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THE OF PRAYER Please can
you pray for Pauline Pace, Patricia Dobbyn, who are very sick. We
pray also for those with serious ailments especially Penny Thompson and Emily Light. May the
healing power of the Risen Lord be with these people and the comfort and peace of God Our Father, We
pray this prayer through Christ Our Lord, who lives and reigns in the unity
of The Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever, Amen. |
R.I.P.
Moira Parker 2007
Pat
Brady 29 July 2007
Peter
Dopheide 24 August 2007
May
Lindsay 16 September 2007
Special
Intentions
We pray for the Special Intentions of
We pray to Sacred Heart
O Sacred Heart of Jesus please hear our Prayers,
Petitions and Praises particularly
these
special intentions.
Have Mercy On Us.
Immaculate Heart Of Mary pray for us
6/ ENTHRONEMENT OF SACRED
HEART FOR FAMILIES
7/ LITANIES
8/ HYMNS
10/ PRAYERS
11/ MEDITATIONS
12/ BENEDICTION
14/ FUNERAL CEREMONY
Prayers of the Faithful for Weddings, Funerals
and other occasions - will be added soon.
Interesting article: “Why the Heart”
Click on+ http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/united-hearts/whytheheart.htm
An Act of Consecration to
the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Most
sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Thy feet, we renew the consecration of our
family to Thy Divine Heart. Be Thou our King forever! In Thee we have full and
entire confidence. May Thy spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our
words and our deeds. Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials,
and in our labours. Grant us to know Thee better, to
love Thee more, to serve Thee without faltering.
|
Lord, have mercy |
Lord, have mercy. |
An Act
of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
[For the First Friday of the Month]
ADORABLE Heart of Jesus,
glowing with love for us and Inflamed with zeal for our salvation: O Heart!
ever sensible of our misery and the wretchedness to which our sins have reduced
us, infinitely rich in mercy to heal the wounds of our souls, behold us humbly
prostrate before Thee to express the sorrow that fills our hearts for the
coldness and indifference with which we have so long requited the numberless
benefits that Thou hast conferred upon us. With a deep sense of the outrages
that have been heaped upon Thee by our sins and the sins of others, we come to
make a solemn reparation of honour to thy most sacred majesty. It was our sins
that overwhelmed Thy Heart with bitterness; it was the weight of our iniquities
that pressed down Thy face to the earth in the
But now, repenting and
sorrowful, we cast ourselves at Thy feet, and implore forgiveness. Adorable
Heart of Jesus, source of true contrition and ever merciful to the penitent
sinner, impart to our hearts the spirit of penance, and give to our eyes a
fountain of tears, that we may sincerely bewail our sins now and for the rest
of our days. Oh, would that we could blot them out, even with our blood! Pardon
them, O Lord, in Thy mercy, and pardon and convert to Thee all that have
committed irreverences and sacrileges against Thee in
the Sacrament of Thy Love, and thus give another proof that Thy mercy is above
all Thy works. Divine Jesus, with Thee there are mercy and plentiful
redemption: deliver us from our sins, accept the sincere desire we now
entertain, and our holy resolution, relying on the assistance of Thy grace,
henceforth to be faithful to Thee. And in order to repair the sins of ingratitude
by which we have grieved Thy most tender and loving Heart, we are resolved in
the future ever to love and honour Thee in the most adorable Sacrament of the
Altar, where Thou art ever present to hear and grant our petitions, and to be
the food and life of our souls. Be Thou, O compassionate Jesus! our Mediator
with Thy Heavenly Father, Whom we have so grievously offended; strengthen our
weakness, confirm these our resolutions of amendment, and as Thy Sacred Heart
is our refuge and our hope when we have sinned, so may It be the strength and
support of our repentance, that nothing in life or death may ever again
separate us from Thee. Amen.
Of
the many promises Our Lord Jesus Christ did reveal to Saint Margaret Mary in favour of souls devoted to His Sacred Heart the principal
ones are as follows:
1.
I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their
troubles.
4. I will be their refuge in life and
especially in death.
5. I will abundantly bless all their
undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the
source and Infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to
great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein
the image of My Sacred Heart shall be
exposed and venerated.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally
written in my Heart.
12. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful
love will grant to all those who
will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the
grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without
receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last
hour.
By St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
1) Lord Jesus,
let my heart never rest until it finds You,
who are its center, its love, and its happiness. By the wound in Your
heart pardon the sins that I have ommitted whether
out of malice or out of evil desires.
Place my weak heart in Your own divine Heart, continually under Your protection and
guidance, so that I may persevere in doing good and in fleeing evil until my last breath.
Amen.
2) A Prayer of Adoration
From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself
before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all
the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power. Amen.
3) Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and
offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my
entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honouring
and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee,
and to
do all for Thy love,
renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.
I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my
love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my
frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my
secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my
justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have
so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my
entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine
infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee.
Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be
separated from Thee. I beseech Thee, through Thine
infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I
place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy
devoted servants. Amen.
4)
A Salutation Prayer
Hail, Heart of Jesus,
save me!
Hail, Heart of my Creator, perfect me!
Hail, Heart of my Saviour, deliver me!
Hail, Heart of my Judge, grant me pardon!
Hail, Heart of my Father, govern me!
Hail, Heart of my Spouse, grant me love!
Hail, Heart of my Master, teach me!
Hail, Heart of my King, be my crown!
Hail, Heart of my Benefactor, enrich me!
Hail, Heart of my Shepherd, guard me!
Hail, Heart of my Friend, comfort me!
Hail, Heart of my Brother, stay with me!
Hail, Heart of the Child Jesus, draw me to Thyself!
Hail, Heart of Jesus dying on the Cross, redeem me!
Hail, Heart of Jesus in all Thy states, give Thyself to me!
Hail, Heart of incomparable goodness, have mercy on me!
Hail, Heart of splendor, shine within me!
Hail, most loving Heart, inflame me!
Hail, most merciful Heart, work within me!
Hail, most humble Heart, dwell within me!
Hail, most patient Heart, support me!
Hail, most faithful Heart, be my reward!
Hail, most admirable and most worthy Heart, bless me!
By
Saint Francis De Sales
May Thy Heart dwell always in our hearts!
May Thy Blood ever flow in the veins of our souls!
O sun of our hearts, Thou givest life to all things
by the rays of Thy goodness!
I will not go until Thy Heart has strengthened me, O Lord Jesus!
May the Heart of Jesus be the King of my heart!
Blessed be God. Amen.
By Saint Gertrude
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life,
Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary.
O my adorable and loving Savior, consume my heart with
the burning fire with which Yours is aflamed. Pour
down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love. Let my heart be united
with Yours. Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things. May Your Will be
the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen.
By Lanspergius, the Carthusian
Prayer to the Wounded Heart of Jesus
O my Most Loving and Gentle Jesus, I desire with all
the affections of my heart, that all beings created and uncreated, should
praise Thee, honour Thee and glorify Thee eternally for that sacred wound
wherewith Thy divine side was rent. I deposit, enclose, conceal in that wound
and in that opening in Thy Heart, my heart and all my feelings, thoughts,
desires, intentions and all the faculties of my soul. I entreat Thee, by the
precious Blood and Water that flowed from Thy Most Loving Heart, to take entire
possession of me, that Thou may guide me in all things. Consume me in the
burning fire of thy holy Love, so that I may be so absorbed and transformed
into Thee that I may no longer be but one with Thee. Amen.
(Quoted by St. John Eudes
in his book The Sacred Heart of Jesus. This prayer is taken from Lansperigius' "Rosary of the
Passion of Our
Lord," in his
work entitled
Pharetra divini amoris,
book 1, part 5)
By St. John Eudes
1) Prayer to be united with the Heart of
Jesus
O Heart all lovable and all loving of my Saviour, be Thou the Heart of my heart,
the soul of my soul, the spirit of my spirit, the life of my life and the sole
principle of all my thoughts, words and actions, of all the faculties of my
soul, and of all my senses, both interior and exterior. Amen.
(From
St. John Eudes' The Sacred Heart of Jesus, sixth
meditation for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, second point.)
2) Collect for the Feast of the Sacred Heart
O Father of mercies and God of all consolation, who by the exceeding love with
which Thou has loved us, have given us, with ineffable goodness, the Heart of
Thy Beloved Son, so that having but one heart with Him we may love Thee
perfectly; grant, we beseech Thee, that our hearts, being consumed in unity
with the Heart of Jesus and with one another, we may perform all our woks in
accord with His humility and charity and that by His Mediation the just desires
of our hearts may be accomplished, through the same Lord. Amen.
3)
A Prayer to the Sacred Heart after the recitation of the Divine Office
O Most Clement Jesus, I thank Thee with all my heart. Be propitious to me, a
most vile sinner. I offer this action to Thy Divine Heart to be emended and
perfected, to the praise and the glory of Thy Most Holy Name and of Thy Most
Blessed Mother, for the salvation of my soul and of the entirety of Thy Church.
Amen.
(taken
from the appendix of St. John Eudes book, the Sacred
Heart of Jesus)
Solemn
Act of Consecration to
the Sacred Heart
Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the human race,
look down upon us as we kneel before your altar.
We are yours and desire always to belong to you;
but to be more surely united with you, we freely consecrate ourselves today to
your most Sacred Heart.
Many indeed have never
known you; many
too, have despised your teaching and rejected you.
Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to your Sacred
Heart.
Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken you, but also
of the prodigal sons and daughters who have abandoned you;
grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house
lest they suffer the eternal sorrow of being separated from you.
Be King, O Lord, of those who are deceived by false teachings, or separated by
discord, and call them back to the community of truth and unity of faith, so
that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.
Grant to your Church, O Lord, assurance of freedom and immunity from harm;
give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound with one
acclamation:
Praise to the divine Heart that won our salvation;
to It be glory and honour for ever and ever. Amen.
1.O
my God, I am very sorry for having sinned against Thee, because Thou art so
good; help me by Thy grace not to sin again.
2.Opening Hymn Heart of Jesus, Heart of Jesus,
Burning
with love for me.
Inflame my heart, inflame my heart, With love, with love of Thee.
3.Novena
Prayer
O
Most Holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love
Thee, and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of
mine. Make me humble, patient and pure, and wholly obedient to Thy Will. Grant,
good Jesus, that I may live in Thee, and for Thee.
Protect
me in the midst of danger, comfort me in my afflictions, give health of body,
assistance in my temporal needs, Thy blessing on all that I do, and the grace
of a holy death.
4.Recite
a decade of the Rosary
5.Litany
of the Sacred Heart
6.Burning
of Petitions
Let
us ask the Sacred Heart for any favours we wish, and
also to bless us all and keep us together. (Sing a Hymn).
7.Petition Prayers
(a)
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I fly, I come to Thee, throwing myself into the arms
of Thy tender mercy. Thou art my sure refuge, my unfailing and only hope. Thou
has a remedy for all my evils, relief for all my miseries, reparation for all
my faults, Thou canst supply for what is wanting in me in order to obtain fully
the graces that I ask for myself and others. Thou art for me, and for us all,
the infallible, inexhaustible source of light, of strength, of perseverance,
peace and consolation. I am certain that my importunity will never weary Thee;
certain, too, that Thou wilt never cease to aid, to protect, to love me,
because Thy love for me, O Divine Heart, is infinite.
Have
mercy on me then, O Heart of Jesus, and on all that I recommend to Thee,
according to Thy own mercy, and do with us, for us, and in us, whatsoever Thou
will, for we abandon ourselves to Thee with the full, entire confidence and
conviction that Thou will never abandon us either in time or eternity. Amen.
(b)
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, we know that there is but one thing impossible to
Thee, to be without pity for those who are suffering or in distress. Look down,
we beseech Thee, on us, and grant us the grace which we humbly, and earnestly
implore Thee, through the Immaculate Heart of Thy sorrowful Mother to whom Thou
did confide us as her children, and whose prayers are all powerful with Thee.
Amen.
8.Consecration Prayer
O
most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of mankind, behold us prostrate most humbly before
Thy altar.
To
Thee we belong; Thine we wish to be; and, that we may
be united to Thee most closely, we dedicate ourselves each one of us today to
Thy most Sacred Heart. Many have never known Thee, many, despising Thy
commands, have rejected Thee. Have pity on them, most merciful Jesus, and draw
all men to Thy Sacred Heart. Rule, O Lord, not only over the faithful who never
have gone away from Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned
Thee, and make them return quickly to their Father's house, lest they perish of
misery and hunger. Rule over those who have been misled by errror,
or separated by schism, and call them back to the haven of truth and the unity
of faith, so that there may be soon be one fold and one Shepherd.
Lastly,
rule over all who are sunk in the old superstition of the Gentiles, and
vouchsafe to bring them out of darkness into the light and
(A
partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who piously recite this Act of
Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A plenary
indulgence is granted if it is recited publicly on the feast of Our Lord Jesus
Christ the King.)
9.Eternal
rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the
souls of the faithful departed through the Divine Mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
10.Closing
Hymn
Chaplet of the Sacred Heart
(On
the Crucifix)
O
Jesus give us Thy Heart as a pledge of Thy love and as a place of refuge that
we may find there a secure repose during our life and sweet comfort at the hour
of our death.
Our
Father
3 Hail Marys
The Apostles Creed
(On
the large beads of the Rosary - 5 Times)
Thee
I adore, praise and love O Sacred Heart of my dear Jesus penetrated with grief
at the thought of so many offences which have been hitherto committed against
Thee in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. I offer up to Thee in
satisfaction there of the amiable Heart of Thy most beloved Mother with the
merits of the saints. Amen.
(On
the small beads of the Rosary - 50 Times)
O
Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning with love of us, inflame our hearts with love of
Thee.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a devotion
that focuses attention on the physical Heart is the symbol of His redemptive
love. Although tradition often situates the beginning of the practice of the
devotion to the year 1000, it might be more accurate to place its birth during
the time of the great mystics [St. Anselm and St. Bernard] between 1050 and
1150. By the middle ages, because of a strong emphasis on the Passion of our
Lord, and because of the efforts of St. Bonaventure and St. Gertrude the Great,
the devotion became popularized as a means of worshipping the mystery of
Christ, living in the Church.
This devotion was promoted by great Saints, including
St. Albert the Great, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis de Sales, as well as
the great religious orders, such as the Benedictines, the Dominicans, and the Carthusians. However, it must be recorded that the Saint
who is most often associated with this devotion is St. Margaret Mary Alacoque [1647-1690]. After she received the Vision of the
Sacred Heart, which popularized the devotion, she was scorned by her mother
superior who thought her to be delusional. The Saint took ill. Mother superior
told
Her private revelations promoted the establishment of
a liturgical feast day and the practice of offering reparation for the outrages
committed against the Blessed Sacrament on the First Fridays and the Promises
of the Sacred Heart.
St. Alphonsus was heavily
influenced by
In modern times it was Pope Pius IX who, in 1856,
established the Feast of the Sacred Heart and encouraged the efforts of the
Apostleship of Prayer-------a
confraternity of faithful Catholics who encourage groups, families, and communities
to consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart.. In 1928 Pope Pius XI issued his
encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor
on reparation to the Sacred Heart. In 1956 Pope Pius XII published his encyclicalHaurietis aquas on
the nature of devotion to the Sacred Heart.
The
devotion is usually practiced in preparation for the Feast of the Sacred Heart
following the Second Sunday after Pentecost. It is also practiced in
conjunction with the monthly First Friday observance that is traditional in many
parishes.
ABOUT THE DEVOTION
The
devotion of all devotions is love for Jesus Christ. A devout author laments the
sight of so many persons who pay attention to various devotions, but neglect
devotion to the Sacred Heart. there are are many
preachers and confessors who say great things, but speak little of love for
Jesus Christ.
The
love of Jesus Christ ought to be the principal devotion of a Catholic. Lack of
devotion to the Sacred Heart is the reason for frequent relapses into serious
sin, because people pay scant attention, and are not sufficiently encouraged to
acquire the love of Jesus, which is the golden cord which unites and binds the
soul to God. . . The Father will love us in the same proportion as we love
Jesus Christ. . . We will never be formed in the image of the Lord, nor even
desire to be formed in His image, if we do not meditate upon the love which
Jesus Christ has shown us.
For
this purpose it is related in the life of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Visitation Order, that our Saviour
revealed to this servant His wish that the devotion and the Feast of His Sacred
Heart should be established and propagated in the Church. In this way, devout
believers would, by their adoration and prayer, make reparation for the
injuries His Heart constantly receives from ungrateful humanity when He is
exposed in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. It is also related that while
this devout nun was praying before the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus Christ showed
her His Heart surrounded by thorns, with a cross on the top, and in a throne of
flames.
"Behold
the Heart," she reports that Jesus spoke to her, "that has loved
humanity, and has spared nothing for them, even to consuming itself to give
them pledges of Its love, but which receives from the majority of people, no
other return but ingratitude, and insults toward the Sacrament of Love."
The
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is nothing more than an exercise of love
toward our loving Saviour. Therefore, the principal object of this devotion,
the spiritual object of this devotion, is the love with which the Heart of
Jesus is inflamed toward all. Let us now attempt to satisfy the devotion of
those who are enamored of Jesus Christ, and who desire to honor him in the Most
Holy Sacrament, by a novena of holy meditations and affections to His Sacred
Heart.
The
First Friday of the Month
It was the special
desire of our Lord Jesus Christ, revealed to Blessed Margaret Mary, that the
first Friday of each month be consecrated to the devotion to and adoration of
His most Sacred Heart. In order to better prepare for it, it would be well to
read, the evening before, some book treating of this devotion, or of the
Passion of Our Lord, and to make a short visit to the Blessed Sacrament. On the
day itself we should, on awaking, offer and consecrate ourselves, with all our
thoughts, words, and actions, to Jesus, that His Sacred Heart may be thereby
honored and glorified. We should visit some church as early as possible; and as
we kneel before Jesus, truly present in the tabernacle, let us endeavor to
awaken in our soul a deep sorrow at the thought of the innumerable offenses
continually heaped upon His most Sacred Heart in this Sacrament of His love;
and surely we cannot find this difficult if we have the least degree of love
for Jesus. Should we, however, find our love to be cold or lukewarm, let us
consider earnestly the many reasons we have for giving our hearts to Jesus.
After this we must acknowledge with sorrow the faults of which we have been
guilty through our want of respect in presence of the Blessed Sacrament, or
through our negligence in visiting and receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion.
The Communion of
this day should be offered by the adorers of the Sacred Heart with the
intention of making some satisfaction for all the ingratitude which Jesus
receives in the Most Holy Sacrament, and the same spirit should animate all our
actions during the day.
As the object of
this devotion is to inflame our hearts with an ardent love for Jesus, and to
repair thereby, as far as lies in our power, all the outrages which are daily
committed against the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, it is evident that
these exercises are not confined to any particular day. Jesus is equally
deserving of our love at all times; and as this most loving Saviour is daily
and hourly loaded with insults and cruelly treated by His creatures, it is but
just that we should strive each day to make an the reparation in our power.
Those, therefore, who are prevented from practicing this devotion on the first
Friday can do so on any other day during the month. In the same manner they may
offer the first Communion of each month for this intention, consecrating the
whole day to the honor and glory of the Sacred Heart, and performing in the
same spirit all the pious exercises they were unable to accomplish on the first
Friday.
Moreover, Our Lord
suggested another feature in this consoling devotion of the First Friday, by
the faithful practice of which he led Blessed Margaret Mary to expect the grace
of final perseverance, and that of receiving the Sacraments of the Church
before dying, in favor of those who should observe it. This was to make a
novena of Communions in honour of the Sacred Heart on the first Friday of the
month for nine successive months.
References that refer to Mary as “Thee” or “Thy”
are not assuming or placing her as Deity,
but
are OLD ENGLISH for a very esteemed person.
The Five First Saturdays
Mary's Great Promise
at Fatima -The Five First Saturdays are intended to honour and to make
reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for all the blasphemes and
ingratitude of men.This devotion and the wonderful
promises connected with it were revealed by the Blessed Virgin at Fatima, a
small village in Portugal. Our lady appeared to three children there in 1917,
and one of the little girls, Lucy, tells us that Our Lady said.
|
The observance of the First Saturday in honour of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary is intended to make reparation to it for the sins of mankind. This
devotion was revealed by the Blessed Virgin to three children, Francisco,
Jacinta and Lucia to whom she appeared at |
The following
First Saturday devotions are important
in honouring
the Immaculate
Heart of Mary:
(Click on 1-5)
1. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
2. Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament
3. Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
4. Act of Reparation
5. The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
6. The Sacrament of Reconciliation
This is the Great
Promise of the Heart of Mary that is alongside that of the Heart of Jesus.
To obtain the
promise of the Heart of Mary the following conditions are required:
I
promise to help at the hour of death, with the graces needed for salvation,
whoever on the First Saturday of five consecutive months shall:
(1) Confession made
within eight days and especially with the intention of making reparation for
the offenses made to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If one forgets in Confession
to make such an intention, he can formulate it in the following Confession,
taking advantage of the first opportunity available for Confession.
(2) Communion made in the grace of God with the same intention as for the
Confession.
(3) The Communion must be received on the First Saturday of the month.
(4) The Confession and the Communion must be repeated for five consecutive
months, without interruption, otherwise one must start all over again.
(5) Rosary recited with at least five decades, for the same intention as the
Confession.
(6) “Keeping me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen
mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.”
Act of Consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary (1)
Queen of the Most Holy
Rosary, and tender Mother of all people, I consecrate myself to you and to your
Immaculate Heart, and recommend to you my family, my country, and the whole
human race. Please accept my consecration, dearest Mother, and use me as you
wish, to accomplish your designs upon the world. O Immaculate Heart of
Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, rule over me, and teach me how to allow the
Heart of Jesus to rule and triumph in me and around me, as it has ruled and
triumphed in you. Amen.
Act of Consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary (2)
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Heaven
and Earth and tender Mother of children, men and women, in accordance with thy
ardent wish made known at
Reign over us, dearest Mother, that we may
be thine in prosperity and in adversity; in joy and
in sorrow; in health and in sickness; in life and in death. O most compassionate
Heart of Mary, Queen of Virgins, watch over our minds and our hearts and
preserve them from the deluge of impurity which thou didst lament so
sorrowfully at
Therefore, we now promise to imitate
thy virtues by the practice of a Christian life without regard to human
respect. We resolve to receive Holy Communion on the First Saturday of every
month and to offer thee five decades of the Rosary each day together with our
sacrifices in a spirit of reparation and penance. Amen
Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Most Holy Virgin, and our beloved Mother, we listen with
grief to the complaints of thy Immaculate Heart, surrounded with thorns which
ungrateful people place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and
ingratitude. Moved by the ardent desire of loving thee as our Mother and of
promoting true devotion to thy Immaculate Heart, we prostrate ourselves at thy
feet to prove the sorrow we feel for the grief that people cause thee and to
atone by means of our prayers and sacrifices for the offenses with which people
return thy tender love. Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins.
A word from thee will obtain grace and forgiveness for us all. Hasten O Lady,
the conversion of sinners, that they may love Jesus and cease to offend God,
already so much offended, and thus avoid eternal punishment. Turn thine eyes of mercy toward us so that henceforth we may
love God with all our hearts while on earth and enjoy Him forever in Heaven.
Amen.
Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Lord,
have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of
Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Heart of
Mary,
Pray for us.
Heart of Mary, after God’s own Heart,
Heart of Mary, in union with the Heart of Jesus,
Heart of Mary, the vessel of the Holy Spirit,
Heart of Mary, shrine of the Trinity,
Heart of Mary, home of the Word,
Heart of Mary, immaculate in your creation,
Heart of Mary, flooded with grace,
Heart of Mary, blessed of all hearts,
Heart of Mary, Throne of glory,
Heart of Mary, Abyss of humbleness,
Heart of Mary, Victim of love,
Heart of Mary, nailed to the cross,
Heart of Mary, comfort of the sad,
Heart of Mary, refuge of the sinner,
Heart of Mary, hope of the dying,
Heart of Mary, seat of mercy,
Lamb of God, who take
away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
L: Immaculate Mary, meek
and humble of heart.
A: Conform our hearts to the heart of Jesus.
Let us pray:
O most merciful God, who for the salvation of sinners and the refuge of the
wretched, has made the Immaculate Heart of Mary most like in tenderness and
pity to the Heart of Jesus, grant that we, who now commemorate her most sweet
and loving heart, may by the merits of her intercession, ever live in the
fellowship of the hearts of both Mother and Son, through the same Christ our
Lord. – Amen
|
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (abbreviated version) V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. V/
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy. V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. V/ Jesus, hear
us. R/ Jesus, graciously hear us. V/ God, the Father of Heaven, R/ have mercy on us. V/ God, the
Son, Redeemer of the world, R/
have mercy on us. V/ God, the Holy
Spirit, R/ have mercy on us. V/
Holy Trinity, One God, R/ have mercy on us. R/ for ff: pray for us. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of
the world, R/ spare us, O Lord, Lamb of God, who take away the sins of
the world, R/ graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of
the world. R/ have mercy on us. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R/ That we may be made worthy of the
promises of Christ. Let us pray. Grant, we beg you, O Lord God, that we
your servants, may enjoy lasting health of mind and body, and by the glorious
intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present
sorrow and enter into the joy of eternal happiness. Through Christ our Lord. R/
Amen |
Introduction
The Rosary is divided
into five decades. Each decade represents a mystery or event in the life of
Jesus. There are four sets of "Mysteries of the Rosary" (Joyful,
Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious). These four "Mysteries of the
Rosary" therefore contain, a total of twenty mysteries. The Joyful,
Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries are then said on specific days of
the week (see each set of mysteries below). During private recitation of
the Rosary, each decade requires devout meditation on a specific mystery. Public
recitation of the Rosary (two or more people), requires a leader to
announce each of the mysteries before the decade, and start each prayer (see
"The Family Rosary" below).The Apostle's Creed is said on the
Crucifix; the Our Father is said on each of the Large Beads; the Hail Mary is
said on each of the Small Beads; the Glory Be after the three Hail Mary's at
the beginning of the Rosary, and after each decade of Small Beads. In June 13,
1917, Our Lady asked that an additional prayer be added after each decade of
the Rosary (see prayers at the end of this document). It is a prayer of
forgiveness to Jesus and is said following the Glory Be after each decade only.
The Joyful Mysteries
(Said on Mondays,
Saturdays, Sundays of Advent, and Sundays from Epiphany until Lent)
First Joyful Mystery - The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary
I Desire the Love Of Humility Think of... The humility of the Blessed
Virgin when the Angel Gabriel greeted her with these words: "Hail full of
grace". Luke 1:26
Second Joyful Mystery
- The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
I Desire Charity Toward My Neighbor
Think of... Mary's charity in visiting her cousin Elizabeth and
remaining with her for three months before the birth of John the Baptist. Luke
1:39
Third Joyful Mystery -
The Birth of Jesus I Desire the Love of God Think of...
The poverty, so lovingly accepted by Mary when she placed the Infant Jesus, our
God and Redeemer, in a manger in the stable of
Fourth Joyful Mystery
- The Presentation of Jesus in the
Fifth Joyful Mystery -
Finding Jesus in the Temple I desire Zeal For The Glory Of God
Think of...The deep sorrow with which Mary sought the Child Jesus for three
days, and the joy with which she found Him in the midst of the Teachers of the
Temple. Luke 2:41
The Luminous Mysteries
(Said on Thursdays
throughout the year)
First Luminous Mystery - The Baptism of Jesus in the River
The Second Luminous
Mystery - The Wedding at Cana, Christ Manifested Jesus did this as the
beginning of his signs in Cana in
The Third Luminous
Mystery - the Proclamation of the
The Fourth Luminous
Mystery - The Transfiguration of Jesus And he was transfigured before them; his face
shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. Matthew 17:2
The Fifth Luminous
Mystery - The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist While they were eating, Jesus took
bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said,
"Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and
gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood
of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of
sins. Matthew 26:26
The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Said on Tuesdays,
Fridays, and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday)
First Sorrowful
Mystery - Agony of Jesus in the Garden I Desire True Repentance for My Sins Think of... Our Lord Jesus in the garden of
Gethsemane, suffering a bitter agony for our sins. Matthew 26:36
Second Sorrowful
Mystery - Jesus is Scourged at the Pillar I Desire a Spirit of Mortification
Think of...The cruel scourging at the pillar that our Lord suffered; the heavy
blows that tore His flesh. Matthew
27:26
Third Sorrowful
Mystery - Jesus is Crowned With Thorns I Desire Moral Courage.
Think of... The crown of sharp thorns that was forced upon our Lord's Head and
the patience with which He endured the pain for our sins. Matthew 27:27
Fourth Sorrowful
Mystery - Jesus Carries His Cross I
Desire the Virtue of Patience
Think of... The heavy Cross, so willingly carried by our Lord, and ask Him to
help you to carry your crosses without complaint. Matthew 27:32
Fifth Sorrowful
Mystery - The Crucifixion of Jesus I Desire the Grace of Final Perseverance
Think of... The love which filled Christ's Sacred Heart during His three hours'
agony on the Cross, and ask Him to be with you at the hour of death. Matthew
27:33
The Glorious Mysteries
(Said on Wednesdays, and
Sundays throughout the year)
First Glorious Mystery - The Resurrection of Jesus I Desire a Strong Faith Think
of...
Christ's glorious triumph when, on the third day after His death, He arose from
the tomb and for forty days appeared to His Blessed Mother and to His
disciples. John 20:1
Second Glorious
Mystery - The Ascension of Jesus I
Desire the Virtue of Hope Think of...
The Ascension of Jesus Christ, forty days after His glorious Resurrection, in
the presence of Mary and His disciples. Luke 24:36
Third Glorious Mystery
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost I Desire Zeal for the Glory of God
Think of... The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles, under
the form of tongues of fire, in fulfillment of Christ's promise. Acts 2:1
Fourth Glorious Mystery - The Assumption of Mary into Heaven I Desire the Grace
of a Holy Death Think of... The glorious Assumption of Mary into Heaven,
when she was united with her Divine Son.
Fifth Glorious Mystery
- The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
I Desire a Greater Love for the Blessed Virgin Mary Think of... The
glorious crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven by her Divine Son, to the great
joy of all the Saints.
Rosary Prayers
Prayer Before The Rosary
Queen of the Holy
Rosary, you have designed to come to Fatima and Medjugorje, to reveal to the
three shepherd children and six visionaries, the treasures of grace hidden in
the Rosary. Inspire my heart with a sincere love of this devotion, in order
that by meditating on the Mysteries of our Redemption which are recalled in it,
I may obtain peace for the world, the conversion of sinners, and the favour which I ask of you in this Rosary (Mention your
request). I ask it for the greater glory of God, for your own honour, and
for the good of souls, especially for my own. Amen.
The Our Father:
Our Father who art in
heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it
is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
The Hail Mary:
Hail Mary, full of
grace! the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the
fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and
at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory be to the Father:
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus Requested By Our Lady
O My Jesus, forgive us
our sins, save us from the fires of hell, take all souls to Heaven, and help
especially those most in need of Your mercy.
The Apostles' Creed:
I believe in God, the
Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son,
Our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended
into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He
shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the
Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Concluding Prayers Of The Rosary
Hail Holy Queen:
Hail! Holy Queen,
Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry, poor
banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping
in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of
mercy towards us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of
your 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.
O God, whose
only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us
the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating upon
these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may
imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Our Lady help of
Christians – pray for us
Our Lady of the Assumption
– pray for us
In the Name of The Father,
and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit, Amen.
|
IF YOU WISH TO ADD
PLACES OF WORSHIP WHERE DEVOTIONS TO THE SACRED HEART AND/or THE IMMACULATE
HEART ARE HELD throughout the world, PLEASE WRITE TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS
AND INCLUDE A CONTACT PHONE NUMBER. TO ENTER NAMES INTO THE When funds allow the website www.sacredprayers.com will be developed.
Donations would be most appreciated. If you would like to communicate please write to: SACRED PRAYERS, C/- |
by Most Rev. Paolo Carta, Bishop Emeritus of
When I spoke on the theme: "How I
saw Padre Pio during my seven years as Bishop of Foggia from 1955 to 1962," I presented Padre Pio's spirituality as "A man of God who
prays—absolves—suffers—offers."
Invited again by the Capuchin Friars,
custodians of the tomb which is the destination of pilgrims from all the
corners of the world, I am most happy to celebrate today and tomorrow the Mass
with you and for you, my very dear brethren, inviting you to meditate with me
on two other fundamental aspects of the spirituality of Padre Pio. Today Padre Pio and the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Tomorrow, God willing, Padre Pio
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART
First of all it will be well to remember
the deep significance of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
According to the admirable Encyclical of
Pius XII Haurietis aquas
in gaudio, the object of this devotion is the
physical heart symbol of the triple love of Jesus: divine spiritual love that
Jesus, as God, has in common with the Father and the Holy Spirit—spiritual
human love—human tangible love.
It is the devotion to the love of Jesus
for the Father and for us, and it is the devotion of love for Jesus as our
reply, because love is repaid with love. This devotion ends with the Person of
Jesus Himself, but considering his love, his interior life, his perfect human
life.
The Heart of Jesus is the centre of his
personality; it is the intimate source from which his thoughts originate, his
affection, his words, his works. It is the key of all the dogmas, it is the explanation
of all the mysteries, it is the profound sense of each word of the Gospel
because everything is illuminated and inflamed by charity. This is why Pius XI
wrote in his Encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor: "The Heart of Jesus is the compendium
of the whole Catholic religion."
It is not a devotion amongst others; it
is the soul of all devotions. It is not a sentimental devotion because it
obliges us to imitate the virtues of the Sacred Heart and especially to love
the Heavenly Father and the brethren up to the heroism of total immolation. It
is not a devotion foreign to actual social problems, because it aims at
establishing the social kingdom of the Heart of Christ which is the kingdom of
justice, love and peace.
Padre Pio knew
this thoroughly through his profound intellectual knowledge and the prodigious
personal experience he had of Christ's divinity and of his most sacred
humanity.
But he certainly did not ignore the place
occupied by Saint Francis in the story of the devotion to the Sacred Heart,
which was revealed by Jesus Himself to Saint Margaret Mary in the vision of 4
October 1673, feast of the Saint of Assisi. Here is what the Saint relates:
"Our Lord showed me this great Saint clothed in light and incomparable splendour and raised to very great glory, above all the
Saints, because during his life he was most devoted to the Passion: a devotion
that compelled Jesus, the divine and crucified Friend, to imprint Himself in
the Saint with the five wounds and make of him one of the greatest favourites of his Heart."
Padre Pio's
devotion to the Sacred Heart manifested itself in the mystical union, in a
faithful imitation, a loving reparation and confident prayer.
Padre Pio
achieved intimate union with the most Sacred Heart of Jesus above all through
intense faith which inspired his whole life, which enlightened all his
difficult road, which inspired all his prayers and that sustained his heroic
penances.
Moreover, he lived in union with the
Divine Heart really present in the Eucharist. How many hours of silent
adoration he passed up there in the gallery of this shrine, in his favourite place, the angle closest to the altar of the Most
High!
And how ecstatic was his expression when
he lovingly contemplated the holy Host as he raised it slowly on high to bless
not only the crowd present at the evening service, but the whole world! At that
moment he asked for rivers of grace to gush from the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus
to convert sinners, to relieve the suffering, to sanctify consecrated souls,
for the good of the whole church and the salvation of all men. I like to think
that at that very moment Padre Pio heard repeated
again the gentle and consoling words from the Sacred Heart: "Come to Me,
all of you who are tired and oppressed and I will restore you."
But his union with the Heart of Jesus was
much more intense during the celebration of
All this transported him to the highest
ascetical sphere, in a complete effusion of his heart into the Heart of Jesus.
But this effusion became a fusion
reaching the highest peaks of mysticism and penetrating the deepest mystery of
the meeting of the creature with the Creator. Padre Pio
himself revealed this sublime and inexpressible experience with words that I
have already recalled last year, but which I now repeat for your and my
admiration and edification. These are the exact terms of a letter he wrote on
12 April 1912: "When Mass was over I remained with Jesus in thanksgiving.
Oh, how sweet was the colloquy with paradise that morning! It was such that
although I want to tell you all about it, I cannot. There were things which
cannot be translated into human language without losing their deep and heavenly
meaning. The Heart of Jesus and my own—allow me to use the expression—were
fused. No longer were two hearts beating but only one. My own heart had
disappeared as a drop of water is lost in the ocean. Jesus was its paradise,
its king. My joy was so intense and deep that I could bear no more and tears of
happiness poured down my cheeks. When paradise is poured into a heart, this
afflicted, exiled, weak and mortal heart cannot bear it without weeping."
FAITHFUL IMITATION
a) Humility
Padre Pio's
humility shines in many episodes of his life.
Above all his perfect religious obedience
to the Superiors of his Order, and with his prompt and serene acceptance of all
the orders coming from Rome, even when they were difficult and put him to the
very hard test, even preventing him the free exercise of his priestly ministry
for a good two years to his profound sorrow and bitterness.
And how humility shines from his letters
to his spiritual Fathers to whom he opens his soul with the candour
of a child, asking and often in dramatic accents, for light and comfort
in those terrible interior trials and in the terrible diabolical assaults.
Most humble for all the extraordinary
gifts he received from our Lord, such as the phenomenon of ecstasy, bilocation, healing, scrutinizing of hearts he attributed
nothing to himself, but attributed everything to God and our Lady. And as for
the incomparable gift of the Stigmata, not only did it give him no human
complacency, but it was for him a source of "confusion" and he asked
for the grace of having those "exterior signs removed, even saying: 'I
have to answer for this terrible gift to our Lord'."
Those who well understand the human heart
with its tremendous instinct of pride and presumption when achieving grandiose
works must greatly admire Padre Pio who took no
credit for having built this stupendous shrine of Our Lady of Grace and the
providential Home for the Relief of Suffering.
I was sitting near him on that 5 May 1956
when the Home was solemnly inaugurated in the presence of Cardinal Lercaro and a group of high ranking personalities who had
come from various parts of the world. He was raised to the heights by chance
speeches, the object of universal and immense admiration, overwhelmed with
thunderous applause, held up to the veneration of all, honoured
by the presence and the word of a Cardinal, I saw him with bent head,
recollected, indifferent to so much applause and I said to myself: "And
this is Padre Pio, humble in the midst of so much
glory." And with sincere humility he began his speech: "The Home for
the Relief of Suffering is finished. I thank the benefactors from all parts of
the world who have co-operated. This is the creature that
"A
stage of the journey has been accomplished. Let us not stop along the road, let
us readily answer God's call for the good cause, each one of us fulfilling our
duties: I with the incessant prayer of a useless servant of our Lord Jesus
Christ and you with the ardent desire of clasping all suffering humanity to your
hearts to present it with me to the mercy of the Heavenly Father. Go ahead then
with humility of spirit and your hearts on high."
But perhaps the strongest temptation to
human complacency could derive from another significant fact: that of seeing on
their knees before him Confessors, Spiritual Fathers, illustrious personalities
from every walk of life, Religious, Priests, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals,
famous men from far regions and nations, all eager to receive absolution from
him, an enlightened word of consolation and hope. Before the so-called
"great ones of the world" he remained indifferent to their homage
because he was used to seeing in those who approached him only souls that had
to be purified, sanctified and saved.
b)
Gentleness
Exemplary, edifying and moving the
humility of Padre Pio. Less evident and less constant
could appear the other virtue for which the Heart of Jesus is the incomparable
model: meekness, gentleness.
This is because some people experienced harsh
and hard treatment from him and complained. But it is easy to defend Padre Pio by giving necessary information.
That Jesus who said: "Learn of Me
who am meek and humble of heart" and who was infinitely good, patient and
gentle with children, the sick and repentant sinners is the same Jesus who
angrily drove away the vendors in the temple, whom He called hypocrites, whited sepulchres, brood of
vipers the proud scribes and pharisees and who even
said to Peter: "Get behind me, Satan, for thou dost not mind the things of
God, but those of men."
Thus the goodness, meekness and
gentleness of Padre Pio is not denied by the fact
that he reacted strongly against those who approached him just out of
curiosity, or who went to confession without a sincere intention of leaving sin
aside, or who gave clear signs of fanaticism towards him and who were in need
of severe reproof.
Besides, even supposing that losing his
temper could appear as a sign of imperfection it is good to read the self
accusation he makes of this to his spiritual father who replies: "Don't be
upset about those outbursts, although you should never be satisfied with them.
If the Lord doesn't give you the grace of inexhaustible and continual
gentleness, it is in order to leave you a means to practice holy humility. As a
penance, every time you let yourself go, you must show yourself twice as gentle
immediately." The docile spiritual son committed himself to possess
completely the virtue of gentleness and informs his "very dear
Father," about his efforts in writing: "Lady Gentleness seems to be
making progress in me, but I myself am not satisfied on this point. However I
don't want to lose heart. I have made many promises, dear Father, to Jesus and
Mary. I want to acquire this virtue with their help and in return, as well as
keeping the other promises. I have also promised to make this the subject of
constant meditation and to suggest it continually to others also.
You see, then Father, that I am not
indifferent to the practice of this virtue. Help me by your own and other
people's prayers."
But on this subject I am happy to renew
my testimony today on the meekness and gentleness of Padre Pio's
innermost heart as I admired it every time I met him, and not only towards me
but even when I presented sinners to him, people far from the faith and even
outside the Catholic Church.
I will never forget his smile which was
so gentle, amiable, luminous and radiant! A reflection of Jesus' smile with a
heart overflowing with love for all humanity and mercy towards every prodigal
son.
And I conclude this second point of our
meditation saying that in imitating the Heart of Jesus, Padre Pio revealed a sign of the most profound humility when he
told the Superior of the friary who showed esteem for him: "My son, you
must know that I am the greatest sinner in the world," and he revealed the
secret of the gentleness of his heart when he wrote to his Spiritual Father:
"Jesus is gentleness and wants to spread it all in my heart."
LOVING
REPARATION
Mystical union—Faithful imitation
Loving reparation
Reparation is an essential element of
devotion to the Sacred Heart. The reason is obvious: because taking into
consideration the love of Jesus which is not appreciated and is insulted—this
devotion encourages fervent souls to undertake a generous reparation.
In the Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of
Jesus we read this prayer: "0 God, you mercifully deign to bestow on us
the infinite wealth of your love in the Heart of your Son wounded by our sins;
grant, we pray, that by our offering to it the home of our devotion, we may
also worthily fulfill our duty of reparation."
Most appropriate, therefore, was the idea
of the sculptor of the monumental Way of the Cross, to represent Padre Pio as the Cyrenean at the fourth
station. And there is a large biography of Padre Pio
entitled Everyone's Cyrenean.
As a matter of fact, Padre Pio turned his whole life into reparation for the
ingratitude of so many souls redeemed by the blood of Christ, for the
blasphemies and outrages for which his Heart lamented in the great apparition
to Saint Margaret Mary. He implored for mercy and pardon for all sinners and
for the salvation of all men.
Reparation through prayer, but above all
through moral and physical sufferings. Moral, because of the painful events in
his life, tormented with all kinds of painful tribulations. Physical, because
of illnesses, the exhausting work of hearing confessions and above all for the
martyrdom of the stigmata which lasted for a good fifty years. Fifty years with
Jesus, at Gethsemane and
The more these souls suffer without the
slightest consolation, the more the sufferings of our good Jesus are
alleviated. This is the whole reason why I desire to suffer more and more
without the slightest consolation. In this consists all my joy." It is
like
CONFIDENT INVOCATIONS
In a letter to one of his spiritual
daughters of high virtue, Padre Pio wrote: "Do
not ever lose heart when the tempest rages; place all your trust in the Heart
of the most gentle Jesus. Pray and I might add, devoutly pester the divine
Heart."
What he advised the souls he guided along
the paths of high spiritual ascents, he was the first to put into practice and
more than anyone else lived this intense devotion.
When the storms raged in his life which
was filled with crosses, and to those who recommended themselves to his
prayers, he placed all his hope and all his trust in the Most Sacred Heart of
Jesus.
The fervent animation and luminous
expression of this confidence was the devout daily recitation of a prayer
called the "Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus." Why
irresistible? Because founded on three solemn statements and promises of Jesus
in the Gospel. Promises that are unconditional when concerning graces of a
spiritual order; and that are conditional for graces of a temporal order if
they are in accord with the plans and the will of our Lord for our good in time
and in eternity.
Efficacious Novena To The Sacred Heart
Of Jesus
(This novena prayer was recited every day by Padre Pio
for all those who asked his prayers)
O my Jesus, You have said, ‘Truly I say to
you, ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be
opened to you.’ Behold, I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be to
the Father... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
II. O my Jesus, You have
said, ‘Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he
will give it to you.’ Behold, in Your name, I ask the Father for the grace
of...
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be to
the Father... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
III. O my Jesus, You have
said, ‘Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will
not pass away.’ Encouraged by Your infallible words, I now ask for the grace
of...
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be to
the Father... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is
impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us poor
sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of You, through the Sorrowful and
Immaculate heart of Mary, Your tender mother and ours.
Hail, Holy Queen... St. Joseph, foster
father of Jesus, pray for us
-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Prayer
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O Sacred
Heart of Jesus, filled
with infinite love,
broken by my ingratitude,
pierced by my sins,
yet loving me
still; accept the consecration that I
make
to You of all that I
am and all that I have.
Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw
me, day
by day, nearer and
nearer to
Your Sacred Heart,
and there, as I
can understand the
lesson,
teach me Your blessed
ways. Amen.
Preparation: It is good if all can
attend Mass that day and receive the Eucharist. If a priest won't be present
for the Enthronement Ceremony, an image of the Sacred Heart will have already
been blessed. The wall will have already been prepared for hanging the image
(if it's to be hung on the wall), flowers and such should adorn the table or
mantle under where the picture will be placed/hung, the frame for the
Certificate and the Certificate itself should be ready, refreshments will
already have been prepared, Sacred Scripture will be handy, any candles used
should be lit, etc. If a priest will be attending the ceremony, it is good to
have him bless your home.
All are
seated while the parent(s) explain what is about to happen. The priest or
parent(s) may begin with a short talk on the meaning and importance of the
Enthronement, and comment on various steps of the ritual.
|
V. Our help is in the Name
of the Lord. |
V. Adjutorium
nostrum in nomine Domini. |
|
R. Who made Heaven and
earth. |
R. Qui fecit coelum
et terram. |
|
V. The Lord be with you. |
V. Dominus
vobiscum. |
|
R. And with your spirit. |
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. |
|
Let us pray. Almighty and
everlasting God, who dost approve the painting and sculpturing of the images
of Thy Saints, so that as often as we gaze upon them we are reminded to
imitate their deeds and sanctity; vouchsafe, we implore Thee, to bless and
sanctify this image made in honour and in memory of the Most Sacred Heart of
Thy only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; and grant, that whosoever in
its presence, will suppliantly worship and honour the Most Sacred Heart of
Thy only begotten Son, may obtain through His merits and intercession grace
in this life and everlasting glory in the world to come. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen. |
Oremus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui sanctorum tuorum imagines pingi non reprobas, ut quoties illas oculis corporia intuemur, toties eorum actus et sanctitatern ad imitandum memoriae oculis meditemur, hanc quaesumus, imaginem in honorem et memoriam Sacratissimi
Cordis Unigeniti Filii tui Domini
Nostri J esu Christi adaptatam bene + dicere et sancti + ficare digneris; et praesta ut quicumque coram ilIa, Cor Sacratissimum Unigeniti FilIi tui suppliciter
colere et honorare studuerit, illius meritis et obtentu a te gratiam in praesenti, et
aeternam gloriam obtineat
in futurum. Per
Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen. |
Let us pray. Almighty and
everlasting God, who dost approve the painting and sculpturing of the images of
Thy Saints, so that as often as we gaze upon them we are reminded to imitate their
deeds and sanctity; vouchsafe, we implore Thee, to bless and sanctify this
image' made in honour and in memory of the Most Sacred Heart of Thy only
begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; and grant, that whosoever in its presence,
will suppliantly worship and honor the Most Sacred Heart of Thy only begotten
Son, may obtain through His merits and intercession grace in this life and
everlasting glory in the world to come. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The priest or parent(s) now
sprinkle the image with holy water. Then the father and mother or some other
member of the family, enthrones the image in the place of honour prepared for
it. This is the symbolic act of Enthronement. All stand.
|
I believe in God, the Father
almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, and in in
Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and
born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died and was buried. He descended into Hell. On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in
the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen. |
Credo in Deum
Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum, qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato,
crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, descendit ad inferos,
tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis, inde venturus est
iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam, sanctorum communionem,
remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam. Amen. |
All sit and remain seated while the
priest or natural father addresses a few words to those present, reminding the
members of the family of what the Sacred Heart expects from families which have
acknowledged Him as King; recalling the magnificent promises of the Sacred
Heart; urging the family to live its Enthronement and frequently to renew the
act of consecration which they are about to make.
Then all kneel, while the priest and the
parent(s) [or the parent(s) alone, or their representative] recite the official
Act of Consecration.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, who
didst make known to St. Margaret Mary Thine ardent
desire to reign over Christian families, behold us assembled here today to
proclaim Thine absolute dominion over our home.
Henceforth we purpose to lead
a life like unto Thine, so that amongst us may
flourish the virtues for which Thou didst promise peace on earth, and for this
end * we will banish from our midst * the spirit of the world which Thou dost
abhor so much.
Thou wilt reign over our
understanding by the simplicity of our faith. Thou wilt reign over our hearts
by an ardent love for Thee; and may the flame of this love be kept burning in
our hearts by the frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist.
Deign, O Divine Heart, to
preside over our meetings, to bless our undertakings, both spiritual and
temporal, to banish all worry and care, to sanctify our joys and soothe our
sorrows. If any of us should ever have the misfortune to grieve Thy Sacred
Heart, remind him of Thy goodness and mercy toward the repentant sinner.
Lastly when the hour of
separation will sound and death will plunge our home into mourning, then shall
we all and everyone of us be resigned to Thy eternal decrees, and seek
consolation in the thought that we shall one day be reunited in Heaven, where
we shall sing the praises and blessings of Thy Sacred Heart * for all eternity.
May the Immaculate Heart of
Mary and the glorious Patriarch St. Joseph offer Thee this our Consecration,
and remind us of the same all the days of our life.
Glory
to the Divine Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father!
Now
all pray the one Pater, one Ave, and one Glory Be:
|
Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as
we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. |
Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur Nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum
quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a
malo. |
|
Hail Mary, full of Grace,
the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit
of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and in
the hour of our death. Amen. |
Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et
benedictus fructus ventris tui,
Iesus. Sancta
Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis
peccatoribus, nunc, et in
hora mortis nostrae.
Amen. |
|
Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui
Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen. |
Now
all pray a prayer of thanksgivng:
Glory be to Thee, O Sacred
Heart of Jesus, for the infinite mercy Thou hast bestowed upon the privileged
members of this family. Thou hast chosen it from thousands of others, as a
recipient of Thy love and a sanctuary of reparation wherein Thy most loving
Heart shall find consolation for the ingratitude of people.
How great, O Lord Jesus, is
the confusion of this portion of Thy faithful flock as we accept the unmerited
honor of seeing Thee preside over our family! Silently we adore Thee, overjoyed
to see Thee sharing under the same roof the toils, cares and joys of Thy
children! It is true, we are not worthy that Thou shouldst
enter our humble abode, but Thou hast already reassured us, when Thou didst
reveal Thy Sacred Heart to us, teaching us to find in the wound of Thy Sacred
Side the source of grace and life everlasting. In this loving and trusting
spirit we give ourselves to Thee, Thou who art unchanging Life.
Remain with us, Most Sacred
Heart, for we feel an irresistible desire to love Thee and make Thee loved. May
our home be for Thee a haven as sweet as that of
May this home be for Thee, O
be. loved Saviour, a humble but hospitable refuge during the exile imposed on
Thee by Thine enemies.
Come, then, Lord Jesus, come,
for here as at
O most faithful Friend, hadst Thou been here in the midst of sorrow, our tears
would have been less bitter; the comforting balm of peace would then have
soothed these hidden wounds, which are known to Thee alone.
Come, for even now perhaps,
there is drawing near for us the twilight of tribulation, and the decline of
the passing days of our youth and our illusions.
Stay with us, for already it
is late, and a perverted world seeks to envelop us in the darkness of its
denials while we wish to adhere to Thee who alone art the Way the Truth and the
Life.
Repeat for us those words
Thou didst utter of old: "This day I must abide in this home.
Yes, dear Lord, take up Thy
abode with us, so that we may live in Thy love and in Thy presence, we who
proclaim Thee as our King and wish no other!
May Thy triumphant Heart, O
Jesus, be forever loved, blessed, and glorified in this home! Thy Kingdom Come!
Amen!
All stand and thank the
Immaculate Heart of Mary for the grace of the Enthronement, and to proclaim
this loving Mother as the Queen of the home, all recite the Hail Holy Queen.
|
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 valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile
show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O
sweet Virgin Mary. Amen. |
Salve, |
Optional: If so desired, an
Act of Consecration to the Heart of Mary may be added, and her image installed
near the Sacred Heart.
Heavenly Mother Mary , I come
to thy most lovable and sweet Heart, refuge of sinners. I offer myself to thee
and consecrate my entire life to thine Immaculate
Heart. In this consecration of my total person, I offer thee my body and soul
with all its miseries and weaknesses. I offer thee my heart with all its
affections and desires, my prayers, works, joys and sufferings. I offer thee
every temptation that comes to me so that my every thought and desire may be
purified through thy holy intercession.
My Queen, my Mother, I offer
thee in consecration all sufferings which come into my life, both physical and
spiritual. I offer thee especially my death with all that will accompany it. I
offer thee my last agony. Accept all this, my Mother, and take all into thy
Immaculate Heart as I give to thee irrevocably all that I am and all that I
have, together with all property and possessions. I offer thee my family and
all who are near and dear to me. Take them all into thine
Immaculate Heart and keep us ever one in thy Son Jesus Christ.
I renew today the vows of my
Baptism and Confirmation. Keep me ever faithful to God and to
O Queen of the Angels, my
Queen and my Mother, I humbly prostrate myself before thee as I approach thee
with my Guardian Angel. I desire all the holy Angels, and especially my
Guardian, to venerate thee always as Queen of Heaven and Earth. Command my
Guardian and all holy Angels to keep me always in thy love and in the union of
grace with thy Divine Son. Send forth thy Angels to assist me in spreading
devotion to thine Immaculate Heart so that through thine intercession there may be peace in the world and in
the Church, and the
The
ceremony ends with a short litany:
V.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
R.
Have mercy on us!
V.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
R.
Have mercy on us!
V.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
R.
Have mercy on us!
V.
Immaculate Heart of Mary
R.
Pray for us.
V.
St. Joseph
R.
Pray for us.
V.
R.
Pray for us.
All:
Glory to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus forever and ever! Amen.
The priest gives his
blessing in the name of the Church, or the natural father gives a paternal blessing:
May the blessing of Almighty
God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain forever. Amen.
Then the members of the family and the
priest sign the Certificate of the Enthronement, which should be framed and
hung near the image of the Sacred Heart or kept in the family vault. After the
ceremony, send in name and address of family to a
Periodic Renewal of the Consecration
Periodically, the family might want to renew the
Consecration, especially on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, at the Feast of
Christ the King (the last Sunday in October), at births, deaths, major life
events, such as First Communions, Confirmations, a child leaving for College,
etc. The following prayers are for this purpose:
Renewal of the Consecration of the Family
Most sweet Jesus, humbly
kneeling at Thy feet, we renew the consecration of our family to Thy Divine
Heart. Be Thou our King forever! In Thee we have full and entire confidence.
May Thy spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words and our works.
Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials and in our labours. Grant us to know Thee better, to love Thee more,
to serve Thee without faltering.
By the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, Queen of Peace, set up Thy kingdom in our country. Enter closely into the
midst of our families and make them Thine own through
the solemn enthronement of Thy Sacred Heart, so that soon one cry may resound
from home to home: "May the triumphant Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved,
blessed and glorified forever!" Honour and glory to the Sacred Hearts of
Jesus and Mary!
A Prayer for the Christian Family
O God of goodness and mercy,
to Thy fatherly protection we commend our family, our household and all that
belongs to us. We commit all to Thy love and keeping; do Thou fill this house
with Thy blessings even as Thou didst fill the holy house of
Preserve us and our house
from all evils and misfortunes, but grant that we may be ever resigned to Thy
Divine will even in the sorrows which it shall please Thee to send us. Finally
give us all the grace to live in perfect harmony and in the fullness of love
toward our neighbor. Grant that every one of us may deserve by a holy life the
comfort of Thy holy Sacraments at the hour of death. O Jesus, bless us and
protect us.
O Mary, Mother of grace and
of mercy, defend us against the wicked spirit, reconcile us with Thy Son,
commit us to His keeping, that so we may be made worthy of His promises. St.
Joseph, foster father of our Saviour, guardian of His holy Mother, head of the
Holy Family, intercede for us, bless us and defend our home at all times.
Amen.
|
A litany
is a well-known and much appreciated form of responsive petition, used in
public liturgical services, and in private devotions, for common necessities
of the Church, or in calamities — to implore God's aid or to appease His just
wrath. This form of prayer finds its model in Psalm cxxxv:
'Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth
for ever. Praise ye the God of gods . . . the Lord of lords . . . Who alone
doth great wonders . . . Who made the heavens', etc., with the concluding
words in each verse, "for his mercy endureth
for ever."... Many, many other litanies
exist, and all of them may be prayed privately, but only these six are
approved for public prayer. First a little background on each... The Litany of the Saints
-- the oldest of the litanies, dating to A.D. 595 -- is prayed liturgically
at the Easter Vigil, during ordinations, on Rogation days, and also during
solemn exorcisms, etc.. Privately, it is prayed any time one wishes, as with
the other litanies, but is especially prayed after sundown on All Saints' Day
in preparation for All Souls' Day, and on All Souls' Day itself. |
Litany
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
|
Lord,
have mercy on us. |
|
|
God, the
Father of Heaven, |
h |
|
Lamb of
God, who takest away the sins of the world, (spare
us, O Lord.) |
|
Litany
of the Holy Name of Jesus
|
Lord,
have mercy, (Christ, have mercy.) |
|
|
God, the
Father of Heaven, |
h |
|
Be
merciful unto us, (spare us, O Jesus!) |
|
|
From all
evil, |
d |
|
Lamb of
God, who take away the sins of the world, (spare us, O Jesus!) |
|
Litany
of the Most
Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
|
Lord,
have mercy. (Lord, have mercy.) |
|
|
Blood of
Christ, only-begotten Son of the eternal Father, |
s |
|
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the
world, (spare us, O Lord.) |
|
|
Note: The St. Vincent invoked is St.
Vincent of Saragossa (i.e., " God said to Moses: I AM
WHO AM. He said: Thus shalt thou [Moses,
a single individual] say to the children of If you are wanting to
pray the Litany's responses without looking at the text, the auditory cues
relevant to the section that invokes the Saints are these: if the first word
of the invocation is "Sancta" or "Sancte,"
use "ora"; if the first word of the
invocation is "Sancti" or "Omnes," use "orate.". |
Litany
of the Saints
|
Lord,
have mercy on us. (Lord have mercy on us.) |
|
|
Holy
Mary, |
p |
|
All ye
holy Saints of God, (Make intercession for us.) |
|
|
From all
evil, O Lord |
d |
|
We
sinners, |
w |
|
Lamb of
God, who take away the sins of the world, (spare us, O Lord.) |
|
Litany
of Loreto
|
Lord,
have mercy on us. (Christ have mercy on us.) |
|
|
Holy
Mary, |
p |
|
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, (spare us, O Lord.) |
|
Litany
of St. Joseph
|
Lord,
have mercy on us. |
|
|
Holy
Mary, |
p |
|
Lamb of God, Who takes
away the sins of the world, (spare us, O Lord.) |
|
(More to be added)
Hail, Queen of
Heaven
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
I'll Sing A Hymn To Mary
Immaculate Mary
How Great Thou Art
SWEET SACRAMENT DIVINE
To Jesus Heart All Burning
inclusive words shown
in some Hymns that can be included if appropriate: (person) (us)
(people)
Hail, Queen of Heaven
Hail, Queen of Heaven, the ocean star,
Guide the wanderer here below;
Thrown on life's surge, we claim thy care:
Save us from peril and from woe.
Mother of Christ, Star of the sea,
Pray for the wanderer, pray for me.
O gentle, chaste, and spotless maid,
We sinners make our prayers through thee.
Remind thy Son that He has paid
The price of our iniquity.
Virgin most pure, Star of the sea,
Pray for the sinner, pray for me.
And while to Him who reigns above,
In Godhead one, in persons three,
The source of life, of grace, of love,
Homage we pay on bended knee,
Do thou, bright Queen, star of the
sea,
Pray for thy children, pray for me.
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
Holy God, we praise Thy Name;
Lord of all, we bow before Thee!
All on earth Thy scepter claim,
All in heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain,
Everlasting is Thy reign.
Hark! the loud celestial hymn
Angel choirs above are raising,
Cherubim and seraphim,
In unceasing chorus praising;
Fill the heavens with sweet accord:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord.
Lo! the apostolic train
Join the sacred Name to hallow;
Prophets swell the loud refrain,
And the white-robed martyrs follow;
And from morn to set of sun,
Through the Church the song goes on.
Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee;
While in essence only One,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
I'll Sing A Hymn To Mary
I'll sing a hymn to Mary, the
Mother of my God,
The Virgin of all virgins, of David's royal blood.
O teach me, Holy Mary, A loving song to frame,
When wicked men (People) blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.
O Lily of the Valley, O Mystic
Rose, what tree,
Or flower, even the fairest, Is half so fair as thee?
O let me, though so lowly recite my Mother's fame.
When wicked men (People) blaspheme thee,
I'll love and bless thy name.
O noble
The ark of God's own promise,
The gate of Heaven to me.
To live and not to love thee
would fill my soul with shame.
When wicked men (People) blaspheme thee,
I'll love and bless thy name.
Immaculate Mary
Immaculate Mother, we come at thy
call,
And low at thy altar before thee we
fall.
Ave Ave, Ave
Maria,
Ave Ave, Ave Maria.
We pray for God's glory, May His
Kingdom come:
We pray for His Vicar, Our Father in
Ave Ave, Ave
Maria,
Ave Ave, Ave Maria.
We pray for our Mother, the
Church upon earth.
And bless, sweetest Lady, the land of our birth.
Ave Ave, Ave, Maria,
Ave Ave, Ave, Maria.
How Great Thou Art
Lord my God! When I
in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel he gentle breeze;
Refrain
And when I think that God his son not sparing,
Sent him to die - I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
Refrain
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home- what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
SWEET SACRAMENT DIVINE
Sweet Sacrament Divine!
Hid in Thy earthly home,
Lo, round Thy lowly shrine,
With suppliant hearts we come.
Jesus, to Thee our voice we raise,
In songs of love and heartfelt
praise,
Sweet Sacrament divine
Sweet Sacrament of peace!
Dear home of every heart,
Where restless yearnings cease,
And sorrows all depart.
There in Thine
ear, all trustfully
We tell our tale of misery,
Sweet Sacrament of peace!
Sweet Sacrament of rest!
Within Thy shelter blest
Soon may we reach the shore.
Save us, for still the tempest raves,
Save, lest we sink beneath the waves.
Sweet Sacrament of rest!
Sweet Sacrament divine!
Earth's light and jubilee,
In Thy far depths doth shine
Thy Godhead's majesty.
Sweet Light, so shine on us, we pray,
That earthly joys may fade away,
Sweet Sacrament divine!
To Jesus Heart All Burning
To Jesus Heart all burning
With fervent love for men (Us),
My heart with fondest yearning
shall raise its joyful strain.
Chorus
While ages course along,
Blest be with loudest song
The Sacred Heart of Jesus
By every heart and tongue
The Sacred Heart of Jesus
By every heart and tongue.
O Heart, for me on fire
With love no man (person) can speak,
My yet untold desire
God gives me for Thy sake.
Chorus
As thou art meek and lowly
And ever pure of heart,
So may my heart be wholly
Of thine the
counterpart.
Chorus
PLEASE
CAN YOU CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE FOR AN INTERESTING ARRAY OF TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC
HYMNS INCLUDING THE 1906 HYMNAL OF ST. BASIL.
http://www.homestead.com/MidiHymns/MidiIndex.html
CLICK ON TOPIC
1/ A
WEEK OF PRAYERS FOR THE HOLY SOULS.
2/ THE
BROWN SCAPULAR OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL.
3/ CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY.
4/ THE ACT OF PERFECT CONTRITION.
5/ HOW TO MAKE A GOOD INTENTION.
6/ NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
7/
NOVENA TO ST. JUDE.
8/ STATIONS OF THE CROSS.
9/ A PRAYER IN HONOUR OF THE FIVE WOUNDS OF
JESUS CHRIST.
10/ NOVENA OF THE INFANT OF PRAGUE.
The word Novena come from the word "novem" which means "nine." It is a prayer
that is said for nine consecutive days. A Novena may be a private or public
spiritual devotion for the purpose of obtaining a special favour
from Heaven, be it a special grace, imploring a favour
or to make a special petition.
A Week of
Prayers for the Holy Souls
O Lord God Almighty, I
pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the garden,
deliver the souls in Purgatory and especially that soul amongst them all which
is most destitute of spiritual aid; and vouchsafe to bring it to Thy glory,
there to praise and bless Thee forever. Amen.
Our Father… Hail
Mary…
Eternal rest give unto
them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
O Lord God Almighty, I
pray Thee by the Precious Blood which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in His
cruel scourging, deliver
the souls in Purgatory, and especially that soul
amongst them all, which is nearest to its entrance into Thy glory; so it may
forthwith begin to praise and bless Thee forever. Amen.
Our Father… Hail
Mary…
Eternal rest give unto
them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
O Lord God Almighty, I
pray Thee by the Precious Blood which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in His bitter
crowning with thorns, deliver the souls in Purgatory, and in particular that
one amongst them all which would be the last to depart out of those pains, that
it may come to praise Thee in Thy glory and bless Thee forever. Amen.
Our Father… Hail
Mary…
Eternal rest give unto
them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
O Lord God Almighty, I
pray Thee by the Precious Blood which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the streets
of
Our Father… Hail
Mary…
Eternal rest give unto
them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
O Lord God Almighty, I
pray Thee, by the Precious Body and Blood of They Divine Son, which He gave
with His own hands upon the eve of His Passion to His beloved Apostles, and
which He left to His whole Church to be a perpetual sacrifice, deliver the souls
in Purgatory, and especially that one which was most devoted to this mystery of
infinite love, that it may ever praise Thee for Thy love, in eternal glory.
Amen.
Our Father… Hail
Mary…
Eternal rest give unto
them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
O Lord God Almighty, I
pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed on this day
upon the wood of the Cross, especially from His most sacred hands and feet,
deliver the souls in Purgatory, and in particular that soul for which I am most
bound to pray; that no neglect of mine may hinder it from praising Thee in Thy
glory and blessing Thee forever. Amen.
Our Father… Hail
Mary…
Eternal rest give unto
them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
O Lord God Almighty, I
beseech Thee by the Precious Blood which gushed forth from they side of Thy
Divine Son Jesus, in the sight and to the extreme pain of His most holy Mother,
deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially that one which was the most
devoted to her; that it may soon attain unto Thy glory, there to praise Thee,
world without end. Amen.
Our Father… Hail
Mary…
Eternal rest give unto
them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.
A magnificent assurance of
salvation is Our Lady’s Brown Scapular. One of the great mysteries of our time
is that the great majority of Catholics either ignore or have forgotten the
Blessed Virgin Mary’s promise that "whoever dies wearing this
(Scapular) shall not suffer eternal fire." She further says:
"Wear it devoutly and perseveringly. It is my garment. To be clothed in it
means you are continually thinking of me, and I in turn, am always thinking of
you and helping you to secure eternal life."
The Scapular Medal should
not be worn in place of the Cloth Scapular without sufficient reason. Mary cannot
be pleased with any one who substitutes the medal out of vanity, or fear to
make open profession of religion. Such persons run the risk of not receiving
the Promise. The medal has never been noted for any of the miraculous
preservations attributed to the Brown Cloth Scapular.
During the Scapular
Anniversary celebration in
Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, the renowned Jesuit and spiritual director of
St. Margaret Mary, gives a point which is enlightening. He said: "Because
all the forms of our love for the Blessed Virgin, all its various modes of
expression cannot be equally pleasing to Her, and therefore do not assist us in
the same degree to Heaven, I say without a moment’s hesitation the BROWN
SCAPULAR is the most favoured of all!" He also
adds: "No devotion has been confirmed by more numerous authentic miracles
than the Brown Scapular."
By Brother
Matthew, M.I.C.M.
"...whosoever
dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire."
The Mother of God
made this astounding promise to a humble Carmelite Monk, Saint Simon Stock, in
Undoubtedly, Satan
is pleased with the tremendous lack of gratitude shown toward the Scapular. The
Prince of Darkness despises devotion to Mary, for he knows that in the end the
humble Virgin shall crush his head. He is especially humiliated by those who
practice this simple wordless Marian devotion, for all who piously wear the
Scapular join themselves to Mary in a mystical union. Scapular wearers show
that they wish to be perpetually united to Our Lady even though they may not be
always conscious of, or adverting to their union. The Blessed Mother in turn,
is continually protecting, and assisting her special children who are clothed
in the scapular of
But now, more than
ever before, those who truly wish to please God should heed to His Mother’s
heavenly counsel and wear the holy habit of
"I
have led you into the
The Church
sanctions the practice of a number of Scapular devotions besides that of
The Carmelite
Order is the only one in the Church that can trace its origin back to the Old
Testament. Elias who lived some 800 years before the birth of Our Lord, was
fittingly chosen by God to be its founder. He was the fiery prophet who never
died but was carried away from the earth in a blazing chariot, a symbol of the
burning zeal and love of God which would prevail among the Carmelites. He was
the glowing figure who, together with Moses, appeared with Our Divine Lord at
the Transfiguration, a symbol of the eternal glory which will be awarded to
those who die clothed in the habit of
The name of the
Order is derived from the Mount of Carmel in
At the base of
this holy mountain; in the little
Succeeding
generations supplied devotees of Mary who sought to preserve the mystical life
of the early monks of
Saint
Simon Stock (1165-1265)
Saint Simon Stock
was born of a distinguished family in the
The Blessed Simon
could do little to hide his extraordinary holiness and within just two years of
his entering the order he was appointed Vicar General of all the Western
Carmelite Provinces. While the honours and the
ordinary responsibilities of such an office alone would have been sufficient
cross for the humble recluse, still Saint Simon, in addition to these,
inherited a number of serious difficulties. For the next forty years the saint
would have to contend with dissensions within the Order and vicious calumnies
from without. Both were a source of considerable suffering which Saint Simon
endured with exemplarily patience and charity, placing his entire trust in his
beloved Queen of Heaven.
The continued
attacks of the Mohamedans hastened the Carmelites in
In 1251, burdened
with the weight of his many troubles, Saint Simon repaired to the Monastery in
Father Peter Swanington, the saint’s confessor, writes of his having
accompanied Simon Stock on the very day of the apparition to the house of a man
possessed by the devil. Satan’s poor victim had led a scandalous life and had
remained obstinate in his sins. He was on the verge of dying in despair,
refusing the Sacraments and blaspheming God. Father Swanington
relates, "We entered the house and he foamed with rage, ground his teeth
and rolled his eyes like a furious animal. Saint Simon seeing that he was about
to expire and had already lost the use of his senses, made the sign of the
cross and laid upon him the holy Scapular of Carmel, then lifting his eyes to
Heaven he prayed to God to give time for repentance, that a soul bought with
the price of the blood of Jesus Christ might not become the prey of the demon.
All at once the sick man regained his strength, recovered the use of his
senses, and making the sign of the cross, cried against the demon, saying with
tears, 'Alas, wretch that I am, how terrible is the fear of my damnation! My
sins are more numerous than the sand of the sea! O my God, Thy Mercy is above
Thy justice, have pity on me, and you, my Father, help me.' "
Having renounced
his detestable past he made his confession, and received the last sacraments.
In a few hours he died peacefully in the friendship of God. News of the miracle
spread quickly and with it the story of Saint Simon’s vision.
There soon came
about a complete transformation within the Carmelite Order. Dissensions
disappeared, its official Ecclesiastical sanction was reaffirmed by Pope
Innocent IV, and even Royal protection was granted to it by King Henry III.
Saint Simon beheld aspirants from far and wide seeking admittance to the
privileged Order which soon began to prosper gloriously in
The
Scapular...a popular devotion
It has long been a
practice in the Church to encourage the formation of Confraternities for laymen
who wish to be affiliated to religious Orders, that they might participate in
their good words and devotions, without pronouncing the vows of a religious.
Despite what some skeptics have said, such a confraternity was established by
the Carmelites while Saint Simon Stock still lived. The members of this
association subsequently received indulgences and other favors from Pope Urban
IV, who died one year before Saint Simon, in 1264. It is also held for certain
that those who became members of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel were
allowed to wear the Carmelite Scapular thus enabling them to share in the
immense benefit of Our Lady’s treasured garb. Eventually those in the
Confraternity ceased using the full Scapular worn by the religious, which
drapes front and back from the shoulders almost to the ground and a version
considerably reduced in size, so that it could be more easily assumed by the
laymen, was adopted in its place.
It is not
surprising to find the confraternity of the Brown Scapular flourishing shortly
after its conception. The Scapular is tangible proof of Mary’s concern for each
individual soul, a ready instrument given to the faithful to assist them in
life’s most essential task, that of gaining eternal life. The Scapular promise
and the numerous miracles performed with the Scapular by Saint Simon induced
great personages, such as King Edward I of
The Sabbatine Privilege
As if Our Lady had
not done enough in promising salvation to faithful Scapular wearers, she
extended her motherly protection even to Purgatory as well. No one can fully
comprehend the excessive torments suffered by the holy souls during their
purification for Heaven. All of the saints, however, who have ever treated of
the subject agree, that they would rather suffer the cruelest tortures men have
ever endured on earth than to suffer the flames of Purgatory for a single day.
But the Queen of Heaven reigns also over Purgatory. In 1322 she appeared to
Pope John XXII and revealed to the Vicar of Christ that she would descend into
Purgatory to deliver from their agony those who had faithfully donned the
Scapular of Carmel. Our Lady also made known to the Pope that her visitation to
these devoted clients of her scapular would be made on the Saturday after their
death, if three conditions were fulfilled.
First: The Brown
Scapular of Carmel must be worn with constancy, Second: One must observe
chastity according to one’s state in life, and Third: the Divine Office must be
recited daily. Since this last requirement is difficult for laymen to fulfill,
the Church has allowed the observance of the ordinary fasts of the Liturgical
Year along with abstaining from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays to be used in
place of the Divine Office. But more recently the daily Rosary has become
generally accepted as a substitution for both the Office and the fasting, with
the permission of one’s Confessor.
A
Safeguard...Physical and Spiritual
Our Lady’s
Scapular is indeed a most powerful sacramental and its degree of efficacy
depends on our faith in her intercession. Theologians distinguish between the
ordinary state and the active state of investiture in the Scapular. The former
is simply a passive wearing of the Scapular but the latter is an active
realization of the Scapular’s power. As volumes of personal testimony in the
Carmelite archives clearly show, Mary frequently offers miraculous protection
to those who place their full confidence in her Scapular. Since the first
Scapular miracle performed by Saint Simon Stock in 1251, innumerable wonders
have been wrought with the Scapular for both the physical and spiritual good of
the faithful throughout the world.
On the battlefield
in
In
During a terrible
draught in
Elsewhere,
pestilence is subdued, battles won, fires extinguished, the blind regain their
sight, and the crippled are cured all through the Scapular and the invocation
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
A Scapular miracle
often retold occurred on a passenger ship going from
* * *
Saint Bonaventure,
the holy Franciscan and Doctor of the Church, reminds us that "Men do not
fear a hostile and powerful army as much as the powers of Hell fear the name
and protection of Mary." If, as we have seen, Mary’s heavenly garment is
an extraordinary physical safeguard, what must be the spiritual protection afforded
by the holy scapular? A story involving Saint John Marie Vianney
stands as an exemplar of the marvelous effects the Scapular has on aiding us in
our invisible warfare with hell.
It is related that
a young woman who was preparing to enter religious life made her general
confession to the holy Cure of Ars. As with so many
of the Cure’s penitents, this girl was surprised to find that the saint clearly
knew certain hidden details about her past life. A portion of their
conversation is as revealing to us as it was to her.
"You
remember, my child, a certain ball which you attended a short time ago?"
"Yes,
Father."
"You met a
young man there, a stranger, elegant in appearance and of distinguished
bearing, who at once became the hero of the fete? And you wished he would
invite you to dance? You were vexed and jealous when he preferred others to
you?"
"You are
certainly right, Father."
"Do you
recollect that when he left the assembly you thought you saw, as he walked, two
small bluish flames beneath his feet but you persuaded yourself that it was an
optical illusion?"
"I remember
it perfectly."
"Well, my
child, that youth was a demon. Those with whom he danced were in a state of
serious sin! And do you know why he failed to ask you? It was owing to the
Scapular which you did well not to lay aside and which your devotion to Mary
impelled you to wear as your safeguard."
Not enough can be
said concerning the advantages of this spiritual armour
which so perfectly shields us from the wiles of the wicked one. The fact to
remember is how intimately identified we become with the Immaculate Mother of
God when we place ourselves under her blessed mantle. We become, as it were,
Mary’s personal possessions and her interest in our spiritual welfare is all
that is needed to send the demons fleeing in confusion.
Enrollment
The promises of
salvation and deliverance from Purgatory apply to those who die wearing either
the large Scapular of the Carmelite habit, the small Scapular, or the Scapular
Medal. Anyone wishing to join the Confraternity must be properly enrolled by a
priest who has the faculties to do so. Most priests receive this power with the
general faculties they acquire from their diocese. Those who are enrolled
remain Confraternity members for life and if anyone should fail to wear the
Scapular, even for an extended period, there is no need for a re-enrollment in
the Confraternity. Also, new Scapulars need not be blessed if the wearer has
already been enrolled. In cases of emergency, during war for instance, soldiers
and sailors are officially received into the Confraternity by simply wearing
the Scapular and reciting some prayers to Our Lady, such as three Hail Mary’s.
There are a few
guidelines pertaining to the small scapular itself which should be observed in
addition to the enrollment requirements.
- The Scapular must be made of woven wool.
- Its color may be any shade between brown and
black, but preferably brown.
- It must be two rectangular shaped pieces of the
cloth connected by cord, string, or chain.
- It must be worn over the shoulder to rest on the
front and back of the body.
- It may be decorated with pictures or designs but
this is not necessary.
The
Scapular Medal
Early this century
missionaries petitioned
Conclusion
So as to emphasize
the importance of the Scapular of Carmel, Our Lady, on one occasion, chose to wear
the Carmelite habit when she appeared to the three little children at
Our Lady’s message
at
INFORMATION FOR THE DEVOTION
People are enrolled in the Scapular only once by a
priest or authorized person.
The Scapular can be replaced afterwards by a medal,
which has on one side the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the other, the image of Mary.
The
Scapular holds us to live as authentic Christians in line with the teaching of
the Gospel, to receive the sacraments, to profess our special devotion to the
Blessed Virgin, which should be expressed each day, at least by saying the Hail
Mary three times.
Short form of giving
the scapular
“Receive
this Scapular, a sign of your special relationship with Mary, the Mother of
Jesus, whom you pledge to imitate. May it be a reminder to you of your dignity
as a Christian in serving others and imitating Mary. Wear it as a sign of her
protection and of belonging to the family of
The Carmelite Scapular is not:
• a magical
charm to protect you
• an
automatic guarantee of salvation
• an excuse
for not living up to the demands of the Christian life
It is a sign which has been approved by the Church for
over seven centuries. It stands for the decision to follow Jesus like Mary:
- to be open to God and to his will,
- to be guided by faith, hope, and love,
- to pray at all times
- to discover God present in all that happens around
us.
It is a sign approved by the Church and accepted by
the Carmelite Order as an external sign of love for Mary, of the trust her
children have in her, and of commitment to live like her.
The word scapular indicates a form of clothing, which
monks wore when they were working. With the passage of time, people began to
give symbolic meaning to it: the cross to be borne every day as disciples and
followers of Christ. In some religious orders, such as the Carmelites, the
Scapular turned into a sign of their way of life. The Scapular came to
symbolize the special dedication of Carmelites to Mary, the Mother of God, and
to express trust in her motherly protection as well as the desire to be like
her in her commitment to Christ and to others. Thus it became a sign of Mary.
In the Middle Ages many Christians wanted to be
associated with the orders founded at that time: Franciscans, Dominicans,
Augustinians, and Carmelites. Groups of lay people began to emerge in
associations such as confraternities and sodalities.
All the religious orders wanted to give these lay
people a sign of affiliation and of participation in their spirit and
apostolate. That sign was often a part of their habit: a cloak, a cord, a scapular.
Among the Carmelites, the stage came when a smaller
version of the Scapular was accepted as the sign of belonging to the Order and
an expression of its spirituality.
The Blessed Virgin teaches us:
• To be
open to God, and to his will, shown to us in the events of our lives;
• To Listen
to the Word of God in the Bible and in life, to believe in it and to put into
practice its demands;
• To pray
at all times, as a way of discovering the presence of God in all that is
happening around us;
• To be involved
with people, being attentive to their needs.
The Scapular finds its roots in the tradition of the
Order, which has seen in it a sign of Mary’s motherly protection. It has
therefore, a centuries old spiritual meaning approved by Church.
• It stands
for a commitment to follow Jesus, like Mary, the perfect model of all the
disciples of Christ. This commitment finds its origin in baptism by which we
become children of God.
• It leads
us into the community of
• It
reminds us of the example of the saints of
• It is an
expression of our belief that we will meet God in eternal life, aided by the
intercession and prayers of Mary.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
Hail Mary
Hail, Mary! Full of grace,
The Lord is with thee,
Blessed are thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen
Apostles' Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and earth;
I believe in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord,
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into Heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen
Before Each Decade
Eternal Father,
I offer You the Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity
of Your dearly beloved Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
in atonement for our sins
and those of the whole world.
For Each Decade
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us
and on the whole world.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th.
After Five Decades
Holy God,
Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us
and on the whole world.
1st 2nd 3rd
The act of contrition
as it is found in the Small Catechism of the Catholic Religion by Bishop John Neumann
of the Congregation of the most holy Redeemer, Fourth Bishop of Philadelphia,
Imprimatur by the Most Rev. James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, given 24
July 1884:
"O my God, I am heartily
sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the
loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend Thee,
my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with
the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life.
Amen."
Since this form of the
act of contrition incorporates all the elements of the act of perfect
contrition, I urge all of you, one and all, to memorize and use this act of
contrition.
There are 5 qualities
or elements that must be in the act of perfect contrition. Whether they are in
the form of the contrition or not, they must be present. Hence, you see why I
insist on the above wording, for it is flawless, and it incorporates all the 5
qualities of the act of perfect contrition. By the way, name the contrition
properly. It is "an act of perfect contrition," not "a perfect
act of contrition."
The 5 qualities of the
act of perfect contrition are:
Interior,
Supernatural,
Universal,
Supreme, and
Intense.
Interior
What do we mean when we
say that the act of perfect contrition must be interior? We mean that it is an
interior act of the mind and will. When a priest says his Divine Office
correctly but with distractions (hopefully not intended) he fulfills his
obligation that the law imposes on him. If, while you confer the sacrament of
baptism, you say the words carefully with the intention to baptise
as the Church baptises, you confer the sacrament even
though you had distractions during the rite. The act of contrition does not
work as the above cases. It is something even independent of spoken words. The
mind and heart must determine everything that is said in the above form of
contrition. The mere perfect recitation of the form, as one says his prayers,
is not sufficient.
Supernatural
There are many elements
or divisions in this quality. The act of contrition must be supernatural as to
the "power" with which it is performed. It must be made under the
influence of actual grace. Actual grace is the supernatural assistance that
enlightens the mind to know the will of God and strengthens the will to do the
will of God. Hence, before starting the act of contrition, it is good (and I
encourage you to do so) to ask for this special grace. Without it, the act of
contrition is useless.
Secondly, the act must
be supernatural as to "motive." Here we have 2 motives. The inferior
motive (imperfect contrition) has to do with the dread of the loss of heaven
and the pains of hell. The superior motive (perfect contrition) has to do with
the fact that we have offended God who is all good. Together with the
sacraments of Baptism and Penance, the inferior motive (fearing the loss of
heaven and the pains of hell) is sufficient for forgiveness of all sins.
However, outside of those sacraments, only the superior motive (being sorry for
having offended God who is all good) will suffice for the forgiveness of all
sins.
We must answer this
question. Just why are you sorry for your sins. Is it because drinking made you
sick? That is a natural motive, and it has no relation to forgiveness. While
the natural motives are good in themselves, they will never work for
forgiveness.
Universal
The act of contrition
must include all of the mortal sins. One may never keep even one pet sin. Thus,
if a person living in adultery is very sorry for his sins of eating meat on
Fridays, but will not give up his sinful life of adultery, he cannot get rid of
even one sin. One either leaves all of his sins behind, or he keeps all of them
for God's just judgment at the moment of death. Unlike teeth, which when left
alone, will pass away, sins, however, when left alone will never pass
away.
Supreme
When We say that the
act of contrition must be supreme, we are saying that we must determine that we
would rather die than commit a mortal sin. We must hate mortal sin (venial sin
too, if possible) even more than death itself. Just think how careful we are
about our lives. We avoid death at great sacrifices. A man will throw his
possessions over-board to save his life. He will avoid the company of those who
have a contagious sickness in order to save his life. In like manner, we must
hate sin, in the act of contrition, as the greatest evil on earth.
Intense
In the above form of
contrition, we express this determination with the word "detest." I
might say that I do not like to eat spinach. However, I say that I
"detest" eating rotten crow. In like manner, we do not say that we
just do not like sin, but we detest it as we detest eating rotten crow.
Purpose of Amendment
There is a final
element that is not mentioned in the qualities of the act of contrition, and
that is the purpose of amendment. In practical speech, we make a division in
regard to contrition and the purpose of amendment. However, there is no real
distinction between the two except the element of past and future. If one is
sorry for his sins, he determines automatically not to sin again. Any time that
a person living in adultery is really sorry for his sins, he automatically
leaves his sinful way of life. A person who is in bad company is not merely
sorry for his sinful life-style, but he determines to give up one and all of
his evil companions.
Intention to Confess
Once one knows the
divine law of confession, he must also determine to confess all the mortal sins
he has committed after baptism. To say that one is sorry without that intention
to confess the sins, when one has a chance to do so, is a false act of contrition.
One must determine to obey all God's commandments, and one of those
commandments is that one must confess all mortal sins committed after baptism
to a duly authorized priest. If there is no priest to be had, then God accepts
the will for the deed. He will not accept the will for the deed if there is a
duly authorized priest available. Remember the act of perfect contrition always
takes away all sins immediately.
Fulfill the Obligations
For the act of
contrition to be complete, one must fulfill all the obligations that follow
from ones sins. A thief must return that which he has stolen. Likewise, a
person who has taken away the good name of another must do what he can to give
that good name back again.
The Merciful Hands of
God
When one has done all
that he can in regard to the act of perfect contrition, he still does not have
an infallible assurance that he has sanctifying grace. However, he can and
should have moral certitude that he is in the state of sanctifying grace. He
should rest his case in the merciful hands of God.
An Act of the Will
Very briefly, we will
say it this way. When we make the act of perfect contrition, we should pay very
close attention to every word in the form, and we are to make the acts that are
required by the form. Never say, I pray the act of contrition. Do say, I make
the act of contrition. When persons get married, they do not merely say a
formula, but they make an act of the will to join themselves in matrimony. When
a person makes vows in religion, he does not merely recite a formula, but he
makes an act of the will (expressed in words) to embrace the religious life. In
like manner, the act of contrition is an act by which one is sorry for past
sins, and that sorrow extends into the future so that it also requires the
purpose of amendment never to commit those sins or any sins, for that matter,
in the future.
Instruction
from
"Grace
and the Sacraments"
by
Michael Mueller, C.SS.R., 1890
Imprimatur
+ Thomas Foley
When should we make a good intention?
We
should make it especially in the morning; and it is advisable to make it before
and after each action.
Morning Offering
O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee all my prayers,
works, joys, and sufferings of this day for Thy greater honor and glory, the
salvation of my soul, for the intentions of our Holy Father, and for the poor
souls in Purgatory.
The
days of those who perform all their actions for God shall be full days, says
holy David: "And full days shall be found in them." (Ps. lxxii, 10.) By full days he means days which are wholly
employed in pleasing God. On the other hand, days which are not spent for God
are empty days, -- days without merit, without reward. Hence Holy Scripture
says that "the wicked do not live half their days." (Ps. liv, 24.)
Offer
All Our Actions to God as we belong entirely to God, we should consecrate to
Him all the actions of the day by making a good intention in the morning:
"Whether you eat or drink," says
As
the effect of our good intention is destroyed by vainglory or self-love, it is
advisable often to repeat good intention, especially before and after each
action. Our good intention gives our actions their value and excellence before
God. If our intention is terrestrial, or celestial, or divine, our action
becomes, like our intention, terrestrial, or celestial, or divine. If our
intention is low and bad, our action is so also, no matter how brilliant it may
appear in the eyes of men. A glass of water is but a very little thing; and
yet, whoever gives it with a good intention to a poor man, shall not lose his
reward, says Jesus Christ. On the other hand, a man who fasts, gives alms,
converts sinners, without a good, or with a bad, intention, loses the merit of
his actions.
In the estimation of men, the value of an act increases in proportion to the time spent in its performance; but, before God, the value of an act increases in proportion to the purity of int