above
all creatures, through your blessing all creation is blessed,
not only creation from its Creator, but the Creator himself
has been blessed by creation.
To Mary God gave his only-begotten Son, whom he loved as
himself. Through Mary God made himself a Son, not different
but the same, by nature Son of God and Son of Mary. The whole
universe was created by God, and God was born of Mary. God
created all things, and Mary gave birth to God. The God who
made all things gave himself form through Mary, and thus he
made his own creation. He who could create all things from
nothing would not remake his ruined creation without
Mary.
God, then, is the Father of the created world and Mary
the mother of the re-created world. God is the Father by whom
all things were given life, and Mary the mother through whom
all things were given new life. For God begot the Son,
through whom all things were made, and Mary gave birth to him
as the Savior of the world. Without God's Son, nothing could
exist; without Mary's Son, nothing could be redeemed.
Truly the Lord is with you, to whom the Lord granted that
all nature should owe as much to you as to himself.
O Virgin Mary, no other daughter of Jerusalem is your
equal, for you are the mother of the King of kings, you are
Queen of heaven and of angelsBlessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb. Hail, full of grace; the
Lord is with youBlessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb.
The Lord God said to the serpent: I will make you
enemies, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring;
she will crush your head, alleluia.
Blessed be the holy Trinity, and undivided Unity: we will
give glory to Him, because He hath shown His mercy to us. O
Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the
earth!
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath
visited and wrought the redemption of his people: and hath
raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David
his servant: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our
fathers, and to remember his holy testament, The oath, which
he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may
serve him without fear, In holiness and justice before him,
all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of
the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to
prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his
people, unto the remission of their sins: Through the bowels
of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high
hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and
in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of
peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Father, the image of the Virgin is found in the Church.
Mary had a faith that your Spirit prepared and a love that
never knew sin, for you kept her sinless from the first
moment of her conception. Trace in our actions the lines of
her love, in our hearts her readiness of faith. Prepare once
again a world for your Son who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from evil and bring us
to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
The Lord will hear me when I shall cry out to Him. When I
have cried out, the God of justice brought me relief.
Hail holy queen mother of mercy 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 towards us, and after this our exile show unto
us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 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.
You are all beautiful, O Mary; in you there is no trace
of original sin.
Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth
for ever. Praise ye the God of gods: for his mercy endureth
for ever. Praise ye the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth
for ever. Who alone doth great wonders: for his mercy
endureth for ever. Who made the heavens in understanding: for
his mercy endureth for ever. Who established the earth above
the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who made the
great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever. The sun to
rule the day: for his mercy endureth for ever. The moon and
the stars to rule the night: for his mercy endureth for
ever.
The Most High has made his dwelling place a holy
temple.
Who smote Egypt with their firstborn: for his mercy
endureth for ever. Who brought out Israel from among them:
for his mercy endureth for ever. With a mighty hand and with
a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who
divided the Red Sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for
ever. And brought out Israel through the midst thereof: for
his mercy endureth for ever. And overthrew Pharao and his
host in the Red Sea: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who led
his people through the desert: for his mercy endureth for
ever. Who smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever.
And slew strong kings: for his mercy endureth for ever. Sehon
king of the Amorrhites: for his mercy endureth for ever. And
Og king of Basan: for his mercy endureth for ever. And he
gave their land for an inheritance: for his mercy endureth
for ever. For an inheritance to his servant Israel: for his
mercy endureth for ever. For he was mindful of us in our
affliction: for his mercy endureth for ever. And he redeemed
us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who
giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Give glory to the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for
ever. Give glory to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth
for ever.
Glorious things are said of you, O Virgin Mary.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly
places, in Christ: As he chose us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted
in his sight in charity. Who hath predestinated us unto the
adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto himself:
according to the purpose of his will: Unto the praise of the
glory of his grace, in which he hath graced us in his beloved
son. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace,
Which hath superabounded in us in all wisdom and prudence,
That he might make known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in
him, In the dispensation of the fullness of times, to re-
establish all things in Christ, that are in heaven and on
earth, in him.
Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up
for it: That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver
of water in the word of life: That he might present it to
himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be holy, and without
blemish.
Mary, Mother of God, we salute you. Precious vessel,
worthy of the whole world's reverence, you are an evershining
light, the crown of virginity, the symbol of orthodoxy, and
indestructible temple, the place that held him whom no place
can contain, mother and virgin. Because of you the holy
gospels could say: BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE
LORD.
We salute you, for in your holy womb he, who is beyond
all limitation, was confined. Because of you the holy Trinity
is glorified and adored; the cross is called precious and is
venerated throughout the world; the heavens exult; the angels
and archangels make merry; demons are put to flight; the
devil, that tempter, is thrust down from heaven; the fallen
race of man is taken up on high; all creatures possessed by
the madness of idolatry have attained knowledge of the truth;
believers receive holy baptism; the oil of gladness is poured
out; the Church is established throughout the world; pagans
are brought to repentance.
What more is there to say? Because of you the light of
the only-begotten Son of God has shone upon those who sat in
darkness and in the shadow of death; prophets pronounced the
word of God; the apostles preached salvation to the Gentiles;
the dead are raised to life, and kings rule by the power of
the holy Trinity.
I shall glorify you, Lord, for you have rescued meYou
have not let my enemies rejoice over me. Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the
beginning, is now, and will be for ever. I shall glorify you,
Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with you; blessed
are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,
alleluia.
O Queen of Heaven, I, who was once a miserable slave of
Lucifer, now dedicate myself to thee, to be thy servant
forever; I offer myself to honor thee, and serve thee during
my whole life; do thou accept me, and refuse me not, as I
should deserve. O my Mother, in thee have I placed all my
hopes, from thee do I expect every grace. I bless and thank
God, who in his mercy has given me this confidence in thee,
which I consider a pledge of my salvation. Alas, miserable
wretch that I am, I have hitherto fallen, because I have not
had recourse to thee. I now hope that, through the merits of
Jesus Christ and thy prayers, I have obtained pardon. But I
may again lose divine grace; the danger is not past. My
enemies do not sleep. How many new temptations have I still
to conquer! Ah, my most sweet Lady, protect me, and permit me
not again to become their slave: help me at all times. I know
that thou wilt help me, and that with thy help I shall
conquer, if I recommend myself to thee; but this is what I
fear- -I fear that in time of danger I may neglect to call
upon thee, and thus be lost. I ask thee, then, for this
grace; obtain that, in the assaults of hell, I may always
have recourse to thee, saying, Mary, help me. My Mother,
permit me not to lose my God.
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour. 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 shewed 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 father, to Abraham
and to his seed for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
was it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
She who once was barren gives birth today to the
Forerunner of Christ, who will fulfill every prophecy. In the
Jordan he placed his hand upon the One Whom the prophets
foretold, and thus was shown to be the prophet, the herald,
and the Forerunner of the Word of God.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always
before me. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil
before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and
mayst overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was
conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive
me. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and
hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. To
my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones
that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from
my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart
in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast
me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen
me with a perfect spirit. I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from
blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my
mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou hadst desired
sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings
thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou
wilt not despise. Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will
with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then
shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and
whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy
altar.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have
mercy on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal,
have mercy on us.
Glory to Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us.
It is truly right to bless you, O God-bearing One, as the
ever-blessed and immaculate Mother of our God. More honorable
than the cherubim and by far more glorious than the seraphim;
ever a virgin, you gave birth to God the Word, O true Mother
of God, we magnify you.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord.
Behold then the joy of the whole universe. Let the union
of God and man in the Son of the Virgin Mary fill us with awe
and adoration. Let us fear and worship the undivided Trinity
as we sing the praise of the ever-virgin Mary, the holy
temple of God, and of God himself, her Son and spotless
Bridegroom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, who was
engaged to be married to Joseph.
Mercy and judgment I will sing to thee, O Lord: I will
sing, and I will understand in the unspotted way, when thou
shalt come to me. I walked in the innocence of my heart, in
the midst of my house. I did not set before my eyes any
unjust thing: I hated the workers of iniquities. The perverse
heart did not cleave to me: and the malignant, that turned
aside from me, I would not know. The man that in private
detracted his neighbor, him did I persecute. With him that
had a proud eye, and an unsatiable heart, I would not eat. My
eyes were upon the faithful of the earth, to sit with me: the
man that walked in the perfect way, he served me. He that
worketh pride shall not dwell in the midst of my house: he
that speaketh unjust things did not prosper before my eyes.
In the morning I put to death all the wicked of the land:
that I might cut off all the workers of iniquity from the
city of the Lord.
You are the mother of your Maker, yet you remain a virgin
for ever.
Blessed art thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and thy
name is worthy of praise, and glorious for ever: For thou art
just in all that thou hast done to us, and all thy works are
true, and thy ways right, and all thy judgments true...For we
have sinned, and committed iniquity, departing from thee: and
we have trespassed in all things...Deliver us not up for
ever, we beseech thee, for thy name's sake, and abolish not
thy covenant. And take not away thy mercy from us for the
sake of Abraham thy beloved, and Isaac thy servant, and
Israel thy holy one: To whom thou hast spoken, promising that
thou wouldst multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and
as the sand that is on the sea shore. For we, O Lord, are
diminished more than any nation, and are brought low in all
the earth this day for our sins. Neither is there at this
time prince, or leader, or prophet, or holocaust, or
sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place of firstfruits
before thee, That we may find thy mercy: nevertheless in a
contrite heart and humble spirit let us be accepted. As in
holocausts of rams, and bullocks, and as in thousands of fat
lambs: so let our sacrifice be made in thy sight this day,
that it may please thee: for there is no confusion to them
that trust in thee. And now we follow thee with all our
heart, and we fear thee, and seek thy face.
Trusting in the Lord's promise, the Virgin Mary conceived
a child, and remaining a virgin, she gave birth to the
Savior.
Praise ye the name of the Lord: O you his servants,
praise the Lord: You that stand in the house of the Lord, in
the courts of the house of our God. Praise ye the Lord, for
the Lord is good: sing ye to his name, for it is sweet. For
the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself: Israel for his own
possession. For I have known that the Lord is great, and our
God is above all gods. Whatsoever the Lord pleased he hath
done, in heaven, in earth, in the sea, and in all the deeps.
He bringeth up clouds from the end of the earth: he hath made
lightnings for the rain. He bringeth forth winds out of his
stores: He slew the firstborn of Egypt from the man even unto
beast. He set forth signs and wonders in the midst of thee, O
Egypt: upon Pharao, and upon all his servants. He smote many
nations, and slew mighty kings: Sehon king of the Amorrhites,
and Og king of Basan, and all the kingdoms of Chanaan. And
gave their land for an inheritance, for an inheritance to his
people Israel.
Wisdom shall praise her own self, and shall be honored in
God, and shall glory in the midst of her people, And shall
open her mouth in the churches of the most High, and shall
glorify herself in the sight of his power, And in the midst
of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired
in the holy assembly. And in the multitude of the elect she
shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be
blessed, saying: I came out of the mouth of the most High,
the firstborn before all creatures: I made that in the
heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and as a
cloud I covered all the earth: I dwelt in the highest places,
and my throne is in a pillar of cloud. I alone have compassed
the circuit of heaven, and have penetrated into the bottom of
the deep, and have walked in the waves of the sea, And have
stood in all the earth: and in every people, And in every
nation I have had the chief rule: And by my power I have
trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low: and
in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the
inheritance of the Lord. Then the creator of all things
commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my
tabernacle, And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob,
and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect.
From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and
unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the
holy dwelling place I have ministered before him. And so was
I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I
rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. And I took root in an
honourable people, and in the portion of my God his
inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of
saints.
A royal virgin of the house of David is chosen. She is to
bear a holy child, one who is both God and man. She is to
conceive him in her soul before she conceives him in her
body. In the face of so unheard of an event she is to know no
fear through ignorance of the divine plan; the angel tells
her what is to be accomplished in her by the Holy Spirit. She
believes that there will be no loss of virginity, she who is
soon to be the mother of God.
Why should she lose heart at this new form of conceiving
when she has been promised that it will be effected through
the power of the Most High? She believes, and her faith is
confirmed by the witness of a previous wonder: against all
expectation Elizabeth is made fruitful. God has enabled a
barren woman to be with child; he must be believed when he
makes the same promise to a virgin.
After the birth of your son, you remained a virginMother
of God, intercede for us; you remained a virgin. Glory to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in
the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. After the birth
of your son, you remained a virgin.
In his great love for us, God sent his Son in the
likeness of our sinful nature.
Bless the Lord, all ye His Angels: you that are mighty in
strength, and execute His word, hearkening to the voice of
His orders. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and let all that is
within me bless His holy Name.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath
visited and wrought the redemption of his people: And hath
raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David
his servant: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our
fathers, and to remember his holy testament, The oath, which
he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may
serve him without fear, In holiness and justice before him,
all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of
the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to
prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his
people, unto the remission of their sins: Through the bowels
of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high
hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and
in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of
peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
God our Father, your Word became man and was born of the
Virgin Mary. May we become more like Jesus Christ, whom we
acknowledge as our redeemer, God and man. We ask this through
our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
May the lord bless us, protect us from evil and bring us
to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
O Lord, Thy goodness follows me all the days of my life.
The Lord is my Shepherd, and I shall not lack anything. He
gives me a resting-place where there is pasture.
The angel of the Lord brought God's message to Mary. And
she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Upon the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept: when
we remembered Sion: On the willows in the midst thereof we
hung up our instruments. For there they that led us into
captivity required of us the words of songs. And they that
carried us away, said: Sing ye to us a hymn of the songs of
Sion. How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange
land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be
forgotten. Let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not
remember thee: If I make not Jerusalem the beginning of my
joy. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom, in the day of
Jerusalem: Who say: Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation
thereof. O daughter of Babylon, miserable: blessed shall he
be who shall repay thee thy payment which thou hast paid us.
Blessed be he that shall take and dash thy little ones
against the rock.
Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
Behold you shall conceive and bear a son, and he will be
called the Son of the Most High.
I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: for thou
hast heard the words of my mouth. I will sing praise to thee
in the sight of the angels: I will worship towards thy holy
temple, and I will give glory to thy name. For thy mercy, and
for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy holy name above
all. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me: thou
shalt multiply strength in my soul. May all the kings of the
earth give glory to thee: for they have heard all the words
of thy mouth. And let them sing in the ways of the Lord: for
great is the glory of the Lord. For the Lord is high, and
looketh on the low: and the high he knoweth afar off. If I
shall walk in the midst of tribulation, thou wilt quicken me:
and thou hast stretched forth thy hand against the wrath of
my enemies: and thy right hand hath saved me. The Lord will
repay for me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: O despise
not the works of thy hands.
I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me as
you have said.
Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory, and
honour, and power: because thou hast created all things; and
for thy will they were, and have been created...Thou art
worthy, O Lord, to take the book, and to open the seals
thereof; because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and
people, and nation, And hast made us to our God a kingdom and
priests, and we shall reign on the earth...The Lamb that was
slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon,
and our hands have handled, of the word of life: For the life
was manifested; and we have seen and do bear witness, and
declare unto you the life eternal, which was with the Father,
and hath appeared to us.
Stretching out his hand over his disciples, the Lord
Christ declared: HERE ARE MY MOTHER AND MY BROTHERS, ANYONE
WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO SENT ME IS MY BROTHER AND
MY SISTER AND MY MOTHER. I would urge you to ponder these
words. Did the Virgin Mary, who believed by faith and
conceived by faith, who was the chosen one from whom our
Saviour was born among men, who was created by Christ before
Christ was created in her--did she not do the will of the
Father?
Indeed the blessed Mary certainly did the Father's will,
and so it was for her a greater thing to have been Christ's
disciple than to have been his mother, and she was more
blessed in her discipleship than in her motherhood. Hers was
the happiness of first bearing in her womb him whom she would
obey as her master.
The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the
beginningHe has taken her to live with himhis loved one from
the beginning. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to
the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will
be for ever. The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the
beginning.
The angel Gabriel said to Mary in greeting: Hail, full of
grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.
O Mary, how shall I die? Even now, that I think of my
sins, and of that decisive moment on which my salvation or
eternal damnation depends, of that moment in which I must
expire and be judged, I tremble and am confounded. O my most
sweet Mother, my hopes are in the blood of Jesus Christ and
in thy intercession. O comfortress of the afflicted, do not,
then, abandon me, cease not to console me in that moment of
so great affliction. If I am now so tormented by remorse for
sins committed, the uncertainty of pardon, the danger of
relapse, and the rigor of divine justice, what will become of
me then? Unless thou helpest me, I shall be lost. Ah, my
Lady, before death obtain me great sorrow for my sins,
thorough amendment, and fidelity to God during the remainder
of my life. And when my last moment arrives, O Mary, my hope,
help me in the great distress in which I shall then be;
encourage me, that I may not despair at the sight of my sins,
which the devil will place before me. Obtain that I may then
invoke thee more frequently; so that I may expire with thy
most sweet name and that of thy beloved Son on my lips. Nay
more, my Lady, but forgive my boldness, before I expire do
thou come thyself and comfort me with thy presence. Thou has
granted this favor to so many of thy devout servants, I also
desire and hope it. I am a sinner, it is true; I do not
deserve so great a favor; but I am thy servant, I love thee
and have full confidence in thee. O Mary, I shall expect
thee; do not disappoint me of this consolation. At least, if
I am not worthy of so great a favor, do thou help me from
heaven, that I may leave this life loving God and thee, to
love thee eternally in Paradise.
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour. 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 shewed 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.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Most loving Jesus, permit me to express my heartfelt
gratitude to you for your kindness in giving me to your holy
Mother through the devotion of holy bondage, and so making
her my advocate to plead with your Majesty on my behalf, and
make up for all that I lack through my inadequacy.
Alas, O Lord, I am so wretched that without my dear
Mother I would certainly be lost. Yes, I always need Mary
when I am approaching you. I need her to calm your just
indignation at the many offenses I have committed every day.
I need her to save me from the just sentence of eternal
punishment I have deservedly incurred. I need her to turn to
you, speak to you, pray to you, approach you and please you.
I need her to help me save my soul and the souls of others.
In a word, I need her so that I may always do your holy will
and seek your greater glory in everything I do.
Would that I could publish throughout the whole world the
mercy which you have shown me! Would that the whole world
could know that without Mary I would now be doomed! If only I
could offer adequate thanks for such a great benefit as Mary!
She is within me. What a precious possession and what a
consolation for me. Should I not in return be all hers? If I
were not, how ungrateful would I be. My dear Saviour, send me
death rather than I should be guilty of such a lapse, for I
would rather die than not belong to Mary.
Like St. John the Evangelist at the foot of the Cross, I
have taken her times without number as my total good and as
often have I given myself to her. But if I have not done so
as perfectly as you, dear Jesus, would wish, I now do so
according to your desire. If you still see in my soul or body
anything that does not belong to this noble Queen, please
pluck it out and cast it far from me, because anything of
mine which does not belong to Mary is unworthy of you.
Holy Spirit, grant me all these graces. Implant in my
soul the tree of true life, which is Mary. Foster it and
cultivate it to that it grows and blossoms and brings forth
the fruit of life in abundance. Holy Spirit, give me a great
love and longing for Mary, your exalted spouse. Give me a
great trust in her maternal heart and a continuous access to
her compassion, so that with her you may truly form Jesus,
great and powerful, in me until I attain the fullness of his
perfect age.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from evil and bring us
to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance.
Grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies, and
protect Your community by Your cross.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always
before me. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil
before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and
mayst overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was
conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive
me. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and
hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. To
my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones
that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from
my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart
in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast
me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen
me with a perfect spirit. I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from
blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my
mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou hadst desired
sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings
thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou
wilt not despise. Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will
with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then
shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and
whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy
altar.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have
mercy on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal,
have mercy on us.
Glory to Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us.
It is truly right to bless you, O God-bearing One, as the
ever-blessed and immaculate Mother of our God. More honorable
than the cherubim and by far more glorious than the seraphim;
ever a virgin, you gave birth to God the Word, O true Mother
of God, we magnify you.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord.
I bow before you, Virgin of virgins, resting-place of the
divine Bridegroom, temple of eternal Wisdom, sanctuary of the
Holy Spirit, palace of the Blessed Trinity, Mother full of
love and tenderness, fountain of beauty, wellspring of
wonders, golden key of God's kingdom, you are the admiration
of angels, the joy of the human family. Who can ever do
justice to your glory, to your Queenship of grace?
Blessed are you, O virgin Mary, for you carried the
Creator of the world in your womb.
My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready: I will sing,
and will give praise, with my glory. Arise, my glory; arise,
psaltry and harp: I will arise in the morning early. I will
praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing unto
thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great above the
heavens: and thy truth even unto the clouds. Be thou exalted,
O God, above the heavens, and thy glory over all the earth:
that thy beloved may be delivered. Save with thy right hand
and hear me. God hath spoken in his holiness. I will rejoice,
and I will divide Sichem and I will mete out the vale of
tabernacles. Galaad is mine: and Manasses is mine: and
Ephraim the protection of my head. Juda is my king: Moab the
pot of my hope. Over Edom I will stretch out my shoe: the
aliens are become my friends. Who will bring me into the
strong city? who will lead me into Edom? Wilt not thou, O
God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth
with our armies? O grant us help from trouble: for vain is
the help of man. Through God we shall do mightily: and he
will bring our enemies to nothing.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant in her
womb leaped for joy, and she was filled with the Holy
Spirit.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be
joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of
salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me,
as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned
with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and
as the garden causeth her seed to shoot forth: so shall the
Lord God make justice to spring forth, and praise before all
the nations. For Sion's sake I will not hold my peace, and
for the sake of Jerusalem, I will not rest till her just one
come forth as brightness, and her saviour be lighted as a
lamp. And the Gentiles shall see thy just one, and all kings
thy glorious one: and thou shalt be called by a new name,
which the mouth of the Lord shall name. And thou shalt be a
crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in
the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be called Desolate:
but thou shalt be called My pleasure in her, and thy land
inhabited. Because the Lord hath been well pleased with thee:
and thy land shall be inhabited. For the young man shall
dwell with the virgin, and thy children shall dwell in thee.
And the bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride, and thy God
shall rejoice over thee.
Blessed are you, Mary, because you believed that the
Lord's words to you would be fulfilled.
Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to
fight, and my fingers to war. My mercy, and my refuge: my
support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in
him: who subdueth my people under me. Lord, what is man, that
thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou
makest account of him? Man is like to vanity: his days pass
away like a shadow. Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend:
touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Send forth
lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: shoot out thy arrows,
and thou shalt trouble them. Put forth thy hand from on high,
take me out, and deliver me from many waters: from the hand
of strange children: Whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and
their right hand is the right hand of iniquity. To thee, O
God, I will sing a new canticle: on the psaltery and an
instrument of ten strings I will sing praises to thee. Who
givest salvation to kings: who hast redeemed thy servant
David from the malicious sword: Deliver me, And rescue me out
of the hand of strange children; whose mouth hath spoken
vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity:
Whose sons are as new plants in their youth: Their daughters
decked out, adorned round about after the similitude of a
temple: Their storehouses full, flowing out of this into
that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding in their
goings forth: their oxen fat. There is no breach of wall, nor
passage, nor crying out in their streets. They have called
the people happy, that hath these things: but happy is that
people whose God is the Lord.
And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: and
I am the Lord your God, and there is none besides: and my
people shall not be counfounded for ever. And it shall come
to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all
flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your
old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see
visions. Moreover upon my servants and handmaids in those
days I will pour forth my spirit. And I will shew wonders in
heaven; and in earth, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood: before the great and dreadful day of the Lord doth
come.
Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one,
and come. For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is
come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land: The fig
tree hath put forth her green figs: the vines in flower yield
their sweet smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one and come:
my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of
the wall, shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears:
for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely. Catch us the
little foxes that destroy the vines: for our vineyard hath
flourished. My beloved to me, and I to him who feedeth among
the lilies, Till the day break, and the shadows retire.
Return: be like, my beloved, to a roe, or to a young hart
upon the mountains of Bether.
When Elizabeth greeted her young kinswomen coming from
Nazareth, MARY REPLIED WITH THE MAGNIFICAT. In her greeting,
Elizabeth first called Mary ";blessed"; because of
";The fruit of her womb,"; and then she called her
";blessed"; because of her faith. These two blessings
referred directly to the Annunciation. Now, at the
Visitation, when Elizabeth's greeting bears witness to that
culminating moment, Mary's faith acquires a new consciousness
and a new expression. That which remained hidden in the
depths of the ";obedience of faith"; at the
Annunciation can now be said to spring forth like a clear and
life-giving flame of the spirit.
The words used by Mary on the threshold of Elizabeth's
house are AN INSPIRED PROFESSION OF HER FAITH, in which HER
RESPONSE TO THE REVEALED WORD is expressed with the religious
and poetical exultation of her whole being toward God. In
these sublime words, which are simultaneously very simple and
wholly inspired by the sacred texts of the people of Israel,
Mary's personal experience, the ecstasy of her heart, shines
forth. In them shines a ray of the mystery of God, the glory
of his ineffable holiness, the eternal LOVE WHICH, AS AN
IRREVOCABLE GIFT, ENTERS INTO HUMAN HISTORY.
Mary is the fist to share in this new revelation of God
and, within the same, in this new ";self-giving"; of
God. Therefore she proclaims: ";For he who is mighty has
done great thighs for me, and holy is his name."; Her
words reflect a joy of spirit which is difficult to express:
";My spirit rejoices in God my Savior."; Indeed,
";the deepest truth about God and the salvation of man is
made clear to us in Christ, who is at the same time the
mediator and the fullness of all revelation.";
In her exultation Mary confesses that she finds herself
IN THE VERY HEART OF THIS FULLNESS of Christ. She is
conscious that the promise made to the fathers, first of all
";to Abraham and to his posterity for ever,"; is
being fulfilled in herself. She is thus aware that
concentrated within herself as the Mother of Christ is THE
WHOLE SALVIFIC ECONOMY, in which ";from age to age";
is manifested he who, as the God of the Covenant,
";remembers his mercy.";
The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the
beginningHe has taken her to live with him, his loved one
from the beginning. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and
will be for ever. The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from
the beginning.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, she cried out and
said: Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to
me.
Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable; their
power is become very great. Lord, Thou hast proved me and
known me: Thou hast known my sitting down and my rising
up.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: because he hath
visited and wrought the redemption of his people: And hath
raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David
his servant: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our
fathers, and to remember his holy testament, The oath, which
he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may
serve him without fear, In holiness and justice before him
all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of
the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to
prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his
people, unto the remission of their sins: Through the bowels
of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high
hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and
in the shadow of death: to direct out feet into the way of
peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Sun of Justice, the immaculate Virgin was the white dawn
announcing your rising, grant that we may always live in the
light of your coming. Lord, help us imitate Mary, your
mother, who chose the best part, may we seek the food that
will sustain us for ever. Savior of the world, by your
redeeming might you preserved your mother before-hand from
all stain of sin, keep watch over us, lest we sin. You are
our redeemer, who made the immaculate Virgin Mary your purest
home and the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, make us temples of
your Spirit for ever.
Eternal Father, you inspired the Virgin Mary, mother of
your Son, to visit Elizabeth and assist her in her need. Keep
us open to the working of your Spirit, and with Mary may we
praise you for ever. We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from evil and bring us
to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make hast to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
O God, for Thy name's sake save me and by Thy power grant
me redress. O God, hear my prayer, and hearken to my
plea.
What joy, what happiness there is in heaven! The shoot
from the root of Jesse, sown so long ago in the time of the
patriarchs, has today sprung up and begun to grow. It will
bear a Flower which is destined to heal the world, a Flower
whose scent revives the dead, whose taste heals the sick, and
whose beauty delights the angels--a white and red Flower
which angels long to see.
Look upon Mary, my beloved, how, when Gabriel entered in
to her and she spoke with him words of enquiry: ";How
shall these things be?"; and the minister of the Spirit
gave reply to Mary and said: ";It is easy for God, all
things are simple for him";--how she held it true when
she heard, and said: ";Behold, his handmaid am
I.";
Therefore he came down, in a manner he knows, he stirred
and came in a way that pleased him, he entered and dwelt in
her without her perceiving, she received him, suffering
nothing. He was in her womb like a babe, yet the whole world
was full of him. Of his love he came down to renew the image
of Adam grown old.
Mary entered the house of Zechariah, and greeted
Elizabeth.
Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me: thou hast known
my sitting down, and my rising up. Thou has understood my
thoughts afar off: my path and my line thou hast searched
out. And thou hast foreseen all my ways: for there is no
speech in my tongue. Behold, O Lord, thou has known all
things, the last and those of old: thou hast formed me, and
hast laid thy hand upon me. Thy knowledge is become wonderful
to me: it is high, and I cannot reach to it. Whither shall I
go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy face? If
I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell,
thou are present. If I take my wings early in the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: Even there also
shall thy hand lead me: and thy right hand shall hold me. And
I said: Perhaps darkness shall cover me: and night shall be
my light in my pleasures. But darkness shall not be dark to
thee, and night shall be light as the day: the darkness
thereof, and the light thereof are alike to thee.
When your greeting sounded in my ears, the infant in my
womb leaped for joy.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me
from my mother's womb. I will praise thee, for thou art
fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works, and my soul
knoweth right well. My bone is not hidden from thee, which
thou hast made in secret: and my substance in the lower parts
of the earth. Thy eyes did see my imperfect being, and in thy
book all shall be written: days shall be formed, and no one
in them. But to me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly
honourable: their principality is exceedingly strengthened. I
will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the
sand: I rose up and am still with thee. If you wilt kill the
wicked, O God: ye men of blood, depart from me: Because you
say in thought: They shall receive thy cities in vain. Have I
not hated them, O Lord, that hated thee: and pined away
because of thy enemies? I have hated them with a perfect
hatred: and they are become enemies to me. Prove me, O God,
and know my heart: examine me, and know my paths. And see if
there be in me the way of iniquity: and lead me in the
eternal way.
Sinless Virgin, let us follow joyfully in your footsteps;
draw us after you in the fragrance of your holiness.
Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy
to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light: Who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated
us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the remission of sins; Who is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every
creature: For in him were all things created in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or
dominations, or principalities, or powers: all things were
created by him and in him. And he is before all, and by him
all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the
church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he may hold the primacy: Because in him,
it hath well pleased the Father, that all fullness should
dwell; And through him to reconcile all things unto himself,
making peace through the blood of his cross, both as to the
things that are on earth, and the things that are in
heaven.
Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and
beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty,
patience: Bearing with one another, and forgiving one
another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the
Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these
things have charity, which is the bond of perfection: And let
the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you
are called in one body: and be ye thankful. Let the word of
Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom: teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual
canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God. All
whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by
him.
MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD. AND MY SPIRIT HATH
REJOICED IN GOD MY SAVIOUR. With these words Mary first
acknowledges the special gifts she has been given. Then she
recalls God's universal favors, bestowed unceasingly on the
human race.
When a man devotes all his thought to the praise and
service of the Lord, he proclaims God's greatness. His
observance of God's commands, moreover, shows that he has
God's power and greatness always at heart. His spirit
rejoices in God his savior and delights in the mere
recollection of his creator who gives him hope for eternal
salvation.
These words are often for all God's creations, but
especially for the Mother of God. She alone was chosen, and
she burned with spiritual love for the son she so joyously
conceived. Above all other saints, she alone could truly
rejoice in Jesus, her savior, for she knew that he who was
the source of eternal salvation would be born in time in her
body, in one person both her own son and her Lord.
BECAUSE HE THAT IS MIGHTY, HATH DONE GREAT THINGS TO ME;
AND HOLY IS HIS NAME. Mary attributes nothing to her own
merits. She refers all her greatness to the gift of the one
whose essence is power and whose nature is greatness, for he
fills with greatness and strength the small and the weak who
believe in him.
She did well to add: AND HOLY IS HIS NAME, to warn those
who heard, and indeed all who would receive his words, that
they must believe and call upon his name. For they too could
share in everlasting holiness and true salvation according to
the words of the prophet: AND IT WILL COME TO PASS, THAT
EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.
This is the name she spoke of earlier: AND MY SPIRIT REJOICES
IN GOD MY SAVIOR.
Therefore it is an excellent and fruitful custom of the
holy Church that we should sing Mary's hymn at the time of
evening prayer. By meditation upon the incarnation, our
devotion is kindled, and by remembering the example of God's
Mother, we are encouraged to lead a life of virtue. Such
virtues are best achieved in the evening. We are weary after
the day's work and worn out by our distractions. The time for
rest is near, and our minds are ready for contemplation.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed
are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
All generations will call me blessed; the Lord has
regarded the humility of his handmaid.
My most beloved Lady, I thank thee for having delivered
me from hell as many times as I have deserved it by my sins.
Miserable creature that I was, I was once condemend to that
prison, and perhaps already after the first sin, the sentence
would have been put into execution, if thou, in thy
compassion, hadst not helped me. Thou, without even being
asked by me, and only in thy goodness, didst restrain divine
Justice; and then, conquering my obduracy, thou didst draw me
to have confidence in thee. O, into how many other sins
should I have afterwards fallen, in the dangers in which I
have been, hadst not thou, my loving Mother, preserved me by
the graces which thou didst obtain for me! Ah, my Queen,
continue to guard me from hell; for what will thy mercy, and
the favors which thou hast shown me, avail me if I am lost?
If I did not always love thee, now at least--after God--I
love thee above all things. Never allow me to turn my back on
thee and on God, who, by thy means, has granted me so many
graces. My most amiable Lady, never allow me to have the
misfortune to hate thee and curse thee for all eternity in
hell. Wilt thou endure to see a servant of thine, who loves
thee, lost? O Mary, what sayest thou? I shall be lost if I
abandon thee. But who can ever more have the heart to leave
thee? How can I ever forget the love thou hast borne me? My
Lady, since thou hast done so much to save me, complete the
work, continue the aid. Wilt thou help me? But what do I say?
If at a time when I lived forgetful of thee thou didst favor
me so much, how much more may I hope for now that I love thee
and recommend myself to thee! No, he can never be lost who
recommends himself to thee; he alone is lost who has not
recourse to thee. Ay, my Mother, leave me not in my own
hands, for I should then be lost; grant that I may always
have recourse to thee. Save me, my hope, save me from hell;
but, in the first place, save me from sin, which alone can
condemn me to it.
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour. 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 shewed 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 his seed for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
Undaunted patroness of Christians, O steadfast
intermediary with the Creator, turn not away from the
suppliant voices of sinners, but in your kindness come to
help us who cry out to you in faith. Be quick to intercede,
make haste to plead, for you are ever the patroness of those
who honor you, O Mother of God.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always
before me. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil
before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and
mayst overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was
conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive
me. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and
hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. To
my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones
that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from
my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart
in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast
me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen
me with a perfect spirit. I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from
blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my
mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou hadst desired
sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings
thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou
wilt not despise. Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will
with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then
shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and
whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy
altar.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have
mercy on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal,
have mercy on us.
Glory to Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us.
It is truly right to bless you, O God-bearing One, as the
ever-blessed and immaculate Mother of our God. More honorable
than the cherubim and by far more glorious than the seraphim;
ever a virgin, you gave birth to God the Word, O true Mother
of God, we magnify you.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord.
Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God, I come before you,
unworthy as I am, to renew our total dedication to you. Be
now and for ever our Mother, our advocate and our protector;
rule over us as our sovereign Lady, keep us from falling, but
if we do fall help us to rise again without delay. Show
yourself as Mother of God, to whom all sinners have been
entrusted: be our patroness and theirs with your loving
Son.
Tell us, shepherds, what have you seen? Who has appeared
on earth? We have seen a newborn infant and a choir of angels
praising the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: give ear to my supplication in
thy truth: hear me in thy justice. And enter not into
judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight no man living
shall be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul: he
hath brought down my life to the earth. He hath made me to
dwell in darkness as those that have been dead of old: and my
spirit is in anguish within me: my heart within me is
troubled. I remembered the days of old, I meditated on all
thy works: I meditated upon the works of thy hands. I
stretched forth my hands to thee: my soul is as earth without
water unto thee. Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit hath
fainted away. Turn not away thy face from me, lest I be like
unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy
mercy in the morning; for in thee have I hoped. Make the way
known to me, wherein I should walk: for I have lifted up my
soul to thee. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, to thee
have I fled: teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God.
Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land: for thy
name's sake, O Lord, thou wilt quicken me in thy justice.
Thou wilt bring my soul out of trouble: and in thy mercy thou
wilt destroy my enemies. And thou wilt cut off all them that
afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.
You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel; you
are the fairest honor of our race.
Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you
that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn
for her. That you may suck, and be filled with the breasts of
her consolations: that you may milk out, and flow with
delights, from the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the
Lord: Behold I will bring upon her as it were a river of
peace, and as an overflowing torrent the glory of the
Gentiles, which you shall suck; you shall be carried at the
breasts, and upon the knees they shall caress you. As one
whom the mother caresseth, so will I comfort you, and you
shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see and your heart
shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb,
and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and
he shall be angry with his enemies.
A little child is born for us today; little and yet
called the mighty God.
Praise ye the Lord, because psalm is good: to our God be
joyful and comely praise. The Lord buildeth up Jerusalem: he
will gather together the dispersed of Israel. Who healeth the
broken of heart, and bindeth up their bruises. Who telleth
the number of the stars: and calleth them all by their names.
Great is our Lord, and great is his power: and of his wisdom
there is no number. The Lord lifted up the meek, and bringeth
the wicked down even to the ground. Sing ye to the Lord with
praise: sing to out God upon the harp. Who covereth the
heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth. Who
maketh grass to grow on the mountains, and herbs for the
service of men. Who giveth to beasts their food: and to the
young ravens that call upon him. He shall not delight in the
strength of the horse: nor take pleasure in the legs of a
man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him: and in
them that hope in his mercy.
One is my dove, my perfect one is but one, she is the
only one of her mother, the chosen of her that bore her. The
daughters saw her, and declared her most blessed: the queens
and concubines, and they praised her. Who is she that cometh
forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the
sun, terrible as an army set in array? I went down into the
garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valleys, and to look
if the vineyard had flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
I knew not: my soul troubled me for the chariots of Aminadab.
Return, return, O Sulamitess: return, return that we may
behold thee.
What a marvelous woman, to be the mother of her own
Creator! What an amazing distinction for a woman, to have a
Son in common with God. The Father loves his Son; the Mother
rejoices in her Son. The Father tells his Son: FROM THE WOMB,
BEFORE THE MORNING STAR, I BEGOT YOU; the Mother says to her
same Son: From the womb, I, a virgin, brought you into the
world.
She is amazed at her own glory, nor can she herself
understand her elevation, for by the very fact of being made
mother of the Creator she became with the best right mistress
and queen of all creation. Truly, Mary HE THAT IS MIGHTY,
HATH DONE GREAT THINGS for you; truly because he made you his
own mother, ALL GENERATIONS of the ages WILL CALL YOU
BLESSED.
For our sake, the King of heaven chose to be born of his
virgin mother, to reclaim lost men for the heavenly
kingdomAll the angels cry aloud with joy, for God has come
himself to save mankind. Glory to God in the highest, and
peace to his people on earth. All the angels cry aloud with
joy, for God has come himself to save mankind.
The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world; and
that which containeth all things hath knowledge of the voice.
Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: and let them
that hate Him flee from before His face.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath
visited and wrought the redemption of his people: And hath
raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David
his servant: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our
fathers, and to remember his holy testament, The oath, which
he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may
serve him without fear, in holiness and justice before him,
all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of
the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to
prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his
people, unto the remission of their sins: Through the bowels
of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high
hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and
in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of
peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Almighty God and Father of light, a child is born for us
and a son is given to us. Your eternal Word leaped down from
heaven in the silent watches of the night, and now your
church is filled with wonder at the nearness of her God. Open
our hearts to receive his life and increase our vision with
the raising of dawn, that our lives may be filled with his
glory and his peace, who lives and reigns for ever and
ever.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from evil, and bring us
to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
My help comes from the Lord Who made heaven and earth. I
lifted my eyes towards the mountains, whence my deliverance
shall come.
Rejoice, mother and heaven, maiden and cloud, virgin and
throne, the boast and foundation of our Church. Plead
earnestly for us that through you we may obtain mercy on the
Day of Judgment and attain the good things reserved for those
who love God, through the grace and love our Lord Jesus
Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory,
power, and honor now and for ever and for all eternity.
Amen.
Mary received a blessing from the Lord and loving
kindness from God her savior.
Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to
fight, and my fingers to war. My mercy, and my refuge: my
support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in
him: who subdueth my people under me. Lord, what is man, that
thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou
makest account of him? Man is like to vanity: his days pass
away like a shadow. Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend:
touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Send forth
lighting, and thou shalt scatter them: shoot out thy arrows,
and thou shalt trouble them. Put forth thy hand from on high,
take me out, and deliver me from many waters: from the hand
of strange children: Whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and
their right hand is the right hand of iniquity.
The Most High has made his dwelling place a holy
temple.
To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle: on the
psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises
to thee. Who givest salvation to kings: who hast redeemed thy
servant David from the malicious sword: Deliver me, And
rescue me out of the hand of strange children; whose mouth
hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of
iniquity: Whose sons are as new plants in their youth: Their
daughters decked out, adorned round about after the
similitude of a temple: Their storehouses full, flowing out
of this into that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding
in their goings forth: their oxen fat. There is no breach of
wall, nor passage, nor crying out in their streets. They have
called the people happy, that hath these things: but happy is
that people whose God is the Lord.
In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God;
today he is born, the Savior of the world.
We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and
who was, and who art to come: because thou hast taken to thee
thy great power, and thou hast reigned. And the nations were
angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that
they should be judged, and that thou shouldest render reward
to thy servants the prophets and the saints, and to them that
fear thy name, little and great, and shouldst destroy them
who have corrupted the earth. And the temple of God was
opened in heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in
his temple, and there were lightnings, and voices, and an
earthquake, and great hail...Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth,
who accused them before our God day and night. And they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of the
testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein.
Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed
upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of
God. Therefore the world knoweth not us, because it knew not
him. Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God; and it hath
not yet appeared what we shall be. We know, that when he
shall appear, we shall be like to him: because we shall see
him as he is. And every one that hath this hope in him,
sanctifieth himself, as he also is holy. Whosoever committeth
sin committeth also iniquity; and sin is iniquity. And you
know that he appeared to take away our sins, and in him there
is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; and
whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him, nor known him. Little
children, let no man deceive you. He that doth justice is
just, even as he is just. He that committeth sin is of the
devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose, the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the
works of the devil.
Believe what we say about the Virgin, and do not hesitate
to confess her to be both servant and Mother of God, both
virgin and mother. She is a servant as the creature of him
who was born of her; she is the Mother of God inasmuch as of
her God was born in human flesh. She is a virgin because she
did not conceive from the seed of man; she is a mother
because she gave birth and became the mother of him who
before all eternity was begotten of the Father.
She is therefore the mother of the Lord of angels and our
mother; from her the Son of God received the human body in
which he consented to be crucified. Do you desire to know how
far the Virgin surpasses the power of heaven? Give me your
attention then. They veil their faces as they hover in fear
and trembling, but she offers the human race to God, and
through her we receive the forgiveness of our sins. She bore
him whom the angels glorified when they came with reverence
to be present at his birth. GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, they
sang, AND PEACE TO HIS PEOPLE ON EARTH.
I shall glorify you, Lord, for you have rescued me. You
have not let my enemies rejoice over meFor you have rescued
me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. I shall glorify you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Christ the Lord is born today; today, the Savior has
appeared. Earth echoes songs of angel choirs, archangels'
joyful praise. Today on earth his friends exult. Glory to God
in the highest.
O Queen of Paradise, who reignest above all the choirs of
angels, and who art the nearest of all creatures to God, I, a
miserable sinner, salute thee from this valley of tears, and
beseech thee to turn thy compassionate eyes towards me, for
whichever side they turn they dispense graces. See, O Mary,
in how many dangers I now am, and shall be as long as I live
in this world, of losing my soul, of losing heaven and God.
In thee O Lady, I have placed all my hopes. I love thee, and
sigh to go soon to see thee, and praise thee in heaven. Ah,
Mary, when will be that happy day on which I shall see myself
safe at thy feet, and contemplate my Mother who has done so
much for my salvation? When shall I kiss that hand which has
delivered me so many times from hell, and has dispensed me so
many graces, when, on account of my sins, I deserved to be
hated and abandoned by all? My Lady, in life I have been very
ungreatful to thee; but if I reach heaven, I shall no longer
be ungreatful: there I shall love thee as much as I can in
every moment for all eternity, and shall make amends for my
ingratitude by blessings and thanking thee forever. I thank
God with my whole heart, who gives me firm confidence in the
blood of Jesus Christ and in thee, and in the conviction that
thou wilt save me; that thou wilt deliver me from my sins;
that thou wilt give me light and strength to execute the
divine will; and, in fine, that thou wilt lead me to the gate
of Paradise. Thy servants have hoped for all this, and not
one of them was deceived. No, neither shall I be deceived. O
Mary, my full confidence is that thou hast to save me.
Beseech thy Son Jesus, as I also beseech him, by the merits
of his Passion, to preserve and always increase this
confidence in me, and I shall be saved.
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour. 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 shewed 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.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Hail, Mary, most beloved daughter of the eternal Father;
hail, Mary, most admirable mother of the Son; hail, Mary,
most faithful spouse of the Holy Spirit; hail, Mary, Mother
most dear, Lady most lovable. Queen most powerful! Hail,
Mary, my joy, my glory, my heart and soul. You are all mine
through God's mercy, but I am all yours in justice. Yet I do
not belong sufficiently to you, and so once again, as a slave
who always belongs to his master, I give myself wholly to
you, reserving nothing for myself or for others.
If you still see anything in me which is not given to
you, please take it now. Make yourself completely owner of
all my capabilities. Destroy in me everything that is
displeasing to God. Uproot it and bring it to nothing.
Implant in me all that you deem to be good; improve it and
make it increase in me.
May the light of your faith dispel the darkness of my
mind. May your deep humility take the place of my pride. May
your heavenly contemplation put an end to the distractions of
my wandering imagination. May your continuous vision of God
fill my memory with his presence. May the burning love of
your heart inflame the coldness of mine. May your virtues
take the place of my sins. May your merits be my adornment
and make up for my unworthiness before God. Finally, most
dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may
have no other spirit but yours to know Jesus and his divine
will. May I have no soul but yours to praise and glorify the
Lord. May I have no heart but yours to love God purely and
ardently as you love him.
I do not ask for visions or revelations, for sensible
devotions or even spiritual pleasures. It is your privilege
to see God clearly in perpetual light. It is your privilege
to savor the delights of heaven where nothing is without
sweetness. It is your privilege to triumph gloriously in
heaven at the right hand of your Son without further
humiliation, and to command angels, men, and demons, with
readiness on their part. It is your privilege to dispose at
your own choice of all the good gifts of God with no
exception.
Such, most holy Mary, is the excellent portion which the
Lord has given you, and which will never be taken from you,
and which gives me great joy. As for my portion here on
earth, I wish only to have a share in yours, that is, to have
simple faith without seeing or tasting, to suffer joyfully
without the consolations of men, to die daily to myself
without flinching, to work gallantly for you even until death
without any self- interest, as the most worthless of your
slaves. The only grace I beg you in your kindness to obtain
for me is that every day and moment of my life I may say this
threefold Amen: amen, so be it, to all you did upon earth;
Amen, so be it, to all you are doing now in heaven; Amen, so
be it, to all you are doing in my soul. In that way, you and
you alone will fully glorify Jesus in me during all my life
and my eternity.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring
us to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
By Your own choice, O Christ our God, You were lifted on
the cross. Grant Your mercies to Your new community that
bears Your name. By Your power gladden the faithful people
and grant them victory against enemies. May they have the
help of Your instrument of peace, the invincible sign of
victory.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always
before me. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil
before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and
mayst overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was
conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive
me. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and
hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. To
my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones
that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from
my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart
in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast
me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen
me with a perfect spirit. I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from
blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my
mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou hadst desired
sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings
thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou
wilt not despise. Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will
with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then
shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and
whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy
altar.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have
mercy on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal,
have mercy on us.
Glory to Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us.
It is truly right to bless you, O God-bearing One, as the
ever-blessed and immaculate Mother of our God. More honorable
than the cherubim and by far more glorious than the seraphim;
ever a virgin, you gave birth to God the Word, O true Mother
of God, we magnify you.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord.
Virgin of virgins, I choose you today as my sovereign, my
queen, my empress, and I declare myself, as I am in fact,
your servant and your slave. I invoke your royal name of
Mary, that is, sovereign Lady, and beg of you with all my
heart to admit me into the privileged circle of your family
as one of your servants, to do your will as a humble slave
and a loving child. As a sign of your acceptance engrave on
my heart with the fire of your love, not the brand of an
unwilling slave, but those two gracious words of the angel:
AVE MARIA. As long as I draw breath may your burning love
ensure that I bear these words in my heart and in my memory,
and that until my dying breath my will may be always on fire
with my great desire to serve you, my sovereign and my queen,
glorious in your majesty. Though I am in every way unworthy
of so honorable a title, I resolve sincerely to be your
slave, to serve you wholeheartedly, to protect your name, and
that of your Son, against every insult, as far as it may rest
with me, and never to allow anyone in my charge to offend
your Son in any way. By your tender love for your Son, by the
glories you have received from the Most Holy Trinity, do not
reject me from your service but as my sovereign and my queen
preside over all my actions, command whatever you will,
direct all my work, remedy all its defects. During my whole
life rule over me as your servant and slave. At the hour of
my death, as I hope for at the end of my loving servitude
among the privileged members of your family, receive my soul
and escort it into the presence of God.
My soul clings to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Mother, on the cross Christ entrusted us to you as
your children. Today we join with you in praising him.
Be converted therefore, ye sinners, and do justice before
God, believing that he will shew his mercy to you. And I and
my soul will rejoice in him. Bless ye the Lord, all his
elect, keep days of joy, and give glory to him. Jerusalem,
city of God, the Lord hath chastised thee for the works of
thy hands. Give glory to the Lord for thy good things, and
bless the God eternal, that he may rebuild his tabernacle in
thee, and may call back all the captives to thee, and thou
mayst rejoice for ever and ever. Thou shalt shine with a
glorious light: and all the ends of the earth shall worship
thee. Nations from afar shall come to thee: and shall bring
gifts, and shall adore the Lord in thee, and shall esteem thy
land as holy. For they shall call upon the great name in
thee. They shall be cursed that shall despise thee: and thy
shall be condemned that shall blaspheme thee: and blessed
shall they be that shall built thee up. But thou shalt
rejoice in thy children, because they shall all be blessed,
and shall be gathered together to the Lord. Blessed are all
they that love thee, and that rejoice in thy peace. My soul,
bless thou the Lord, because the Lord our God hath delivered
Jerusalem his city from all her troubles.
The Virgin Mary, crowned with a diadem of twelve stars,
is exalted above the choirs of angels.
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise thy God, O Sion.
Because he hath strengthened the bolts of thy gates, he hath
blessed thy children within thee. Who hath placed peace in
thy borders: and filleth thee with the fat of corn. Who
sendeth forth his speech to the earth: his word runneth
swiftly. Who giveth snow like wool: scattered mists like
ashes. He sendeth his crystal like morsels: who shall stand
before the face of his cold? He shall send out his word, and
shall melt them: his wind shall blow, and the waters shall
run. Who declareth his word to Jacob: his justices and his
judgments to Israel. He hath not done in like manner to every
nation: and his judgments he hath not made manifest to them.
Alleluia.
I Paul am made a minister. Who now rejoice in my
sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting
of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which
is the church: Whereof I am made a minister according to the
dispensation of God, which is given me towards you, that I
may fulfill the word of God.
Now therefore, ye children, hear me: Blessed are they
that keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse
it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth
daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my door. He
that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation
from the Lord: But he that shall sin against me, shall hurt
his own soul. All that hate me love death. Wisdom hath built
herself a house, she hath hewn her out seven pillars. She
hath slain her victims, mingled her wine, and set forth her
table. She hath sent her maids to invite to the tower, and to
the walls of the city: Whosoever is a little one, let him
come to me. And to the unwise she said: Come, eat my bread,
and drink the wine which I have mingled for you. Forsake
childishness, and live, and walk by the ways of prudence. He
that teacheth a scorner, doth an injury to himself: and he
that rebuketh a wicked man, getteth himself a blot. Rebuke
not a scorner lest he hate thee. Rebuke a wise man, and he
will love thee. Give an occasion to a wise man, and wisdom
shall be added to him. Teach a just man, and he shall make
haste to receive it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is prudence. For by me
shall thy days be multiplied, and years of life shall be
added to thee. If thou be wise, thou shalt be so to thyself:
and if a scorner, thou alone shalt bear the evil.
While Mary contemplated all she had come to know through
reading, listening and observing, she grew in faith,
increased in merits, and was more illuminated by wisdom and
more consumed by the fire of charity. The heavenly mysteries
were opened to her, and she was filled with joy; she became
fruitful by the Spirit, was being directed toward God, and
watched over protectively while on earth.
So remarkable are the divine graces that they elevate one
from the lowest depths to the highest summit, and transform
one to an greater holiness. How entirely blessed was the mind
of the Virgin which, through the indwelling and guidance of
the Spirit, was always and in every way open to the power of
the Word of God. She was not led by her own senses, nor by
her own will; thus she accomplished outwardly through her
body what wisdom from within gave to her faith.
It was fitting for divine Wisdom, which created itself a
home in the Church, to use the intervention of the most
blessed Mary in guarding the law, purifying the mind, giving
an example of humility and providing a spiritual
sacrifice.
Imitate her, O faithful soul. Enter into the deep
recesses of your heart so that you may be purified
spiritually and cleansed from your sins. God places more
value on good will in all we do than on the works
themselves.
Therefore, whether we give ourselves to God in the work
of contemplation or whether we serve the needs of our
neighbor by good works, we accomplish these things because
the love of Christ urges us on. The acceptable offering of
the spiritual purification is accomplished not in a man-made
temple but in the recesses of the heart where the Lord Jesus
freely enters.
Through you we drink from the wellsprings of salvation, O
Blessed Virgin MaryFrom the sacred wounds of Christ, O
Blessed Virgin Mary. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now and
will be for ever. Through you we drink from the wellsprings
of salvation, O Blessed Virgin Mary.
Rejoice, O sorrowful Mother; after your great sufferings,
you shine forth as Queen, enthroned beside your son.
But it behooves us to glory in the Cross of Jesus Christ
in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection: by whom we
are saved, and delivered. May God have mercy on us and bless
us: may He cause the light of his countenance to shine upon
us, and may He have mercy on us.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: because he hath
visited and wrought the redemption of his people: And hath
raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David
his servant: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our
fathers, and to remember his holy testament, The oath, which
he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may
serve him without fear, In holiness and justice before him,
all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of
the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to
prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his
people, unto the remission of their sins: Through the bowels
of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high
hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and
in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of
peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Father, as your Son was raised on the cross, his mother
Mary stood by him, sharing his sufferings. May your Church be
united with Christ in his suffering and death and so come to
share in his rising to new life, where he lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring
us to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
O God, Thou art my Protector, and Thy mercy meets me on
the way. O God, deliver me from my enemies, and save me from
those who attack me.
The Spirit spread his wings over the Virgin's womb. She
conceived and gave birth. And she became a virginal mother by
great mercy. She conceived and gave birth to a son without
pain, and there was a purpose for this. She did not ask for a
midwife to aid her, because God saw to her delivery. Like a
human being, she gave birth according to the will of God.
Manifestly she gave birth. With great power she acquired him.
With thanksgiving she loved him. With kindness she guarded
him. With grandeur she manifested him. Alleluia!
Through his cross, Christ our peace has reconciled us to
God.
I will extol thee, O God my king: and I will bless thy
name for ever; yea, for ever and ever. Every day will I bless
thee: and I will praise thy name for ever; yea, for ever and
ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of
his greatness there is no end. Generation and generation
shall praise thy works: and they shall declare thy power.
They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of thy
holiness: and shall tell thy wondrous works. And they shall
speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and shall declare
thy greatness. They shall publish the memory of the abundance
of thy sweetness: and shall rejoice in thy justice. The Lord
is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy. The
Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his
works. Let all thy works, O Lord, praise thee: and let thy
saints bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy
kingdom: and shall tell of thy power: To Make thy might known
to the sons of men: and the glory of the magnificence of thy
kingdom. Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages: and thy
dominion endureth throughout all generations.
His mother stood beside the cross.
The Lord is faithful in all his words: and holy in all
his works. The Lord lifteth up all that fall: and setteth up
all that are cast down. The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord:
and thou givest them meat in due season. Thou openest thy
hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature. The
Lord is just in all his ways: and holy in all his works. The
Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that
call upon him in truth. He will do the will of them that fear
him: and he will hear their prayer, and save them. The Lord
keepeth all them that love him; but all the wicked he will
destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let
all flesh bless his holy name for ever; yea, for ever and
ever.
In Christ we have redemption through his blood.
Great and wonderful are thy works, O Lord God Almighty;
just and true are thy ways, O King of ages. Who shall not
fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy name? For thou only art
holy: for all nations shall come, and shall adore in thy
sight, because thy judgments are manifest.
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect,
that they also may obtain the salvation, which is in Christ
Jesus, with heavenly glory. A faithful saying: for if we be
dead with him, we shall live also with him. If we suffer, we
shall also reign.
I was exceeding glad, that I found of thy children
walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the
Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as writing a new
commandment to thee, but that which we have had from the
beginning, that we love one another. And this is charity,
that we walk according to his commandment. For this is the
commandment, that, as you have heard from the beginning, you
should walk in the same: For many seducers are gone out into
the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh: this is a seducer and an antichrist. Look to
yourselves, that you lose not the things which you have
wrought: but that you may receive a full reward. Whosoever
revolteth, and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath
not God. He that continueth in the doctrine the same hath
both the Father and the Son. If any man come to you, and
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house nor
say to him, God speed you. For he that saith unto him, God
speed you, communicateth with his wicked works. Having more
things to write unto you, I would not by paper and ink: for I
hope that I shall be with you, and speak face to face: that
your joy may be full. The children of the sister Elect salute
thee.
The martyrdom of the Virgin is set forth both in the
prophecy of Simeon and in the actual story of our Lord's
passion. The holy man said of the infant Jesus: HE HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED AS A SIGN WHICH WILL BE CONTRADICTED. He went on
to say to Mary: AND YOUR OWN HEART WILL BE PIERCED BY A
SWORD.
Truly, O blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart.
For only by passing through you heart could the sword enter
the flesh of your Son. Indeed, after your Jesus--who belongs
to everyone, but is especially yours--gave up his life, the
cruel spear, which was not withheld from his lifeless body,
tore upon his side. Clearly it did not touch his soul and
could not harm him, but it did pierce your heart. For surely
his soul was no longer there, but yours could not be torn
away. Thus the violence of sorrow has cut through your heart,
and we rightly call you more than martyr, since the effect of
compassion in you has gone beyond the endurance of physical
suffering.
Or were those words: WOMAN, BEHOLD YOUR SON, not more
than a sword to you, truly piercing your heart, cutting
through to the division between soul and spirit? What an
exchange! John is given to you in place of Jesus, the servant
in place of the Lord, the Son of Zebedee replaces the Son of
God, a mere man replaces God himself. How could these words
not pierce your most loving heart, when the mere remembrance
of them breaks ours, hearts of stone and iron though they
are!
Do not be surprised, brothers, that Mary is said to be a
martyr in spirit. Let him be surprised who does not remember
the words of Paul, that one of the greatest crimes of the
Gentiles was that they were without love. That was far from
the heart of Mary; let it be far from her servants.
Perhaps someone will say: ";Had she not known before
that he would die?"; Undoubtedly. ";Did she not
expect him to rise again at once?"; Surely. ";And
still she grieved over her crucified Son?";
Intensely.
Who are you and what is the source of your wisdom that
you are more surprised at the compassion of Mary than at the
passion of Mary's Son? For if he could die in body, could she
not die with him in spirit? He dies in body through a love
greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a
love unlike any other since his.
The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the
beginningHe has taken her to live with him, his loved one
from the beginning. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and
will be for ever. The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from
the beginning.
When Jesus saw his mother standing beside the cross with
the disciple whom he loved, he said to her: Woman, behold
your son. Then he said to the disciple: Behold your
mother.
O Mary, I already know that thou art the most noble, the
most sublime, the most pure, the most beautiful, the most
benign, the most holy--in a word, the most amiable of all
creatures. O that all knew thee, my Lady, and loved thee as
thou does merit! But I am consoled when I remember that in
heaven and on earth there are so many happy souls who live
enamoured of thy goodness and beauty. Above all, I rejoice
that God himself loves thee alone more than he loves all men
and angels together. My most amiable Queen, I, a miserable
sinner, love thee also; but I love thee too little. I desire
a greater and more tender love towards thee; and this thou
must obtain for me, since to love thee is a great mark of
predestination, and a grace which God only grants to those
whom he will save.
I see also, my Mother, that I am indeed under great
obligations to thy Son. I see that he merits infinte love.
Thou, who desirest nothing else but to see him loved, hast to
obtain me this grace above all others; obtain me great love
for Jesus Christ. Thou obtainest all that thou willest from
God; ah, then, be graciously pleased to obtain me the grace
to be so united to the divine will that I may never more be
separated from it. I do not ask of thee earthly goods,
honors, or riches. I ask thee for that which thy heart
desires most for me. I wish to love my God. Is it possible
that thou refusest to second this my desire, which is so
pleasing to thee? Ah no, thou already helpest me; already
thou prayest for me. Pray, pray, and cease not to pray until
thou seest me safe in heaven, beyond the possibility of ever
more losing my Lord, and certain to love him forever,
together with thee, my dearest Mother.
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour. 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 shewed 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.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.
Father, as your Son was raised on the cross, his mother
Mary stood by him, sharing his sufferings. May your Church be
united with Christ in his suffering and death and so come to
share in his rising to new life, where he lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from evil and bring us
to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, Make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
To the souls of Your servants, O Christ, grant rest among
the saints, where there is no pain, no sorrow, no mourning,
but only life without end.
O Lord, Maker of nature, the world offers You the godly
martyrs as the first-fruits of nature. By their
supplications, through the Mother of God, preserve Your
Chruch and Your people in profound peace, O most Merciful
One.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always
before me. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil
before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and
mayst overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was
conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive
me. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and
hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. To
my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones
that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from
my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart
in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast
me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen
me with a perfect spirit. I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from
blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall
extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my
mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou hadst desired
sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings
thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou
wilt not despise. Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will
with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then
shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and
whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy
altar.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have
mercy on us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal,
have mercy on us.
Glory to Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy
on us.
It is truly right to bless you, O God-bearing One, as the
ever-blessed and immaculate Mother of our God. More honorable
than the cherubim and by far more glorious than the seraphim;
ever a virgin, you gave birth to God the Word, O true Mother
of God, we magnify you.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
I have sinned without number, forgive me, O Lord.
Hail, holy Queen of the Heavens. Hail, holy Queen of the
Angels. Hail, Root of Jesse. Hail, Gate of Heaven. By you the
Light has entered the world. Rejoice, glorious Virgin,
Beautiful among all women. Hail, radiant Splendor, Intercede
with Christ for us.
Holy Mary, my Queen and sovereign Lady, I give you
myself, trusting in your fidelity and your protection. I
surrender myself entirely to your motherly tenderness, my
body, my soul, all that I am, all that I possess, for the
whole of this day, for every moment of my life, and
especially at the hour of my death. I entrust to you once
more all my hopes, all my consolations, all my anxieties, all
my troubles, my life, my dying breath, so that by your
prayers and merits, I may have, in all I do, one only goal,
your good pleasure and the holy will of your Son.
Blessed are you, O Mary, for the world's salvation come
forth through you; now in glory, you rejoice for ever with
the Lord.
It is good to give praise to the Lord: and sing to thy
name, O most High. To shew forth thy mercy in the morning,
and thy truth in the night: Upon an instrument of ten
strings, upon the psaltery: with a canticle upon the harp.
For thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in thy doings: and
in the works of thy hands I shall rejoice. O Lord, how great
are thy works! thy thoughts are exceeding deep. The senseless
man shall not know: nor will the fool understand these
things. When the wicked shall spring up as grass: and all the
workers of iniquity shall appear: That they may perish for
ever and ever: but thou, O Lord, art most high for evermore.
For behold thy enemies, O Lord, for behold thy enemies shall
perish: and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
But my horn shall be exalted like that of the unicorn: and my
old age in plentiful mercy. My eye also hath looked down upon
my enemies: and my ear shall hear of the downfall of the
malignant that rise up against me. The just shall flourish
like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of
Libanus. They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall
flourish in the courts of the house of our God. They shall
still increase in a fruitful old age: and shall be well
treated, that they may shew, That the Lord our God is
righteous, and there is no iniquity in him.
The Virgin Mary is exalted above the choirs of angels;
let all believers rejoice and bless the Lord.
For I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will
gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring
you into your own land. And I will pour upon you clean water,
and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I
will cleanse you from all your idols. And I will give you a
new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take
away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a
heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in the midst of you:
and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep
my judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land
which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and
I will be your God.
The Lord has made you so glorious that your praise will
never cease to resound among men.
O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole
earth! For thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast
perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst
destroy the enemy and the avenger. For I will behold thy
heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars
which thou hast founded. What is man that thou art mindful of
him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou hast made
him a little less than the angels, thou hast crowned him with
glory and honour: and hast set him over the works of thy
hands. Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all
sheep and oxen: moreover the beasts also of the fields. The
birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass
through the paths of the sea. O Lord our Lord, how admirable
is thy name in all the earth!
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be
joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of
salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me,
as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned
with her jewels.
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.
And they all adored the Lord, and said to her: The Lord
hath blessed thee by his power, because by thee he hath
brought our enemies to nought. And Ozias the prince of the
people of Israel, said to her: Blessed art thou, O Daughter,
by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the
earth. Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth, who
hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince
of our enemies. Because he hath so magnified thy name this
day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men
who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for ever, for
that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of the distress
and tribulation of thy people, but hast prevented our ruin in
the presence of our God. And all the people said: So be it,
so be it.
Today the glorious, ever- virgin Mary ascends to heaven.
I urge you to rejoice, for, if I may so put it, she has been
raised up in an ineffable way to be with Christ who reigns
for ever. The Queen of the world is today taken from the
earth and from this present evil time. I say again: rejoice,
because she who is sure of her imperishable glory has reached
the palace of heaven. Exalt, I say, and rejoice, and let the
whole world rejoice, because this day Salvation has drawn
nearer for as all... ";Hail, Mary, full of grace; the
Lord is with you; blessed are you among women."; It was
fitting that the Virgin should be given such gifts and be
full of grace, since she has bestowed glory on heaven and has
brought God and peace to the earth, faith to pagans, an end
to vice, order to life, and discipline to morals. And it was
right that an angel be sent to the Virgin, because virginity
always means kingship with the angels... ";Rejoice,";
the angel says, ";for you are full of grace."; Yes,
full! for while a share of grace was given to others, the
undiminished fullness of grace was poured into Mary.
The Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven. For all eternity
she shares the victory of Christ. The Virgin Mary was taken
up to heavenGlory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be
for ever. The Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven.
This daughter of Jerusalem is lovely and beautiful as she
ascends to heaven like the rising sun at daybreak.
Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds
rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a
Savior. Lord, Thou hast blessed Thy land: Thou hast turned
away the captivity of Jacob.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath
visited and wrought the redemption of his people: And hath
raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David
his servant: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning: Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our
fathers, and to remember his holy testament, The oath, which
he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may
serve him without fear, in holiness and justice before him,
all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of
the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to
prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation to his
people, unto the remission of their sins: through the bowels
of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high
hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and
in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of
peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
All-powerful and ever-living God, you raised the sinless
Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul to the glory
of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to
share her glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring
us to everlasting life. Amen.
God, come to my assistanceLord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
The Lord is reigning, He is clothed with beauty. The Lord
is clothed with power, and has girded Himself. For He has so
firmly established the earth that it will not be overthrown.
Holiness becomes Thy house, O Lord, forever.
My Lady, my refuge, life and help, my armor and my boast,
my hope and my strength, grant that I may enjoy the
ineffable, inconceivable gifts of your Son, your God and our
God, in the heavenly kingdom. For I know surely that you have
power to do as you will, since you are Mother of the Most
High. Therefore, Lady Most Pure, I beg you that I may not be
disappointed in my expectations but may obtain them, O spouse
of God, who bore him who is the expectation of all: Our Lord
Jesus Christ, true God and Master of all things, visible and
invisible, to whom belongs all glory, honor, and respect, now
and always and through endless ages. Amen.
Mary has been taken up to heaven; the angels rejoice.
They bless the Lord and sing his praises.
I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall
go into the house of the Lord. Our feet were standing in thy
courts, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem, which is built as a city,
which is compact together. For thither did the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord: the testimony of Israel, to praise
the name of the Lord. Because their seats have sat in
judgment, seats upon the house of David. Pray ye for the
things that are for the peace of Jerusalem: and abundance for
them that love thee. Let peace be in thy strength: and
abundance in thy towers. For the sake of my brethren, and of
my neighbors, I spoke peace of thee. Because of the house of
the Lord our God, I have sought good things for thee.
Through Eve the gates of heaven were closed to all
mankind: through the Virgin Mother they were opened wide
again.
Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord: Lord hear
my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my
supplication. If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord,
who shall stand it. For with thee is merciful forgiveness:
and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My
soul hath relied on his word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in
the Lord. Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him
plentiful redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his
iniquities.
The Virgin Mary has been exalted above all the heavens;
come, let all men glorify Christ the King, whose kingdom will
endure for ever.
For let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery
to be equal with God: But emptied himself, taking the form of
a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in the
habit found as a man. He humbled himself, becoming obedient
unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause
God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is
above all names: That in the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the
earth: and that every tongue should confess that the Lord
Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.
Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and
by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all
have sinned. For until the law sin was in the world; but sin
was not imputed, when the law was not. But death reigned from
Adam unto Moses, even over them also who have not sinned
after the similitude of the transgression of Adam, who is a
figure of him who was to come. But not as the offence, so
also the gift. For if by the offence of one, many died; much
more the grace of God, and the gift, by the grace of one man,
Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by
one sin, so also is the gift. For judgment indeed was by one
unto condemnation; but grace is of many offenses, unto
justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned
through one; much more they who receive abundance of grace,
and of the gift, and of justice, shall reign in life through
one, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the offence of one, unto
all men to condemnation; so also by the justice of one, unto
all men to justification of life. For as by the disobedience
of one man, many were made sinners; so also by the obedience
of one, many shall be just. Now the law entered in, that sin
might abound. And where sin abounded, grace did more abound.
That as sin hath reigned to death; so also grace might reign
by justice unto life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Truly, yes truly, and again I shall say in thanksgiving:
even though you have left us, you have not deserted the
Christian race. You who are like incorruptible life have not
abandoned our mortal world, but on the contrary you draw near
to those who call upon your name. You are found by those who
faithfully seek you. And these visions indicate a living and
continually active spirit and an everlasting body. For how
could dissolution of the body return you to dust and ashes,
you who delivered the human race from the destruction of
death through the incarnation of your Son?
Indeed you left our earth to prove that the mystery of
the awe- inspiring incarnation was really fulfilled. The fact
that you waited for the natural end of human life would
convince the world that the God who was born of you came into
being also as perfect man, the Son of a true Mother, who was
subject to the laws and constraints of nature, by divine
decree and the requirement of an earthly lifetime. As one who
possessed a human body you could not escape death, the common
fate of humanity.
Thus even your Son, though God of all things, even he,
through sharing, so to speak, the mortality of all our race,
TASTED a similar bodily DEATH. It was clearly in the same way
as he made his own life- giving tomb that he made your
sepulcher wonderful also, as the tomb of your falling asleep,
a tomb which received life; therefore both tombs really
received your bodies, but could in no way affect them with
corruption. For nor could you, as the vessel which contained
God, waste away to dust in the destruction of death.
For since he who humbled himself in you was God from
beginning and eternal life, so the Mother of Life was to
share the dwelling of Life, to accept her death like a sleep
and consent to her translation like a waking, as the Mother
of Life. For just as a child seeks and longs for its own
mother, and the mother loves to spend her time with her
child, so it was right that you, with your maternal love for
your Son and God, should return to him. And it was right too
that God, preserving a Son's love for you, should make his
companionship with you into a perpetual association.
In this way, then, you suffered the death of finite
beings and the translation to the immortal way of life of
eternal beings where God dwells; and because you are his
companion, Mother of God, you do not abandon your life with
him.
The august Mother of God was mysteriously united from all
eternity with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of
predestination, immaculate in her conception, a virgin
inviolate in her divine motherhood, the whole hearted
companion of the divine Redeemer who won complete victory
over sin and its consequences.
Thus, she gained at last the supreme crown of her
privileges--to be preserved immune from the corruption of the
tomb, and like her Son, when death had been conquered, to be
carried up body and soul to the exalted glory of heaven,
there to sit in splendor at the right hand of her Son, the
immortal King of the ages.
The Virgin Mary is exalted above the choirs of
angelsBlessed is the Lord who has raised her up. Above the
choirs of the angels. Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. The Virgin Mary is exalted above the
choirs of angels.
As Mary is taken up to heaven, the angels of God
rejoiceThey worship the Lord and sing his praises. The angels
of God rejoice. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to
the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will
be for ever. As Mary is taken up to heaven, the angels of God
rejoice.
Today the Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven; rejoice,
for she reigns with Christ for ever.
O my most holy Mother. I see the graces which thou hast
obtained for me; and I see the ingratitude of which I have
been guilty towards thee. An ungreatful soul is no longer
worthy of favors; but I will not on this account distrust thy
mercy, which is greater than my ingratitude. O my great
advocate, pity me. Thou dispensest all the graces which God
grants to us miserable creatures, and for this purpose he has
made thee so powerful, so rich, and so benign. He hath done
so, that thou mightest succor us in our miseries. Ah, Mother
of mercy, leave me not in my poverty. Thou art the advocate
of the most miserable and guilty criminals who have recourse
to thee; defend me also, who recommend myself to thee. Say
not that my cause is too difficult to be gained; for all
causes, however desperate, when defended by thee are gained.
In thy hands, then, do I place my eternal salvation; to thee
do I intrust my soul: it was lost; thou, then, by thy
intercession hast to save it. I wish to be inscribed amongst
thy most devoted servants; reject me not. Thou seekest the
miserable to relieve them; abandon me not, who am a wretched
sinner, and who have recourse to thee. Speak for me; thy Son
does all that thou askest him. Take me under thy protection;
that is all that I ask. Yes; for if thou protectest me, I
fear nothing. I do not fear my sins; for thou wilt obtain me
a remedy for the evil they have done me. I do not fear the
devils; for thou art more powerful than all hell. I do not
even fear Jesus my Judge himself; for by a single prayer of
thine he is appeased. I only fear that by my negligence I may
cease to recommend myself to thee, and thus be lost. It is
true that these graces are too great for me, who have not
deserved them; but they are not too great for thee, who art
so much loved by God. Hence he grants thee all that thou
askest. Thou hast only to speak, and he denies thee nothing.
Pray, then, to Jesus for me; tell him that thou protectest
me; and then he is sure to pity me. My Mother, in thee too I
do trust; in this hope I shall live in peace, and in it I
wish to die.
Live Jesus our love, and Mary our hope!
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour. 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 shewed 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.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for
ever. Amen.
Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.
All-powerful and ever-living God, you raised the sinless
Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul to the glory
of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to
share her glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Eternal and incarnate Wisdom, most lovable and adorable
Jesus, true God and true man, only Son of the eternal Father
and of Mary always Virgin, I adore you profoundly, dwelling
in the splendor of our Father from all eternity and in the
virginal womb of Mary, your most worthy Mother, at the time
of your Incarnation.
I thank you for having emptied yourself in assuming the
condition of a slave to set me free from the cruel slavery of
the evil one.
I praise and glorify you for having willingly chosen to
obey Mary, your holy Mother, in all things, so that through
her I may be your faithful slave of love.
But I must confess that I have not kept the vows and
promises which I made to you so solemnly at my baptism. I
have not fulfilled my obligations, and I do not deserve to be
called or child or even your slave.
Since I cannot lay claim to anything except what merits
your rejection and displeasure, I dare no longer approach the
holiness of your majesty on my own. That is why I turn to the
intercession and the mercy of your holy Mother, whom you
yourself have given me to mediate with you. Through her I
hope to obtain from you contrition and pardon for my sins,
and that Wisdom whom I desire to dwell in me always.
I turn to you, then, Mary immaculate, living tabernacle
of God, in whom Eternal Wisdom willed to receive the
adoration of both men and angels.
I greet you as Queen of heaven and earth, for all that is
under God has been made subject to your sovereignty.
I call upon you, the unfailing refuge of sinners,
confident in your mercy that has never forsaken anyone.
Grant my desire for divine Wisdom and, in support of my
petition, accept the promises and the offering of myself
which I now make, conscious of my unworthiness.
I, an unfaithful sinner, renew and ratify today through
you my baptismal promises. I renounce forever Satan, his
empty promises, and his evil designs, and I give myself
completely to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Wisdom, to carry my
cross after him for the rest of my life, and to be more
faithful to him than I have been till now.
This day, with the whole court of heaven as witness, I
choose you, Mary, as my Mother and Queen. I surrender and
consecrate myself to you, body and soul, as your slave, with
all that I possess, both spiritual and material, even
including the value of all my good actions, past, present and
to come. I give you the full right to dispose of me and all
that belongs to me, without any reservations, in whatever way
you please, for the greater glory of God in time and
throughout eternity.
Accept, gracious Virgin, this little offering of my
slavery to honor and imitate the obedience which Eternal
Wisdom willing chose to have towards you, his Mother. I wish
to acknowledge the authority which both of you have over this
little worm and pitiful sinner. By it I wish also to thank
God for the privileges bestowed on you by the Blessed
Trinity. I declare that for the future I will try to honor
and obey you in all things as your true slave of love.
O admirable Mother, present me to your dear Son as his
slave now and for always, so that he who redeemed me thorough
you, will now receive me through you.
Mother of mercy, grant me the favor of obtaining the true
Wisdom of God, and so make me one of those whom you love,
teach and guide, whom you nourish and protect as your
children and slaves.
Virgin most faithful, make me in everything so committed
a disciple, imitator, and slave of Jesus, your Son, incarnate
Wisdom, that I may become, through your intercession and
example, fully mature with the fullness which Jesus possessed
on earth, and with the fullness of his glory in heaven.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring
us to everlasting life. Amen.
The Catechism of the Immaculate Heart--
";And what are we to say of the THREE CHILDREN FROM
FATIMA who suddenly, on the eve of the outbreak of the
October Revolution, heard: 'Russia will convert' and 'In the
end, my Heart will triumph'...? They could not have invented
those predictions[...]Perhaps this is also why the Pope was
called from 'a faraway country'[...]it would be simplistic to
say that Divine Providence caused the fall of
communism[...]JASNA GORA BECAME PART OF THE HISTORY OF MY
HOMELAND IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, AS A SORT OF ";BE
NOT AFRAID!"; SPOKEN BY CHRIST THROUGH THE LIPS OF HIS
MOTHER[...]I could see....that there was a certain continuity
among La Salette, Lourdes, and Fatima--and, in the distant
past, our Polish Jasna Gora[...]At first, I did not pay
attention to the fact that the assassination attempt had
occurred on the exact anniversary of the day Mary appeared to
the three children at Fatima in Portugal and spoke to them
the words that now, at the end of this century, seem to be
close to their fulfillment."; --Pope John Paul II,
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD OF HOPE
398: St. John Chrysostom was appointed Patriarch of
Constantinople. He revised the Byzantine Liturgy which today
bears his name. He is called by both East and West a
";Father"; or ";Doctor"; of the Church, which
means his writings are considered to have value for all
time.
590: St. Gregory the Great--Doctor of the Church--was
unanimously elected Pope. He revised the Liturgy of Rome,
making tremendous contributions which persist to this day. It
was his Liturgy which was codified 1000 years later under
Pope St. Pius V--commonly referred to today as the
";Tridentine"; Liturgy.
662: St. Maximos the Confessor--currently celebrated in
the East as one the greatest spiritual writers of all
time--had his tongue plucked out for defending the teaching
that Christ had a human will as well as a Divine one. This
teaching was formally upheld shortly later by the third
council of Constantinople.
885: St. Cyril and St. Methodius, themselves from the
East, evangelized the Slavic nations, in full harmony with
the Christian traditions of both the East and West--promoting
a spirit of unity amid cultural diversity.
988: Prince St. Volodymyr upon his conversion inspired a
multitude of conversions among his people, Baptizing the
Ukraine, adopting the liturgy of the East. Wife of St.
Volodymyr brought from Byzantium images of the Blessed
Virgin, among them, what is today known as ";Our Lady of
Czestochowa,"; in which Mary is depicted as holding the
Divine Child in her left, and pointing to her heart with her
right.
1037: Son and successor of St. Volodymyr, Yaroslav the
wise, consecrated the Ukraine to the Blessed Virgin, the
first nation to be so consecrated.
1054: A split occurred between the Churches of the East
and of the West, essentially between Rome and Constantinople.
1382: Through and amid political turmoil, the image of
Our Lady of Czestochowa made its way to Poland--where, after
receiving a scar during an invasion of Prince St. Ladislaus'
castle, the image was placed by the Prince in the Church of
the Assumption in Jasna Gora for protection.
1517: Protestant reformers started a process resulting in
further splinterings and divisions in Christianity. Going
against this current was the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which
expressly affirmed its union with Rome in the same century,
shortly after the Council of Trent (1596).
1623: Ukrainian Archbishop St. Josaphat--appointed
1617--was martyred for the unity of Eastern and Western
Churches.
1656: Through a series of miracles associated with the
image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Jan Casimir, King of
Poland, was inspired to consecrate the nation (which had
adopted the liturgy of Rome) to the Blessed Virgin--just as
Yaroslav had consecrated the Ukraine. The Pope was to ratify
this consecration by officially acknowledging the title of
Mary as, ";Queen of Poland,"; allowing it to be
included in her litany.
1675: There was a ";private revelation"; of Jesus
to St. Margaret Mary of France, asking for special devotion
to his Sacred Humanity and his sufferings, symbolized by His
pierced Heart. In suit with this universal call to devotion
to the Sacred Heart, St. Margaret also relayed a personal
message to the King of France to consecrate the nation to the
Sacred Heart (1689)--a request neither he nor his successors
heeded.
1789: Monarchy in France was usurped and the King was
beheaded--marking a new political trend. About the same time
and through kindred forces, the splinters of the reformation
began to synthesize with atheism, working to undermine and
even infiltrate the Catholic Church, albeit in new forms.
1910: These syntheses were battled by Pontiffs over the
next century--heroically and most successfully by Pope St.
Pius X. Pope St. Pius X instituted an oath for clerics
against these errors ";being daily spread among the
faithful."; At about the same time, he also provided a
new crown for the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, replacing
the one given her by the Pope in 1717 and stolen in 1909.
1917: There was a ";private revelation"; of the
Blessed Virgin at Fatima to three children, requesting that
the Pope collegially consecrate Russia to her Immaculate
Heart with all the Bishops of the world, and promoting
devotion to Mary's Immaculate Heart along side of devotion to
Jesus' Sacred Heart. In the wake of this revelation and in
the absence of said consecration, Christianity was intensely
persecuted by the Soviet regime. Eastern Catholicism in the
Ukraine, however, remained faithful to Rome, despite its
actually being declared by Moscow ";non- existent";
and essentially outlawed in 1946.
1962: Pope John XXIII called a second Vatican council to
renew the Church and seek full unity with the East. He made
an agreement with Moscow to remain silent about evils of
communism, in order to secure the presence of Russian
Orthodox Church at the council. John XXIII did not, however,
survive to complete the council he convoked or collegially
consecrate Russia.
1965: Paul VI completed the council which was continued
with the extended aim of unity among all Christians. He
lifted the oath of Pope St. Pius X. He mutually lifted, with
the Patriarch of Constantinople, the mutual sentences of
excommunications made in 1054 between the Patriarch of
Constantinople and delegates of Rome. However, he also
promoted the non-Orthodox devotions of the rosary and the
scapular (devotions promoted as well by the Fatima
revelation). He also revised the calendar of feast days and
promulgated a new liturgy. Paul VI considered Vatican II the
";great catechism of modern times.";
1979: Pope John Paul II, Pole and first Slavic Pope in
history, consecrated the entire Church to Our Lady of
Czestochowa--shortly after his election in 1978. He was to be
the first Pope since the Council to formally affirm that
Moscow's ";abolition"; of the Ukrainian Catholic
Church was invalid (1980). He was shot on the anniversary of
the revelation at Fatima (in '81), and attributes his
survival to the Blessed Virgin. Breaking John XXIII's
agreement, he was also the first voice from the Vatican since
the Council to condemn communism itself---which he did
forcefully and systematically (1984).
1985: An extraordinary synod of Bishops called for a new
universal catechism, following the lead of an American
Cardinal. In the same year John Paul II, in an encyclical
celebrating the 11th centenary of the evangelization of the
Slavs, called St. Cyril and St. Methodius the precursors to
ecumenism and Vatican II.
1987: In an encyclical explaining devotion to Mary, John
Paul II promoted personal consecration to the Blessed Virgin
as taught by the French ";missionary"; of France--St.
Louis Marie de Montfort--and announced a ";Marian
year";: 1987-88 (coinciding with the 1000th anniversary
of the Baptism of the Ukraine).
1992: The Catechism was collegially completed and
approved by committee on Feb 14 (the new Latin feast day of
St. Cyril and St. Methodius--chosen to commemorate the death
of the younger brother, St. Cyril, the first to be ";born
to heaven";). By the necessity to circulate its many
drafts in a common language, the first edition was in French.
John Paul II waited to promulgate the new Catechism until Oct
11--the 30th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II--on
what would have been the feast of the Motherhood of
Mary--what was such at the opening of the Council. The second
Vatican Council was closed on the feast of the Immaculate
Conception.
1994: After much difficulty and corrections of
mistranslation in the first draft produced in America, an
English translation is approved by the Vatican. The editor of
the Catechism, Christoph Shonborn, calls it the ";secret
catechism of the Sacred Heart"; by virtue of its internal
organization and pivotal thematic reference to the human
heart. Although it does not refer to Pope St. Pius X, the new
Catechism affirms the content of his oath. The new Catechism
also explicitly refers to the Sacred Heart--and associates
the sufferings of Christ with the heart of Mary.
";The desire for God is written in the human heart,
because man is created by God and for God."; (27)
";'God, who through the Word creates all things and keeps
them in existence, gives men an enduring witness to Himself
in created realities. Planning to make known the way of
heavenly salvation, He went further and from the start
manifested Himself to our first parents.' [Vat II]"; (54)
";This revelation was not broken off by our first parents
sin."; (55) ";The covenant with Noah after the flood
gives expression to the principle of divine economy towards
the 'nations.'"; (56) ";This state of division into
many nations...is intended to limit the pride of fallen
humanity. [cf. Acts 17:26-27]"; (57)
";In order to gather together scattered humanity God
calls Abram from his country, his kindred, and his father's
house, and makes him Abraham, that is, 'the father of a
multitude of nations.' [Gen 17:5]"; (59) ";He
established with [Israel] the covenant of Mount Sinai and,
through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize
him and serve him as the one living and true God."; [Vat
II] (62) ";Through the prophets, God forms his people in
the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and
everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their
hearts. [cf. Isa 2:2-4; Jer 31:31-34; Heb 10:16]"; (64)
";Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one,
perfect, and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said
everything; there will be no other word than this one. [cf.
Heb 1:1-2]"; (65) ";'Christ the Lord, in whom the
full revelation of the supreme God is brought to completion,
commissioned the apostles to preach to all men that gospel
which is the source of all saving truth and moral teaching,
and thus to impart to them divine gifts. This gospel had been
promised in former times through the prophets, and Christ
Himself fulfilled it and promulgated it with his own lips.'
[Vat II; cf. Mt 28:19- 20; Mk 16:15]"; (75)
";Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God
speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he
expresses himself completely."; (102) ";'[The] Old
and the New Testament in their entirety, with all their parts
[were] written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit [and]
have God as their author and have been handed on as such to
the Church herself.' [Vat II; cf. Jn 20:31; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet
1:19-21; 3:15-16]"; (105) ";'In composing the sacred
books, God [employed authors so that they] consigned to
writing everything and only those things which He wanted.'
[Vat II]"; (106) ";'[Since] everything asserted by
the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be
asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of
Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching firmly,
faithfully, and without error that truth which God wanted put
into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation.' [Vat
II]"; (107) ";'The phrase ";heart of Christ";
can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart.'
[Aquinas]"; (112) ";'But I would not believe in the
Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already
moved me.' [St. Augustine]"; (119) ";The Old
Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its
books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value, for
the Old Covenant has never been revoked."; (121)
";'But above all it's the Gospels that occupy my mind
when I'm at prayer.' [St. Therese of Lisieux]"; (127)
";God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he
inspired its human authors."; (136)
";It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to
God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be
futile and false to place such faith in a creature. [cf. Jer
17:5-6; Ps 40:5; 146:3-4]"; (150) ";'If...faith is to
be shown, the grace of God and the interior help of the Holy
Spirit must precede and assist, moving the heart and turning
it to God.' [Vat II]"; (153) ";[In believing we]
'yield by faith the full submission of...intellect and will
to God who reveals.' [Vat I]"; (154) ";'Believing is
an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by
command of the will moved by God through grace.'
[Aquinas]"; (155) ";[God] 'can neither deceive nor be
deceived.' So 'that the submission of our faith might...be in
accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of
his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the
Holy Spirit.' Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints,
prophecies, the Church's growth and holiness, and her
fruitfulness and stability 'are the most certain signs of
divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all'; they
are 'motives of credibility'...which show that the assent of
faith is 'by no means a blind impulse of the mind.' [Vat
I]"; (156) ";'Since the same God who reveals
mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason
on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth
ever contradict truth.' [Vat I]"; (159)
";Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent
him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that
salvation. 'Since ";without faith it is impossible to
please [God]"; and to attain to the fellowship of his
sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained
justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life ";but
he who endures to the end.";' [Vat I; cf. Mt 10:22;
24:13; Mk 16:16; Jn 3:36; 6:40; Heb 11:6; Council of
Trent]"; (161) ";'Indeed, the Church, though
scattered throughout the whole world...having received the
faith from the apostles...believes as if having but one soul
and a single heart.' [St. Irenaeus]"; (173) ";'For
though languages differ throughout the world, the content of
the Tradition is one and the same.' [St. Irenaeus]";
(174) ";Whoever says 'I believe' says 'I pledge myself to
what we believe.'"; (185) ";From the beginning, the
apostolic Church expressed and handed on her faith in brief
formulae for all. [cf. 1 Cor 15:3- 5]"; (186) ";THE
APOSTLE'S CREED is so called because it is rightly considered
to be a faithful summary of the apostle's faith. It is the
ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome. Its great
authority arises from this fact: it is 'the Creed of the
Roman Church, the See of Peter, the first of the apostles, to
which he brought the common faith.' [St. Ambrose]"; (194)
";Jesus himself affirms that God is 'the one Lord' whom
you must love 'with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.' [Mk 12:29-30]"; (202)
";God revealed himself progressively and under different
names to his people, but the revelation that proved to be the
fundamental one for both the Old and the New Covenants was
the revelation of the divine name to Moses in the theophany
of the burning bush, on the threshold of the Exodus and of
the covenant on Sinai."; (204) ";'When you have
lifted up the Son of man, then you will realize that ";I
Am.";' [Jn 8:28]"; (211) ";The revelation of the
ineffable name 'I Am who Am' contains...the truth that God
alone IS...All creatures receive all that they are and have
from him."; (213) ";God, who alone made heaven and
earth, can alone impart true knowledge of every created thing
in relation to himself. [cf. Ps 115:15; Wis 7:17- 21]";
(216)
";Human intelligence is surely already capable of
finding a response to the question of origins. The existence
of God the Creator can be known with certainty through his
works, by the light of human reason, even if this knowledge
is often obscured and disfigured by error. [cf. Rom 1:19-20;
Vat I] This is why faith comes to confirm and enlighten
reason in the correct understanding of this truth: 'By faith
we understand that the world was created by the word of God,
so that what is seen was made out of things which do not
appear.' [Heb 11:3]"; (286) ";Beyond the natural
knowledge that every man can have of the Creator, God
progressively revealed to Israel the mystery of
creation."; (287) ";Thus the revelation of creation
is inseparable from the revelation and forging of the
covenant of the one God with his people....And so, the truth
of creation is also expressed with growing vigor in the
message of the prophets, the prayer of the psalms and the
liturgy, and in the wisdom sayings of the Chosen People. [cf.
Gen 15:5; Jer 33:19-26...Isa 44:24; Ps 104; Prov
8:22-31]"; (288) ";[God] 'made all things by himself,
that is by his Word and by his Wisdom,' 'by the Son and the
Spirit' who, so to speak, are 'his hands.' Creation is the
common work of the Holy Trinity. [St. Irenaeus]"; (292)
";Since God could create everything out of nothing, he
can also, through the Holy Spirit, give spiritual life to
sinners by creating a pure heart in them. [cf. Ps
51:12]"; (298)
";The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal
beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls 'angels' is a
truth of faith."; (328) ";With their whole beings the
angels are SERVANTS and messengers of God. Because they
'always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven...' [Mt
18:10] Christ is at the center of the angelic world. [cf. Mt
25:31]"; (331) Angels have been present since creation
and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this
salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of
the divine plan. [cf. Gen 3:24; 19; 21:17; 22:11; Ex
23:20-23; Judg 13; 6:11-24; 1 Kings 19:5; Job 38:7; Isa 6:6;
Acts 7:53]"; (332) ";In her liturgy, the Church joins
with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God...in the
'Cherubic Hymn' of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the
memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St.
Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels)."; (335)
";'May you be praised, O Lord, in all your creatures...'
[St. Francis of Assisi]"; (344) ";Creation was
fashioned with a view to the sabbath and therefore for the
worship and adoration of God..."; (347) ";The sabbath
is at the heart of Israel's law."; (348) ";But for us
a new day has dawned: the day of Christ's Resurrection...The
eighth day begins the new creation...the splendor of which
surpasses that of the first creation. [cf. Roman
Missal]"; (349)
";'The first Adam was made by the last Adam.' [St.
Chrysologous]"; (359) ";The human body shares in the
dignity of 'the image of God.' [1 Cor 6:19-20;
15:44-45]"; (364) ";[Spirit] and matter, in man, are
not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single
nature. [cf. Council of Vienne]"; (365) ";The
spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the HEART,
in the biblical sense of the depths of one's being, where the
person decides for or against God."; (368) ";Behind
the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive
voice...'The devil and the other demons were indeed created
naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own
doing...' [Lateran Council IV] (391) ";radically and
irrevocably [rejecting] God and his reign. [cf. 2 Pet 2:4;
St. John Damascene]"; (392) ";'The reason the Son of
God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.' [1 Jn
3:8]"; (394) ";The HAIL MARY reaches its high point
in the words, 'blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.' The
Eastern prayer of the heart, the JESUS PRAYER, says: 'Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'";
(435) ";'The human nature of God's Son, NOT BY ITSELF BUT
BY ITS UNION WITH THE WORD, knew and showed forth in itself
everything that pertains to God.' [St. Maximos]"; (473)
";By its union to the divine wisdom in the person of the
Word incarnate, Christ enjoyed in his human knowledge the
fullness of understanding of the eternal plans he had come to
reveal. [cf. Mk 13:32; Acts 1:7]"; (474) ";Jesus knew
and loved us each and all during his life, his agony, and his
Passion and gave himself up for each one of us [Gal
2:20]...He has loved us all with a human heart. For this
reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and
for our salvation [cf. Jn 19:34], 'is quite rightly
considered the chief sign and symbol of that...love with
which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal
Father and all human beings.' [Pius XII]"; (478)
";Christ, being true God and true man, has a human
intellect and will, perfectly attuned and subject to his
divine intellect and divine will, which he has in common with
he Father and the Holy Spirit. [cf. Council of Nicaea,
Ephesus, Chalcedon, Constantinople II & III]"; (482)
";The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of
God 'the All- Holy' (Panagia)."; (493) ";'Being
obedient [Mary] became the cause of salvation for herself and
for the whole human race...The knot of Eve's disobedience was
untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through
her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.' [St.
Irenaeus]"; (494) ";The spousal character of the
human vocation in relation to God is fulfilled perfectly in
Mary's virginal motherhood [cf. 2 Cor 11:2]"; (505)
";...THE SIGN OF HER FAITH 'unadulterated by any doubt,'
and of her undivided gift of herself to God's will. [Vat II;
cf. 1 Cor 7:34-35] It is her faith that enables her to become
the mother of the Savior: 'Mary is more blessed because she
embraces faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh
of Christ.' [St. Augustine]"; (506) ";No one, whether
shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by
kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring him
hidden in the weakness of a new-born child."; (563)
";'Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by
which we may get to heaven.' [St. Rose of Lima; cf. Mt 16:24;
1 Pet 2:21; Col 1:24]"; (618) ";Christ's Resurrection
cannot be interpreted as something outside the physical
order, and it is impossible not to acknowledge it as an
historical fact. [cf. Lk 22:31-32]"; (643) ";The
Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the
world every time the claim is made to realize within history
that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history
through the eschatalogical judgment. [cf.
Denzinger-Schonmetzer; Pius XI]"; (676) ";Mary, the
all-holy ever- virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the
mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time.
For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his
Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the DWELLING PLACE
where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men.";
(721) ";It was fitting that the mother of him in whom
'the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily' [Col 2:9] should
herself be 'full of grace.' She was, by sheer grace,
conceived without sin. [cf. Pius IX]"; (722) ";Mary
became...the new Eve...the mother of the 'whole Christ.' [cf.
Jn 19:25-27; Ephesus] As such, she was present with the
Twelve, who 'with one accord devoted themselves to prayers.'
[Acts 1:14]"; (726) ";As Eve was formed from the
sleeping Adam's side, so the Church was born from the pierced
heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross. [cf. St.
Ambrose]"; (766) ";Mary goes before us all in the
holiness that is the Church's mystery as 'the bride without
spot or wrinkle.' [Eph 5:27] This is why the 'Marian'
dimension of the Church precedes the 'Petrine.' [JP II]";
(773)
";One becomes a MEMBER of [the Church] not by a
physical birth, but by...faith in Christ and Baptism. [Vat
II; Jn 3:3-5]"; (782) ";[What] 'is as priestly as to
dedicate a pure conscience to the Lord and to offer the
spotless offerings of devotion on the altar of the heart?'
[St. Leo the Great]"; (786) ";'Our redeemer has shown
himself to be one person with the holy Church whom he has
taken to himself.' [Pope St. Gregory the Great]"; (795)
";The theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was
prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the
Baptist. [Jn 3:29; cf. Rev 22:17]"; (796) ";[The]
'Church herself, with her marvelous propagation, eminent
holiness, and inexhaustible fruitfulness in everything good,
her catholic unity and invincible stability, is a great and
perpetual motive of credibility and an irrefutable witness of
her divine mission.' [Vat I]"; (812) ";[The] unity of
the pilgrim Church is also assured by visible bonds of
communion: profession of one faith received from the
Apostles; common celebration of divine worship, especially of
the sacraments; apostolic succession through the sacrament of
Holy Orders, maintaining the fraternal concord of God's
family. [Vat II]"; (815) ";[The] sole Church of
Christ [is that] which our Savior...entrusted to Peter's
personal care....[and] which is governed by the successor of
Peter. [Vat II]"; (816) ";However...[all] who have
been justified by faith and in Baptism are incorporated into
Christ;"; (818) ";Christ's Spirit uses...Churches [in
the faith of Christ but separated from full communion with
the Catholic Church]...as means of salvation, whose power
derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has
entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come
from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to
'Catholic unity.' [Vat II]"; (819)
";[It is] the unfaithfulness of the members to
Christ's gift which causes divisions."; (821) ";[In
the Catholic Church] 'the fullness of the means of salvation'
[Vat II] has been deposited."; (824) ";'If the Church
was a body composed of different members, it couldn't lack
the noblest of all; IT MUST HAVE A HEART, AND A HEART BURNING
WITH LOVE.' [St. Therese of Lisieux]"; (826) ";[If
Christians] move away from [the Church's life], they fall
into sins and disorders that prevent the radiation of her
sanctity.' [Paul VI]"; (827) ";[The faithful] 'turn
their eyes to Mary': in her, the Church is already the
'all-holy.'"; [Vat II; cf. Eph 5:26-27]"; (829)
";Particular Churches are fully catholic through their
communion with one of them, the Church of Rome 'which
presides in charity.' [St. Ignatius of Antioch]...Indeed
'from the incarnate Word's descent to us, all Christian
churches everywhere have held and hold the great Church that
is here [at Rome] to be their only basis and foundation
since, according to the Savior's promise, the gates of hell
have never prevailed against her.' [St. Maximos]"; (834)
";The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover
its unity and salvation. The Church is 'the world
reconciled.' She is that bark which 'in the full sail of the
Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates
safely in this world.' According to another image dear to the
Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone
saves from the flood. [cf. St. Augustine; St. Ambrose]";
(845)
";'The sole Church of Christ which in the Creed we
profess to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic...subsists
in the Catholic Church.' [Vat II]"; (870) ";Entirely
dependent on Christ who gives mission and authority,
ministers are truly 'slaves of Christ,' in the image of him
who freely took 'the form of a slave' for us. [cf. Rom 1:1;
Phil 2:7]"; (876) ";When Christ instituted the
Twelve, 'he constituted [them] in the form of a college or
permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter,
chosen from among them.' [Vat II; cf. Lk 6:13; Jn
21:15-17]"; (880) ";The Lord made Simon alone, whom
he named Peter, the 'rock' of his Church. He have him the
keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole
flock. [cf. Mt 16:18-19]"; (881) ";The Pope enjoys,
by divine institution, 'supreme, full, immediate, and
universal authority over the care of souls.' [Vat II]";
(937) ";'If one member suffers, all suffer together; if
one member is honored, all rejoice together.' [1 Cor
12:26-27]"; (953) ";'Thus the Blessed
Virgin...loyally persevered...suffering grievously with her
only- begotten Son. There she united herself with a maternal
heart to His sacrifice, and lovingly consented to the
immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought
forth.' [Vat II]"; (964) ";Finally the Immaculate
Virgin...was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and
exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she
might be the more fully conformed to her Son.' [Pius XII; cf.
Vat II; Byzantine Liturgy]"; (966) ";'The Church's
devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian
worship...' [Paul VI] The liturgical feasts dedicated to the
Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an
'epitome of the whole Gospel,' express this devotion to the
Virgin Mary. [Vat II]"; (971)
";'We believe in the true resurrection of this flesh
that we now possess.' [Council of Lyons II]"; (1017)
";Scripture speaks of [heaven] in images: life, light,
peace, wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father's
house, the heavenly Jerusalem, paradise: 'no eye has seen,
nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has
prepared for those who love him.' [1 Cor 2:9]"; (1027)
";At the end of time...'the human race as well as the
entire world, which is intimately related to man and achieves
its purpose through him, will be perfectly re-established in
Christ.' [Vat II; cf. Acts 3:21; Eph 1:10; Col 1:20; 2 Pet
3:10-13]"; (1042) ";The visible universe, then, is
itself destined to be transformed, 'so that the world itself,
restored to its original state, facing no further obstacles,
should be at the service of the just,' [St. Irenaeus] sharing
their glorification in the risen Jesus Christ."; (1047)
";'God is preparing a new dwelling place and a new earth
where justice will abide, and whose blessedness will answer
and surpass the longings for peace which spring up in the
human heart.' [Vat II]"; (1048) ";Then the just will
reign with Christ for ever, glorified in body and soul, and
the material universe will itself be transformed. God will
then be 'all in all' (1 Cor 15:28), in eternal life.";
(1060)
";[The] contemplation of sacred icons, united with
meditation on the Word of God and the singing of liturgical
hymns, enters into the harmony of the signs of celebration so
that the mystery celebrated is imprinted in the heart's
memory and then expressed in the new life of the
faithful."; (1162) ";The day of Christ's Resurrection
is both the first day of the week, the memorial of the first
day of creation, and the 'eighth day'...the 'day that knows
no evening.' [Byzantine liturgy]"; (1166) ";[In a]
church, a 'house of prayer [in which] the most Holy Eucharist
is celebrated and preserved' [Vat II]...the truth and the
harmony of the signs that make it up should show Christ to be
present and active in this place."; (1181) ";The
tabernacle is to be situated 'in churches in a most worthy
place with the greatest honor.' [Paul VI] The dignity,
placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should
foster adoration before the Lord really present in the
Blessed Sacrament of the altar. [Vat II]"; (1183)
";The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the
Eucharist are ONE SINGLE SACRIFICE. [Trent]"; (1367)
";The Church which is the body of Christ participates in
the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered
whole and entire."; (1368) ";Since he has the
ministry of Peter in the Church, the POPE is associated with
every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as
the sign and servant of the unity of the universal
Church."; (1369) ";'It is not man that causes the
things offered to become the Body and blood of Christ, but he
who was crucified for us, Christ himself. The priest, in the
role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and
grace are God's. This is my body, he says. This word
transforms the things offered.' [St. John Chrysostom]";
(1375) ";'Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was
truly his body that he was offering under the species of
bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of
God...that by the consecration of the bread and wine there
takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into
the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole
substance of the wine into the substance of his blood.'
[Trent; cf. Mt 26:26; Mk 14:22; Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24]";
(1376)
";The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the
moment of the consecration and endures as long as the
Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and
entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of
their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread
does not divide Christ."; [cf. Trent] (1377) ";[The]
tabernacle should be located in an especially worthy place in
the church and should be constructed in such a way that it
emphasizes and manifests the truth of the real presence of
Christ in the Blessed Sacrament."; (1379) ";'The
Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic
worship...Let our adoration never cease.' [JP II]";
(1380) ";The Eastern Churches that are not in full
communion with the Catholic Church...yet 'possess true
sacraments, above all--by apostolic succession--the
priesthood and the Eucharist.' [Vat II]"; (1399)
";Ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and
separated from the Catholic Church, 'especially because of
the lack of the sacrament of orders...have not preserved the
genuine and total reality of the Eucharistic mystery.' [Vat
II] It is for this reason that Eucharistic intercommunion
with these communities is not possible for the Catholic
Church."; (1400) ";As sacrifice, the Eucharist is
also offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the
dead."; (1414) ";Anyone who desires to receive Christ
in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace.";
(1415) ";Interior repentance is a radical reorientation
of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our
heart. [cf. Roman Catechism]"; (1431) ";God must give
man a new heart. [cf. Ezek 36:26-27]"; (1432)
";'Individual, integral confession and absolution remain
the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile
themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral
impossibility excuses from this kind of confession...' [ORDO
PAENITENTIAE] [Christ] personally addresses every sinner: 'My
son, your sins are forgiven.' [Mk 2:5]"; (1484)
";";Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has
made of the Church 'a kingdom, priests for his God and
Father.' [Rev 1:6; cf. Rev 5:9- 10; 1 Pet 2:5,9]"; (1546)
";[The] ministerial priesthood is at the service of the
common priesthood."; (1547) ";'The Lord said clearly
that concern for his flock was proof of love for him.' [St.
John Chrysostom]"; (1551) ";The college of bishops,
with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the
college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality
until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be
bound this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason
the ordination of women is not possible."; (1577)
";Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and
woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a
vision of 'the wedding-feast of the Lamb.' [cf. Gen 1:26-27;
Rev 19:7,9]"; (1602) ";On the threshold of his public
life Jesus performs his first sign--at his mother's
request--during a wedding feast. [cf. Jn 2:1-11]"; (1613)
";The entire Christian life bears the mark of...spousal
love."; (1617) ";Esteem of virginity for the sake of
the kingdom and the Christian understanding of marriage are
inseparable, and they reinforce each other: 'Whoever
denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory of virginity.
Whoever praises it makes virginity more admirable and
resplendent.' [St. John Chrysostom]"; (1620) ";'My
heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.' [Ps
84:2]"; (1770) ";By faith 'man entrusts his whole
self freely to God...' [Vat II] [and living] faith 'work[s]
through charity.' [Rom 1:17; Gal 5:6]"; (1814)
";'Love is the fulfillment of all our works.' [St.
Augustine]"; (1829)
";Human society must primarily be considered
something pertaining to the spiritual.' [John XXIII]";
(1886) ";The 'choice of the political regime and the
appointment of rulers are left to the free decision of the
citizens' [Vat II]"; (1901); ";there 'is no authority
except from God, and those authorities that exist have been
instituted by God.' [Rom 13:1]"; (1918) ";The dignity
of the human person requires the pursuit of the common
good."; (1926) ";'I have willed that one should need
another and that all should be my ministers in distributing
the graces and gifts they have received from me.' [St.
Catherine of Siena] (1937) ";'[We] ought always to pray
and not lose heart.' [Lk 18:1]"; (2098) ";'Every
action done so as to cling to God in communion and holiness,
and thus achieve blessedness, is a true sacrifice.' [St.
Augustine]"; (2099) ";The right to religious liberty
can of itself be neither unlimited nor limited only by a
'public order' conceived in a positivist or naturalist
manner. [cf. Pius VI]"; (2109) ";Before Pilate,
Christ proclaims that he 'has come into the world, to bear
witness to the truth.' [Jn 18:37]"; (2471)
";MARTYRDOM is the supreme witness given to the truth of
the faith."; (2473) ";The Church has painstakingly
collected the records of those who persevered to the end in
witnessing to their faith. [cf. Martyrium Polycarpi]";
(2474) ";The 'pure in heart' are promised that they will
see God face to face and be like him. [cf. 1 Cor 13:12; 1 Jn
3:2]"; (2519) ";[In] naming the source of prayer,
Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but
most often of the heart (more than a thousand times).";
(2562) ";Prayer is bound up with human history, for it is
the relationship with God in human events."; (2568)
";Prayer is lived in the first place beginning with the
realities of creation [cf. Gen 4:4,26; 5:24]...Noah's
offering is pleasing to God, who blesses him and though him
all creation [Gen 6:9; 8:20-9:17][...]In his indefectible
covenant with every living creature [Gen 9:8-16], God has
always called people to prayer. But it is above all beginning
with our father Abraham that prayer is revealed in the Old
Testament."; (2569)
";[God] calls Moses to be his messenger, an associate
in his compassion..."; (2575) "; 'entrusted with all
my house.' [Num 12:7]"; (2576) ";[After their
apostasy] Moses 'stands in the breach' before God in order to
save the people. [Ex 32-34] (2577) ";In their 'one to
one' encounters with God, the prophets draw light and
strength for their mission. Their prayer is not flight from
this unfaithful world, but rather attentiveness to The Word
of God. At times their prayer is an argument or a complaint,
but it is always an intercession that awaits and prepares for
the intervention of the Savior God, the Lord of history. [cf.
Am 7:2,5; Isa 6:5,8,11; Jer 1:6; 15:15-18; 20:7-18]";
(2584) ";From the time of David to the coming of the
Messiah texts appearing in [the] sacred books show a
deepening in prayer for oneself in prayer for others. [Erza
9:6-15; Neh 1:4-11; Jon 2:3-10; Tob 3:11-16; Jdt
9:2-14]"; (2585) ";The words of the Psalmist, sung
for God, both express and acclaim Lord's saving works; the
same Spirit inspires both God's work and man's response.
Christ will unite the two."; (2587) ";The Psalter's
many forms of prayer take shape both in the liturgy of the
temple and in the human heart."; (2588) ";Prayed and
fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and
permanent element in the prayer of the Church.";
(2597)
";The Son of God who became Son of the Virgin learned
to pray in his human heart. He learns to pray from his
mother, who kept all the great things the Almighty had done
and treasured them in her heart. [cf. Lk 1:49; 2:19; 2:51] He
learns to pray in the words and rhythms of the prayer of his
people...But his prayer springs from an otherwise secret
source, as he intimates at the age of twelve: 'I must be in
my Father's house.' [Lk 2:49]"; (2599) ";Once
committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in
FAITH."; (2609) ";It is at the hour of the New
Covenant, at the foot of the cross, that Mary is heard as the
Woman...the true 'Mother of all the living.'"; (2618)
";The prayers of the Virgin Mary, in her Fiat and
Magnificat, are characterized by the generous offering of her
whole being in faith."; (2622) ";Because God blesses
the human heart, it can return and bless him who is the
source of every blessing."; (2645) ";'O that TODAY
you would hearken to his voice! Harden not your hearts.' [Ps
95:7-8]"; (2659) ";Prayer in the events of each day
and each moment is one of the secrets of the kingdom revealed
to 'little children.'"; (2660) ";The prayer of the
Church venerates and honors the HEART OF JESUS just as it
invokes his holy name."; (2669) ";Mary...'shows the
way'...and is herself 'the Sign' of the way, according to the
traditional iconography of East and West."; (2674)
";The most appropriate places for prayer are personal or
family oratories, monasteries, places of pilgrimage, and
above all the church, which is the proper place for
liturgical prayer for the parish community and the privileged
place for Eucharistic adoration."; (2696) ";Prayer is
the life of the new heart..."; (2697) [and] ";is
internalized to the extent that we become aware of him 'to
whom we speak.' [St. Teresa of Avila]"; (2704)
";Contemplative prayer is a COVENANT relationship
established by God within our hearts."; (2713)
";Since the heart of the Son seeks only what pleases
the Father, how could the prayer of the children of adoption
be centered on the gifts rather than the Giver?"; (2740)
";Praying to our Father should develop in us two
fundamental dispositions...THE DESIRE TO BECOME LIKE
HIM...[St. John Chrysostom] (2784) [and] A HUMBLE AND
TRUSTING HEART that enables us 'to turn and become like
children' [Mt 18:3]: for it is to 'little children' that the
Father is revealed. [Mt 11:25]"; (2785) ";It is not
in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the
heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into
compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt
into intercession. [cf. Mt 18:23-35]"; (2843) ";'For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.' [Mt
6:21]"; (2848) ";By asking 'hallowed be thy name' we
enter into God's plan, the sanctification of his
name--revealed first to Moses and then in Jesus--by us and in
us, in every nation and in each man."; (2858)
Lord, have mercy on usChrist have mercy on us. Lord, have
mercy on usChrist, 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, etc
Holy Mother of God;
Holy Virgin of virgins;
Mother of Christ;
Mother of divine grace;
Mother most pure;
Mother most chaste;
Mother inviolate;
Mother undefiled;
Mother most amiable;
Mother most admirable;
Mother of good counsel;
Mother of our Creator;
Mother of our Saviour;
Virgin most prudent;
Virgin most venerable;
Virgin most renowned;
Virgin most powerful;
Virgin most merciful;
Virgin most faithful;
Mirror of justice;
Seat of wisdom;
Cause of our joy;
Spiritual vessel;
Vessel of honor;
Singular vessel of devotion;
Mystical rose;
Tower of David;
Tower of ivory;
House of gold;
Ark of the covenant;
Gate of heaven;
Morning star;
Health of the sick;
Refuge of sinners;
Comforter of the afflicted;
Help of Christians;
Queen of angels;
Queen of patriarchs;
Queen of prophets;
Queen of apostles;
Queen of martyrs;
Queen of confessors;
Queen of virgins;
Queen of all saints;
Queen conceived without original sin;
Queen assumed into heaven;
Queen of the most holy Rosary;
Queen of peace;
Queen of Poland
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare
us O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have
mercy on us.
Pray for us O holy Mother of GodThat we may be made
worthy of the promises of Christ.
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our
hearts; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was
made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and
cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection; through
the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
May the divine assistance remain always with us.
Amen.
And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the
mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
Lord, have mercy on usChrist, have mercy on us. Lord,
have mercy on usChrist, 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.
Heart of Jesus, Son the the Eternal Father have mercy on
us;
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Ghost in the womb of
the Virgin Mother;
Heart of Jesus, hypostatically united to the Word of
God;
Heart of Jesus, infinite in Majesty;
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God;
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most high;
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven;
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity;
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love;
Heart of Jesus, full of kindness and love;
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues;
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise;
Heart of Jesus, King and centre of all hearts;
Heart of Jesus, wherein are all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge;
Heart of Jesus, wherein abides the fulness of the
Godhead;
Heart of Jesus, in which the Father is well pleased;
Heart of Jesus, of whose fulness we have all
received;
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills;
Heart of Jesus, patient and abounding in mercy;
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all who call upon Thee;
Heart of Jesus, source of life and holiness;
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins;
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with insults;
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our sins;
Heart of Jesus, made obedient even unto death;
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance;
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation;
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection;
Heart of Jesus, our peace and our reconciliation;
Heart of Jesus, Victim for sinners;
Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust in Thee;
Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in Thee;
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare
us O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have
mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Make our hearts like
unto Thine.
O almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thy
dearly beloved Son, and upon the praise and satisfaction He
offers Thee on behalf of sinners, and being appeased, grant
pardon to those who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
SUNDAY - Morning
THURSDAY - Morning