tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21284022656488258402024-03-04T22:08:39.199-08:00Time To PrayCompendium of Catholic Prayers following Liturgical CalendarCradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-58171730077535044082014-05-31T05:28:00.001-07:002014-05-31T07:02:42.919-07:00Novena to the Feast of Pentecost - The Descend of the Holy Ghost - Second Day of Novena -<a href="http://lunapic.com/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/f7sII0f.png" /></a><br />
SECOND DAY<br />
Come. Father of the poor.<br /> Come, treasures which endure,<br /> Come, Light of all that live!<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>The Gift of Fear</u></i></b><br />
The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls."<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Prayer</u></i></b><br />
Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set Thee , my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend Thee, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Thy Divine Majesty in heaven, where Thou live and reign in the unity God the Father Almighty and Jesus Christ God the Son , one God forever and ever. Amen.<br />
<br />
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.<br /> Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Act of Consecration to the Holy Ghost</u></i></b><br />
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to Thee, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy purity the unerring keenness of Thy justice and the might of Thy love. Thou are the Strength and Light of my soul. In Thee I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Thy light I and listen to Thy voice and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee and ask Thou by Thy compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart I implore Thee, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against Thee. Give me grace O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to Thee always and everywhere "Speak Lord for Thy servant heareth." Amen.<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost</u></i></b><br />
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Ghost to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Thy grace and Thy love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with Thee and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Thy true disciples, and animate me in all things with Thy Spirit. Amen.Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-86443970483472942202014-05-30T04:51:00.000-07:002014-05-31T07:07:16.909-07:00Novena to the Feast of Pentecost - The Descend of the Holy Ghost - First Day of Novena -<a href="http://lunapic.com/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/T32ZzOs.jpg" height="460" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
We ought to pray and invoke the Holy Ghost , for each one of us greatly needs His protection and His help. The more we are lacking in wisdom, weak in strength, burdened with trouble, prone to sin, the more we should turn to Him Who is the never ceasing fount of light, strength, consolation and holiness.<br />
( Pope Leo XIII )<br />
<br />
Forward<br />
<br />
The novena in honor of the Holy Ghost is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian. To encourage devotion to the Holy Ghost, the Church has enriched this novena with the following indulgences:<br />
"The faithful who devoutly assist at the public novena in honor of the Holy Spirit immediately preceding the Solemn Feast of Pentecost may gain a partial indulgence for themselves or as an offering for the intentions of the faithful departed.<br />
Those who make a private novena in honor of the Holy Spirit, either before the Solemn Feast of Pentecost or at any other time in the year, may also gain a partial indulgence for themselves or as an offering for the intentions of the faithful departed."<br />
<br />
FIRST DAY<br />
<br />
Holy Ghost ! Lord of Light!<br />
From Thy clear celestial height,<br />
Thy pure beaming radiance give!<br />
<br />
Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared--sin.<br />
Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference to the Holy Ghost Who is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames our hearts with Love of God.<br />
To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Holy Ghost daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Holy Ghost Himself asketh for us."<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Prayer</u></i></b><br />
<br />
Almighty and Eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from Heaven upon us Thy sevenfold Spirit , the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding , the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.<br />
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.<br />
Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Act of Consecration to the Holy Ghost</u></i></b><br />
<br />
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to Thee, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy purity the unerring keenness of Thy justice and the might of Thy love. Thou are the Strength and Light of my soul. In Thee I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Thy light I and listen to Thy voice and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee and ask Thou by Thy compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart I implore Thee, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against Thee. Give me grace O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to Thee always and everywhere "Speak Lord for Thy servant heareth." Amen.<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost</u></i></b><br />
<br />
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Ghost to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Thy grace and Thy love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with Thee and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Thy true disciples, and animate me in all things with Thy Spirit. Amen.Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-34621478455165697752014-05-21T11:53:00.001-07:002014-05-21T11:53:54.457-07:00On Temptations to Relapse by Saint Alphonsus De Liguori<p>Christian, when the devil again tempts thee to sin, telling thee that "God is merciful," remember that the Lord "showeth mercy towards them that fear Him," and not to them that despise Him. "God is merciful," it is true; yet how many does He daily condemn to the torments of hell! "God is merciful," but He is also just. He is merciful to those who repent of their sins, but not to those who abuse His mercy to offend Him the more freely. O God, how often have I done this! how often have I offended Thee because Thou wast good and merciful!</p><p>The devil will say to thee: "As He has pardoned thee many past sins, so will He pardon thee the sin which thou art now about to commit." No, thou must reply; because He has so often forgiven me, I ought to be the more afraid, that, if I should again offend Him, He will no more pardon me, but punish me for all the crimes I have ever committed against Him. Attend to the admonition of the Holy Ghost: Say not, I have sinned and what harm hath befallen me for the most High is a patient rewarder. Eccl. v. 4. O God, how basely have I corresponded with Thy favors! Thou hast bestowed graces upon me, and I have requited them with injuries: Thou hast loaded me with blessings, and I have insulted and dishonored Thee. But for the future it shall not be so. The more Thou hast borne with me, so much the more will I love Thee. Do thou assist my weakness.</p><p>The devil will say to thee: "But dost thou not see that thou canst not now resist this temptation?" Answer him: but if I do not resist now, how shall I be able to resist afterwards, when I shall have become weaker, and the divine assistance will fail me? Am I to be told that, in proportion as I multiply the number of my sins, God will multiply the number of His graces towards me? Finally, he will say to thee: "But although thou wert to commit this sin, thou mayest still be saved." Say to him in reply: I maybe saved; but is this a reason why I should write my own sentence of condemnation to hell? I may be saved; but I may also be lost, and this is more probable. This is not an affair to be left to the chance of a "may be." But, O Lord, how much hast Thou done for me? I have multiplied my faults, and Thou hast increased Thy graces! The thought of this imbitters my sorrow for having so heniously offended Thee. My good God, why have I offended Thee? O that I could die of grief! Help me, O Jesus, for I desire to be wholly Thine. Holy Mary, obtain for me perseverance in virtue, and suffer me not any more to live ungrateful to God who has so much loved me.</p>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-75215538152505861882014-03-15T03:21:00.000-07:002014-03-15T03:21:02.109-07:00Prayers of Saint Pope Pius V ~ During the Holy Season of Lent ~<a href="http://lunapic.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/yMhModC.gif" /></a>
<br />
<br />
I.<b> Lord Jesus Christ, my crucified Savior, Son of the most Blessed Virgin Mary! open Thine ear and listen to me, as Thou didst listen to Thy eternal Father on Mount Thabor.
</b><br />
<br />
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, 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 sitteth 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 Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
<br />
<br />
II. <b>Lord Jesus Christ, my crucified Savior, Son of the most Blessed Virgin Mary! open Thine eyes and look down upon me, as Thou didst look down, from the tree of the Holy Cross, upon Thy sorrowing and afflicted Mother.
</b><br />
<br />
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, 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 sitteth 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 Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
<br />
<br />
III. <b>Lord Jesus Christ, my crucified Savior, Son of the most Blessed Virgin Mary! open Thy sacred lips and speak to me, as Thou didst speak to Saint John, when Thou gavest him as a son to Thy beloved Mother.
</b><br />
<br />
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, 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 sitteth 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 Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
<br />
<br />
IV. <b>Lord Jesus Christ, my crucified Savior, Son of the most Blessed Virgin Mary! open Thine arms and embrace me, as Thou didst open them, on the tree of the Holy Cross, to embrace the whole human race.
</b><br />
<br />
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, 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 sitteth 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 Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
<br />
<br />
V. <b>Lord Jesus Christ, my crucified Savior, Son of the most Blessed Virgin Mary! open Thy heart and accept mine, and graciously hear my prayer, if such be the pleasure of Thy most Holy Will.
</b><br />
<br />
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, 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 sitteth 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 Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-32481442506055156922014-02-02T14:18:00.004-08:002014-02-02T14:18:48.508-08:00Today the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord and purification of the Holy Virgin Mary ( Feast of Candlemas )<a href="http://lunapic.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/0bxrzRx.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
The Feast of Candlemas, which derives its origin from the local observance of Jerusalem, marks the end of the Feasts included in the Christmas cycle of the liturgy. It is perhaps the most ancient festival of Our Lady. It commemorate, however, not only the obedience of the Blessed Virgin to the Mosaic Law in going to Jerusalem forty days after the birth of her Child and making the accustomed offerings, but also the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, and the meeting of the Infant Jesus with the old man Simeon - the Occursus Domini, as the Feast was anciently termed. This is the principal theme of the liturgy on this day: Jesus is taken to the Temple "to present Him to the Lord." So the Lord come to His Temple, and is met by the aged Simeon with joy and recognition.<br />
<br />
The blessing and distribution of candles, to be carried lighted in procession, preceded the Mass today - a symbolic presentation of the truth proclaimed in the Canticle of Simeon: Our Lord is the "Light for the revelation of the Gentiles."The anthems sung during this procession, eastern in origin, well express the joy and gladness of this happy festival, and the honor and praise we give to our Blessed Lady and her Divine Son by this devout observance.<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Oremus /Let us pray :</u></i></b><br />
<br />
O Almighty and Everlasting God, we humbly beseech Thy majesty; that as Thine only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in the substance of our flesh, so too Thou wouldst grant us to be presented unto Thee with purified souls. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God , forever and ever. Amen<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Prayer to Holy Virgin Mary on the Feast of the Purification</u></i></b><br />
( composed by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori )<br />
<br />
O Holy Mother of God, and my Mother Mary, thou wast so deeply interested in my salvation as to offer to death the dearest object of thy heart, thy beloved Jesus! Since, then, thou didst so much desire to see me saved, it is right that, after God, I should place all my hopes in thee. O yes, most Blessed Virgin, I do indeed entirely confide in thee.<br />
Ah, by the merit of the great sacrifice which thou didst offer this day to God, the sacrifice of the life of thy Son, entreat Him to have pity on my poor soul, for which this Immaculate Lamb did not refuse to die on the cross. I could desire, O my Queen, to offer my poor heart to God on this day, in imitation of Thee; but I fear that, seeing it so sordid and loathsome, He may refuse it. But if thou offerest it to Him, He will not reject it. He is always pleased with and accepts the offerings presented to Him by your most pure hands.<br />
To thee, then, O Mary, do I this day present myself, miserable as I am; to thee do I give myself without reserve. Do thou offer me as thy servant, together with Jesus to the Eternal Father; and beseech Him, by the merits of thy Son and for thy sake, to accept me and take me as His own.<br />
Ah, my sweetest Mother, for the love of thy sacrificed Son, help me always and at all times, and abandon me not. Never permit me to lose by my sins this most amiable Redeemer, Whom on this day thou didst offer with so bitter grief to the cruel death of the cross. Remind him that I am thy servant, that thou willest my salvation, and He will certainly graciously hear thee. Amen<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-34257827961653191752014-01-09T08:45:00.001-08:002014-01-09T08:45:30.902-08:00God of Mercy and Compassion (+playlist)<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mJJ3fq25oSk" width="459"></iframe>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-73366798379174658672013-12-22T17:01:00.001-08:002013-12-22T17:01:53.918-08:004th Sunday of Advent : the fullness of Time<p><a href="http://lunapic.com"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/A8Qf8rW.gif" alt="" width="370" height="579" border="0" /><</a></p><p>Like the whole Liturgy of the Holy Season , the purpose of the Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is to prepare us for the twofold coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: His coming in mercy at Christmas; and in justice at the end of the world.</p><p><a href="http://lunapic.com"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/90Vvgze.gif" alt="" width="370" height="579" border="0" /></a></p><p>In the Holy Mass we meet once again with the three great figures that are before the mind of the Church throughout Advent, Isaias, St. John the Baptist and the Holy Mary the blessed Mother of God . The prophet Isaias foretells of St. John the Baptist that he will be "A voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight His paths and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." And, "the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the Baptism of penance for the remission of sins"</p><p>Saint John the Baptist, Saint Gregory explains, told those who hurried in crowds to be baptised: "Ye brood of vipers, who hath told you to flee from the wrath to come?" Now the wrath to come is the final chastisement, which the sinner will not be able to escape unless he have recourse now to the lamentations of penance. The friend of the Bridegroom warns us to bring forth not fruits merely of penance but worthy fruits. These words are a call to each man's conscience, bidding him lay up by means of penance a treasure of good works, the greater in proportions to the ravage of sin which caused it . And Saint Leo says, "God Himself teaches us by the prophet Isaias: I will lead the blind in a way that they know not, and I will turn the darkness before them into light and I will not foresake them."</p><p>The Apostle Saint John makes clear to us, the way in which this mystery is fulfilled, when he says, "And we know that the Son of God is come. And He hath given us understanding that we may know the true God and may be in His true Son." The liturgy continues: Because of the great love that God has manifested towards us He has sent on earth His only begotten Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. Also in the Communion sentence the Church recalls to us the prophecy of Isaiah: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son; and His name shall be called Emmanuel."</p><p>And again, in the Offertory, she combines in a single salutation the words addressed to our Lady by the Archangel and by Saint Elizabeth. Saint Gregory writes: "Archangel Gabriel, whose name means strength of God, is sent to Mary, since he comes to announce the Messias whose will it is, to appear in humiliation and abasement, in order to subdue all the powers of the air. It was fitting that He should be heralded by Gabriel the 'Strength of God'; He, who was to come as the Lord of Might, the All-powerful and Unconquerable in battle, to crush the powers of the air in universal defeat" .</p><p>In the Collect, just as we are reminded of the display of our Lord's "great might" which will take place at the time of His second coming, when as supreme Judge, He will come in the splendor of His divine Majesty to render to each according to his works, so we find and allusion to this same great power manifested in His first coming. It was as one clothed in His weak and mortal human nature that our Lord put the Devil to flight. As we think of our Lord as nigh at hand in one or other of His "comings", let us say, with the Church, "Come, Lord Jesus, and tarry not."</p>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-68352393679905186232013-06-03T03:36:00.001-07:002013-06-03T03:36:39.631-07:00Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus <p><a href="http://imgur.com/hcUrNyQ"><img title="Hosted by imgur.com" src="http://i.imgur.com/hcUrNyQ.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p>O Sacred and adorable Heart of Jesus!<br /> Furnace of Eternal charity!<br /> Ocean of infinite mercy!<br /> Consolation of the afflicted!<br /> Refuge of sinners!<br /> and Hope of the whole world!<br /> I most fervently adore Thee,<br /> and unite my heart,<br /> my affections,<br /> and supplications,<br /> to the perpetual homage Thou Thyself renderest<br /> to the Divinity on our Altars.<br /> Most amiable Heart,<br /> which hast loved us with an eternal love,<br /> supply Thyself for my insensibility,<br /> and receive my desire at least of loving Thee<br /> with all the ardour and sincerity Thou so justly meritest.<br /> But remember, O adorable Heart!<br /> that Thou hast not disclosed Thyself to us<br /> only as an object of our adorations;<br /> Thou desirest much more to engage our love,<br /> and to become the ground<br /> and motive of our loving confidence.<br /> For this end,<br /> Thou wert pierced through with a lance on the Cross;<br /> and for the same purpose Thou remainest<br /> a daily Victim of Thine own love on our Altars.<br /> O infinitely compassionate Heart of Jesus!<br /> which was overwhelmed with sorrow in the Garden of Olives,<br /> at the view of our spiritual and corporal miseries,<br /> I recur of Thee now with all the confidence Thou desirest<br /> I should have in the extent of Thy power<br /> and the riches of Thy mercy.<br /> Convinced that those things<br /> which are impossible to human beings<br /> are infinitely easy to Thee,<br /> and relying with an humble steadfast faith<br /> on the sacred words of Truth itself,<br /> that whatever we ask the Father<br /> in the Name of Jesus should be granted,<br /> I now most humbly implore in that adorable Name,<br /> in virtue of that promise,<br /> and through the abundant mercies of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,<br /> the particular favour I petition for in this Novena.<br /> ( here our humble prayer petition )</p><p>O blessed saint Gertrude!<br /> and all you glorious servants of Christ;<br /> who while on earth were particularly devoted<br /> to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,<br /> join your prayers with mine,<br /> and implore from the Divine Object of all your devotion<br /> the obtaining of the petition which I now make,<br /> and specially offer up through your intercession.<br /> Beg likewise, from this adorable Heart,<br /> which has dominion over all hearts,<br /> and could in a moment change the most obdurate,<br /> to have compassion on those who are<br /> in the dreadful state of mortal sin,<br /> and to open to us the treasure of its mercy<br /> at the hour of our death.</p><p>Amen.</p>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-15170339634200039002013-05-30T15:37:00.001-07:002013-05-30T15:37:35.515-07:00Blessed Feast of Corpus Christi<p><a href="http://lunapic.com"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/yXyZxWG.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><p>Blessed and praised every moment be the most holy and divine Sacrament.</p><p>(Indulgence 100 days)</p><p>I adore Thee at every moment, O living bread of heaven, great Sacrament!<br /> Jesus, heart of Mary, I pray you, bless my soul.<br /> Holiest Jesus, my Savior, I give Thee my heart.</p><p>(Indulgence of Two Hundred Days; Pius VII, 1915)</p><p>Prayer to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament</p><p>O My Lord and King, hidden in this Sacrament! Since Thou dost invite me to converse with Thee, I will open my heart with confidence, and speak. O my Jesus, ardent lover of souls-! I know too well the injustice and ingratitude of men towards Thee: Thou lovest them, and they do not love Thee: Thou dost confer benefits on them, and they return Thee insults: Thou wouldst have them hear Thy voice, and they will not listen: Thou dost offer them graces, and they refuse them. Ah, my Jesus, I too have been once among the number of these ungrateful souls. O my God, it is only too true. But I desire to amend, and I wish to compensate for the insults I have done Thee, by doing all I can to please Thee for the remainder of my life. Tell me, O Lord, what Thou dost require of me. I will do it without the least reserve. Make known to me Thy will by the way of holy obedience, and I hope to accomplish it.</p><p>My God, I firmly promise never to leave undone any act which I know to be agreeable to Thee, although the performance of it should cost me the loss of all things, of relations, friends, character, health, and even life itself. Let me lose all, if only I may do Thy will. Happy loss, when all is sacrificed to content Thy Heart, O God of my soul! I love Thee, O sovereign Good, above all goods worthy of my love, and in loving Thee I unite my feeble heart with the hearts of all the Seraphim. I unite it with the heart of Mary, and with the Heart of Jesus. I love Thee with my whole soul; I wish to love Thee alone, now and for ever. Amen</p>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-41014488788001511332013-05-22T14:23:00.001-07:002013-05-23T15:01:11.748-07:00Novena in preparation for the Feast of Corpus Christi ~ Day 1 ~<a href="http://lunapic.com/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/zB1YhaF.gif" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, <i>for coming upon this earth for our salvation, and for instituting the august Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist</i> in order to remain with us until the end of the world.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee<i> for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Thy infinite majesty and beauty</i>, which Thy Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Thy Mercy.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee, most loving Jesus,<i> for having made Thyself my food, and for uniting me to Thyself </i>with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament <i>that I may live in Thee</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee, my Jesus, <i>for giving Thyself to me in this Most Blessed Sacrament</i>, and so enriching it with <i>the treasures of Thy love</i> that Thou hast no greater gift to give me.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee not only<i> for becoming my food but also for offering Thyself</i> as a<i> continual sacrifice</i> to Thy Eternal Father <i>for my salvation</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee, Divine Priest, f<i>or offering Thyself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars</i> in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and <i>for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee <i>for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual propitiatory Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary</i>, in which Thou satisfiest Divine justice for us poor sinners.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee, dear Jesus, <i>for having become the priceless Victim</i> to merit for me the fullness of Heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in Thee that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul and let me always be worthy of Thee.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I thank Thee <i>for offering Thyself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He hath bestowed upon me</i>. In union with Thine offering of Thyself to Thy Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special intention :</div>
<em>( here our humble prayer petition )</em><br />
<br />
If it be Thy holy Will, grant my request. Through Thee I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Thy love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with Thee in Heaven. Amen.<br />
<br />
O Lord, Thou hast given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us who are worthy of Thee. Thou hast given them bread from Heaven. Having all sweetness within.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Let us pray.</u></b><br />
<br />
God our Father, for Thy glory and our salvation Thou appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the souls He gained for Thee by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Most Blessed Sacrament, for He liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, forever. Amen.<br />
<br />
<b><i> O Jesus, since Thou hast left us a remembrance of Thy Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Thy Redemption through Christ our Lord. Amen.</i></b>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-70317609434630643282013-05-22T13:47:00.000-07:002013-05-22T14:48:43.886-07:00Rosary Novena, Joyful Mysteries - In Petition<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/v10qu5KACyw" width="480"></iframe>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-79897580109694614862013-05-21T21:51:00.001-07:002013-05-21T21:51:37.825-07:00Daily 15 Prayers of Saint Bridget <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PtvEcbslhjo" width="459"></iframe>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-24598725740096263322013-05-21T21:46:00.001-07:002013-05-21T21:46:21.983-07:00Daily 15 Prayers of Saint Bridget <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FkOy-rVGTo8" width="459"></iframe>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-55806130920578768192013-05-21T21:40:00.001-07:002013-05-21T21:40:30.771-07:00Daily 15 Prayers of Saint Bridget <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kJLc3yHA_nk" width="459"></iframe>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-83271595177526617182013-05-21T04:27:00.001-07:002013-05-21T04:34:21.601-07:00Tuesday in Whitsun Week ( by Fr. Prosper Gueranger 1870)<span style="color: maroon;"><img alt="" src="http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Tuesday%20in%20Whitsun%20Week.jpg" style="border-style: none; border-width: 3px; color: #bd9561; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-align: center;" /></span><br />
<br style="color: #0d1a3b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-align: center;" />
<em style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love.</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><em style="text-align: justify;"></em>Y<span style="text-align: justify;">esterday, we were admiring the work of the Holy Ghost, whereby He drew mankind to the faith and name of Jesus, to Whom all power was given in heaven and in earth (St. Matt. xxviii. 18). The instruments used for this conquest were the Apostles and their immediate successors. The Tongue of Fire was victorious, and the Prince of this world was defeated. Let us continue our reflections, and see the further workings of the Holy Spirit for the glory of the Son of God, Who had sent him into the world.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">O<span style="text-align: justify;">ur Emmanuel came down from heaven, that He might effect the union He had desired from all eternity. He began it by uniting our human nature to His own divine Person; but this personal union did not satisfy His love. He mercifully deigned to invite the whole human race to a spiritual union with Himself, by giving her to become His Church, His own dearest One , as He calls her;--His glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish (Eph. v. 27). But how could mankind, deformed as it was by sin, be worthy of such an honor? His love would make it worthy. He tells us that this Church is His Spouse ; and thus chosen, He beautified her in the laver of His own precious Blood, and gave her, in dowry, the infinite merits He had acquired. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">T<span style="text-align: justify;">hus prepared, her union with Him was to be of the closest. Jesus and his Church are one body; He is the Head, she is the aggregate of the Members united together under this one Head. Such is the teaching of the Apostle: Christ is the Head of the Church: we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones (Eph. v. 23, 30). This Body is to be formed of all who shall, in each successive age, be faithful to the call of divine grace, and enroll themselves as children of the Church. The world we inhabit is to be preserved, till the last elect, required to complete the mystic body of Jesus, be added to the Church Triumphant: then, all will be consummated; the divine Mystery of the Incarnation will have achieved its whole work. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">B<span style="text-align: justify;">ut, as in the Incarnate Word there was the invisible Soul and the visible Body, so also the Church was to have a Soul and a Body: a Soul, whose hidden beauty no eye but God's can fully see, at least during her earthly sojourn; and a Body, which is to be visible to men, an ever-living proof of God's power, and of His love for the human race. Up to the Day of Pentecost, the just, who had been united under Jesus, their Head, had belonged only to the soul of the Church, for the body was not then in existence. The heavenly Father had adopted them as His children; the Son of God had accepted them as His members; and the Holy Ghost (Who is now about to work exteriors,) had interiors wrought their election and sanctification. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">T<span style="text-align: justify;">he new order of things is to begin in Mary's person. As we have already explained, the Church in its entirety, that is both soul and body, resided first in Her. It was but fitting that she who was as truly the Mother of the Son of God, according to His Human Nature, as the heavenly Father was His Father according to the Divine Nature, should be superior to all other members of the Church, and this not only in the high degree of grace, but also in the precedence of time. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">W<span style="text-align: justify;">hen our Saviour gave his Church an existence outside the loved sanctuary of his Mother's Heart, He, with His own hands, set the Foundation Stone, (Peter, the Rock); He raised up the Pillars, and we have seen how He spent the forty days before His Ascension, in organizing this Church, which was then so small, but which was afterwards to cover the whole earth. He told His Apostles, that He would be with them all days even to the consummation of the world (St. Matth. xxviii. 20); it was the same as telling them, that, even after His Ascension into heaven, His Church was to continue on earth, even to the end of time. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">H<span style="text-align: justify;">e left the plan, thus begun by Himself, to be perfected by the Holy Ghost. It was necessary that this Holy Spirit should come down from heaven, in order to strengthen those whom Jesus had chosen as His Apostles. He was to be their Paraclete; their Comforter, in the absence of their Master; He was to be the Power from on high, Who was to serve them as armour in their future combats; He was to remind them of all the words spoken to them by Christ; He was to give fruitfulness, by His own action, to the Sacraments, which Jesus had instituted, and over which the Apostles had power, because of the character impressed upon them by this Holy Spirit. It is on this account that Jesus said to His Apostles: It is expedient to you that I go; for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you (St. John, xvi. 7). We have seen this Divine Spirit, on the Day of Pentecost, producing His effects on the Apostles and Disciples; let us now see His action in the creation, maintenance, and perfecting of this Church, which Jesus has promised to assist, by His mysterious presence, even to the consummation of the world. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">T<span style="text-align: justify;">he first operation of the Holy Ghost in the Church is the election of its members. This right of election is so especially His prerogative, that, as we learn from the Scriptures, it was by the Holy Ghost (Acts, i. 2) that Jesus chose the Apostles, who were to be the pillars of His Church. We have seen how this Holy Spirit began His Mission on the Day of Pentecost, by the election of three thousand Jews. A few days after, five thousand were added to the number, being converted by the preaching of Peter and John (Ibid. iii. and iv. 4). The Gentiles, also, were called to the Church; and the Holy Ghost, having led Peter to Cornelius the Centurion, descends upon this Roman and his household, thus declaring them to be elected as candidates for holy Baptism. The Liturgy put this history before us, in the Mass of yesterday. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">W<span style="text-align: justify;">e seem able to keep pace with these first workings of the Holy Spirit; but the sequel is all impetuosity, divine rapidity of action, irresistible conquest. He sends forth His Messengers; their sound goeth forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world (Ps. xviii. 5). He goes before them; He goes with them; He works the victory, whilst they speak. We come to the commencement of the 3rd Century, and we find a Christian writer addressing the Magistrates of the Roman Empire in these words: "We are but of yesterday, and we abound everywhere, in your cities, in your towns, in your camps; in the palace, the senate, the forum (Tertullilan, Apologet. xxxvii)." Nothing can withstand the Spirit of God: and in less than three hundred years from the Day of His first manifestation, He calls the very Emperors of Rome to be members of the Church. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">T<span style="text-align: justify;">hus does the Spouse of Jesus advance in her beauty and strength; He looks upon her from His throne in heaven, and tenderly loves her. In the early part of the 4th Century, the Church, the work of the Holy Ghost, exceeds the limits of the Roman Empire. Here and there, within this vast Empire, there are places where paganism is still rife; but they all know what the Church is, and the very hatred they bear her is a proof that they are aware of her progress. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">B<span style="text-align: justify;">ut let us not suppose, that the Mission of the Holy Ghost is limited to the founding the Church on the ruins of the great Pagan Empire. No: the Spouse of Jesus is to be immortal; she is to exist in every place and age; she is to be superior, both by the extent of her dominions and the number of her subjects, to every other human power. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">T<span style="text-align: justify;">he Divine Ghost could not, therefore, suspend his Mission. The Roman Empire has merited, by her crimes, to be swept away by the inundation of barbarous nations: it is the preparation of a new triumph for the Spirit. He comes and works, invisibly and silently, amidst this huge mass: He has his elect there, and by millions. He has renewed the face of the pagan world; He renews the face of the world, now that the Barbarians rule it. He chooses His co-operators, and right faithful are they. He creates new Apostles, and He selects them from all classes, for He is Master to do as He wills. Queens such as Clotilda, Bertha, Theodelind, or Hedwiges, are ready to do His bidding's; they deck the Spouse of Jesus with their royal hands, and she comes forth to the world once more, younger and lovelier than ever.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;">T<span style="text-align: justify;">here are, indeed, immense tracts of country in Europe not yet in the Church; it was necessary first to give stability to the work in those that had previously been Christian, and had been well-nigh submerged beneath the deluge of the invasion. But, at the close of the 6th Century, the Holy Spirit visits Britain, Germany, Scandinavia and Sclavonia; He sends them Apostles, such as Augustine, Boniface, Anscharius, Adalbert, Cyril, Methodius, Otho. By the labors of Missioners like these, the Spouse is compensated for the losses she has sustained in the East, where schism and heresy have encroached upon her primitive inheritance. That Holy Spirit, Who is God together with the Father and the Son, and has been sent by Them to defend the honor of the Spouse, is ever faithful to His trust.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="zemanta-articles">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Related articles, courtesy of Zemanta:</span><br />
<ul class="zemanta-articles">
<li><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/19/pentecost-in-art-paintings-stained-glass-windows-frescoes-and-more-photos_n_3303122.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pentecost In Art: Paintings, Stained Glass Windows, Frescoes And More (PHOTOS)</span></a></li>
</ul>
<div class="zemanta-pixie">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=f7894503-6a3d-8f26-be1a-ac9b4e594221" /></span></div>
</div>
Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-20966015092650485252013-05-20T14:18:00.001-07:002013-05-20T14:18:27.656-07:00Daily 15 Prayers of Saint Bridget <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PtvEcbslhjo" width="459"></iframe>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-19438616731161701342013-05-20T14:13:00.001-07:002013-05-20T14:13:58.319-07:00Daily 15 Prayers of Saint Bridget <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FkOy-rVGTo8" width="459"></iframe>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-57175897838993758332013-05-20T14:09:00.001-07:002013-05-21T04:28:37.082-07:00Daily 15 Prayers of Saint Bridget <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kJLc3yHA_nk" width="459"></iframe>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-15936471743113642042013-05-19T13:18:00.000-07:002013-05-19T13:18:04.724-07:00<a href="http://img156.imageshack.us/i/2444550981afd987778bb.jpg/" target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting"><img border="0" height="634" src="http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4010/2444550981afd987778bb.jpg" style="height: 564px; width: 460px;" width="743" /></a><br />
<br />
A<i><u> partial indulgence</u></i> is granted to the faithful, who devoutly recite the hymn Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest.<br />
But a <i><u>plenary indulgence</u></i> is granted, if the Hymn is recited publicly on the 1st of January and on the feast of Pentecost.<br />
<br />
Come O Creator Spirit blest,<br />
And in our souls take up Thy rest,<br />
Come with Thy grace and Heavenly aid,<br />
And fill the hearts which Thou hast made.<br />
Great Paraclete! To Thee we cry,<br />
O highest gift of God most high!<br />
O fount of life! O fire of love!<br />
And sweet anointing from above.<br />
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts art known,<br />
The finger of God's hand we own;<br />
The promise of the Father, Thou!<br />
Who dost the tongue with power endow.<br />
Kindle our senses from above,<br />
And make our hearts o'erflow with love;<br />
With patience firm and virtue high,<br />
The weakness of our flesh supply.<br />
Far from us drive the foe we dread,<br />
And grant us Thy true peace instead;<br />
So shall we not, with Thee for guide,<br />
Turn from the path of life aside.<br />
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow<br />
The Father and the Son to know,<br />
And Thee through endless times confessed<br />
Of both the Eternal Spirit blest.<br />
All glory while the ages run<br />
Be to the Father and the Son<br />
Who rose from death; the same to Thee,<br />
O Holy Ghost, eternally. Amen. Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-63502894634530059612013-05-19T13:01:00.001-07:002013-05-19T13:11:42.519-07:00Today : the Solemnity of Pentecost - Whit Sunday<a href="http://imgur.com/IBpi6Ww"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/IBpi6Ww.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /></a>
<br>
"There are Three who give testimony in Heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and these Three are one."-----1 JOHN 5, 7<br />
Whitsunday or the Solemnity of Pentecost is a Double of the First Class Feast with a Privileged Octave of the First Order and the Station at St. Peter. Our Lord Jesus Christ, being seated on the right hand of the Father, sent, as He had promised, the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, who, after His Ascension, continued in prayer at Jerusalem, in company with the Blessed Virgin, awaiting the performance of His promise. Let us pray in like manner with the Church: "Come,O Holy Ghost , fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.<br />
<br />
On this day our Lord Jesus Christ, Risen from the grave and seated at the right hand of the Father, communicates His own divine Life to the members of His Mystical Body through the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. So the Church having attained its full development, now first appears before the world.<br />
<br />
"I believe in the Holy Ghost," thus sounds for every Christian who wishes to be saved the eighth article of the Apostles' Creed. In fact, as faith in God the Father and the Son fills the whole world, so, too, faith in the Holy Ghost. And as the world is full of the omnipotence of the Father and full of the Redemption through the Son, and consequently gives testimony of the Father and the Son, so also it is filled with the Providence of the Holy Ghost, and gives glory to the Holy Ghost by a like testimony.<br />
<br />
The omnipotence of the Father as Creator of Heaven and earth called the world into existence out of nothing; but the world was still void and empty. It was the work of the Holy Ghost to adjust it and communicate to it wonderful beauty, motion, life, fertility and the multiplicity of its creatures. Hence Holy Scripture says: "The Spirit of God moved over the waters," which still covered the whole earth.<br />
<br />
In like manner, Our Divine Savior accomplished the work of Redemption, announced truths, and gained again grace for the world; but it was the work of the Holy Ghost to adjust as it were this Redemption, to apply it to men by forming the kingdom of grace and truth, the Holy Church, and to communicate to her marvelous beauty, fruitfulness, and perpetuity, in order that in her and through her the Redemption might become the common property of all men until the end of time. For this reason, the Holy Ghost came down on Pentecost at Jerusalem, in order to begin His Divine activity for the salvation of the world. This was in accordance with the promise of Our Divine Savior to His Apostles: "I will ask the Father and He will give you another Paraclete, in order that He may remain with you forever, the Spirit of truth." I will, therefore, speak to you today of the Holy Ghost, of His name, of His activity, and of His government of His Church.<br />
<br />
The Holy Ghost is the Third Divine Person, as every Christian believes and knows. And every one who is Baptized or receives any of the other Sacraments, receives them in the name and with the invocation of the Holy Ghost. As we have been taught by Our Divine Savior to call the First Person Father, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, Who has adopted us as His Children; and as we for this reason call the Second Person the Son, as Jesus called Himself, so, too, do we call the Third Person, according to the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost.<br />
<br />
True the Holy Triune God is the purest, most perfect Spirit; the Angels are also pure spirits and have no bodies; and our own souls are immortal spirits; nevertheless we call the Third Person by the particular name, Holy Spirit, because He gives to us and to the whole world that supernatural, that higher spiritual life of grace. The Apostle St. John writes: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" . This birth to a higher spiritual and supernatural life, as the fundamental condition of eternal happiness, takes place through the Holy Spirit in Baptism, as Our Divine Savior Himself teaches: "Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" <br />
<br />
Oremus / Let us pray<br />
O God, Who on this day didst teach the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost: grant unto us, by the same Spirit, to be wise in what is right, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God , forever and ever. Amen.Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-71997993974077702402012-09-14T06:14:00.001-07:002012-09-14T06:14:12.080-07:00The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross<img border="0" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img35/4650/76333076e379b5273bz.jpg" />
<br />
<div>
Today, we are celebrating the Feast of the Triumph or Exaltation of the Holy Cross .<br />
Everywhere we look, the symbol of the Holy Cross is present to remind us of the infinite sacrifice that the Lord Jesus did for our redemption. The sign of the Cross is found in the Sacred Liturgy. The Holy Cross is in the Rite of Adoration. It is the symbol of blessing. It is found in the dedication of Churches, in the Schools, the homes, Hospitals, Seminaries, Convents, Religious Order, Crusades and even in cemeteries.<br />
Today, let us look up to the Holy Cross as our symbol of faith and salvation. Let us always honour the work of Christ that was manifested through the Holy Cross, the true symbol of love, compassion and forgiveness.<br />
Over and above being the symbol of Christianity, the Holy Cross brings to light many fundamental truths that are being taught by the Holy Catholic Church .<br />
The Holy Cross is the symbol of Divine Love. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.<br />
The Holy Cross is the symbol of Salvation. Through Jesus Christ and the Sacrament of Baptism, those who believe in Him and obey His teachings, they will enjoy eternal life in the Kingdom of God.<br />
The Holy Cross is the symbol of Divine Mercy and Compassion. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but in order that the world may be saved through Jesus.<br />
The history of the Holy Cross, its recapture in 629 A.D., reveals to us the Divine power of God that is behind this most Sacred object on which the Blood of Christ was shed for the sins of mankind.<br />
<div>
<a href="http://www.crosscrucifix.com/helen-hc250400.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.crosscrucifix.com/helen-hc250400.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 400px; width: 250px;" /></a><br />
In regards to the Holy Cross itself, when the Body of Jesus was removed from it, to prevent His followers from finding it, the Cross was thrown in a ditch or well, and then covered with stones and earth.<br />
According to the history , Helena Augustas, mother of Constantine, at the age of 80 travels to the Holy Land and finds the True Cross, the cross upon which Christ was crucified.<br />
The visit takes place around 325, when Constantine initiates the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and informs the bishop to spare no expense. This martyrium encloses what is believed to be the site of the tomb of Christ as well as Golgotha.<br />
Helena visits the Holy Land to show a presence of the emperor and to view the places where Christ had lived and died. She becomes interested in locating the True Cross. There are several versions on how the cross is found. In some, Helena has a dreams telling her where the cross is buried. In another tradition, the Ethiopian Coptic tradition still celebrated as Mesquel, she follows smoke from a bonfire to the site.<br />
In the version that receives the most circulation and became popular in the middle ages, she asks the people of Jerusalem to tell her the location. When the Jewish leaders of the city are silent, she places one of them, a man named Judas, in a well until he agrees to show her the site. After seven days, he prays to God for guidance and reveals the location. Afterwards, Judas converts to Christianity, and takes the name Kyriakis, "he who belongs to the Lord."</div>
<div>
Helena finds the three crosses, nails, and title under a pagan temple. To determine which is the right cross, a dead girl is brought to the site. Upon being touched by the True cross, she is restored to life.<br />
Helena is made a saint for her role in finding the cross and becomes the model for a Christian empress due to her many acts of charity. Part of the trip was to promote good will for her son, especially after he had apparently executed his wife and his favorite son, and to redress the wrongs inflicted on Christians by the other emperor, Licinius, who Constantine had recently defeated and killed.<br />
A portion of the cross remained in Jerusalem, where it was exhibited on certain Holy Days. The remainder was divided between Rome and Constantinople. A portion of the title is sent to Rome, where it is hidden and then found again in the 16th centuryIn 614, Chosroes II, the King of Persia, invaded Syria and Palestine, at which time he carried away many of the great treasures of Jerusalem, including the relic of the True Cross. In 629, Emperor Heraclius of Constantinople marched into Persia and recapture the True Cross, seeing to it that Heraclius piously bring it back to Jerusalem while being clothed in sackcloth of penance and barefoot. On September 14 th, the Sacred Cross was restored to its place in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. To commemorate this victory, in the 7 th century, the Church of Rome adopted the "Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross" on September 14 th.<br />
<br />
<em>Blessed Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross for everyone !</em></div>
</div>
Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-32285705450901134392012-09-05T16:01:00.000-07:002012-09-05T16:11:21.199-07:00Novena in Exaltation of the Holy Cross ( Day 1 )<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtCobv9O5x54S_dauXoNrFeXorxLXffc2fWle99DGePLUzFXxatwt35ovW1x-hKtV9TO7mnwwO7xBFgg0LZQJ7t6kHuYjaAXTgqBGvGkPiyArvziuwaz30g70glc7ncbk5OBYNyodZKpO/s1600-h/32.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="570" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378389698995637826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtCobv9O5x54S_dauXoNrFeXorxLXffc2fWle99DGePLUzFXxatwt35ovW1x-hKtV9TO7mnwwO7xBFgg0LZQJ7t6kHuYjaAXTgqBGvGkPiyArvziuwaz30g70glc7ncbk5OBYNyodZKpO/s640/32.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<i></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi,<br />quia per crucem tuam redemisti mundum.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee,<br />for by Thy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Let us faithfully pray Novena in the Exaltation of the Holy Cross :</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Jesus, Who because of Thy burning Love for us</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">willed to be crucified</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">and to shed Thy Most Precious Blood</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">for the Redemption and Salvation of our souls,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">look down upon us and grant the petition we humbly ask for</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>(our prayer intention here...)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Lord we trust completely in Thy Mercy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Cleanse us from sin by Thy Grace,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">sanctify our work,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">give us and all those who are dear to us our daily bread,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">lighten the burden of our sufferings,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">bless our families,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">and grant to the nations,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">so sorely afflicted,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thy Peace, which is the only True Peace,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">so that by obeying Thy Commandments</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">we may come at last to the Glory of Heaven. Amen </span></div>
<div style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">e C<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>tholics h<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ve<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a </span>gre<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>t sh<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>re in this Ex<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>lt<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>tion of the Cross. It is our speci<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>l trust, our b<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>dge, our glory. Like the first Christi<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ns, it is ours to honor, to use, to be known<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> by</span>. Those who h<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ve f<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>llen<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> from </span>the true f<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ith h<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ve l<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>id it<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>side<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>s childish<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>nd not fit for the m<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ture. But the Gospel w<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>s pre<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ched to the childlike,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>nd the Kingdom of He<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ven reserved for them. So we will keep our childlike w<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ys,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>nd loy<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>lly use the s<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>cred sign. We will m<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ke it with reverence, with confidence, with joy.<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> A</span>nd the d<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>y will come when we who<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>re signed with the Sign of the Cross upon our forehe<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ds will go forth to meet our Redeemer,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>nd He will<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>cknowledge us to be His own. Like Const<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ntine,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> by </span>th<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>t sign we sh<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ll conquer.</span></i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #20124d;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (or Triumph of the Cross) we honor the Holy Cross by which Christ redeemed the world.<br />The public veneration of the Cross of Christ originated in the fourth century, according to early accounts, beginning with the miraculous discovery of the cross on September 14, 326, by Saint Helen, mother of Constantine, while she was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem -- the same day that two churches built at the site of Calvary by Constantine were dedicated.<br />Christians "exalt" the Cross of Christ as the instrument of our salvation. Adoration of the Cross is, thus, adoration of Jesus Christ, the God Man, who suffered and died on this Roman instrument of torture for our redemption from sin and death. The Holy Cross represents the One Sacrifice by which Jesus, obedient even unto death, accomplished our salvation. The Holy Cross is a symbolic summary of the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ -- all in one image.<br />Christians "exalt" the Cross of Christ as the instrument of our salvation. </i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<u style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Oremus/Let us pray : </span><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"> </span></u></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: large;">O</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> God, Who, for the redemption of the world, w<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>st ple<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>sed to be born in<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a </span>st<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ble,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>nd to die upon<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a C</span>ross; O Lord Jesus Christ,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> by </span>Thy Holy Sufferings, which we, Thy unworthy serv<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>nts, devoutly c<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ll to mind,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> by </span>Thy Holy Cross,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>nd<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> by </span>Thy Holy Passion and De<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>th, deliver us</span><span id="dtx-highlighting-item" style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> from </span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the p<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ins of hell,<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>nd vouchs<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>fe to conduct us whither Thou didst conduct the thief who w<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>s crucified with Thee. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Who livest<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> a</span>nd reignest etern<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>lly in He<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">a</span>ven. <span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> A</span>men.</span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-style: italic;">
</span>
</span><i><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></i></span></div>
<br />Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-31855407766579092632012-08-06T15:25:00.000-07:002012-08-06T15:25:11.505-07:00Prayer in Honor of the Transfiguration of Our Lord<img border="0" src="http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/5944/transfigurationoflord.jpg" /><br />
O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine only-begotten Son didst strengthen the sacraments of faith by the testimony of the Fathers of Thy Holy Church , and Who didst wonderfully foreshow the perfect adoption of Thy children by a voice coming down in a shining cloud, mercifully grant that we be made co-heirs of the King of glory Himself, and grant us to be sharers in the same glory. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen
<br />
<br />
Sanctify, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gifts offered on the glorious Transfiguration of Thine only-begotten Son, and by the splendors of that very illumination cleanse us from the stains of our sins. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen<br />
<br />
Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that with the understanding of a purified mind we may follow those sacred mysteries of Thy Son's Transfiguration which we celebrate with our solemn office. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. AmenCradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-33542551661232906022012-08-04T13:44:00.001-07:002012-08-04T13:44:54.291-07:00First Saturday Devotion<p><img src="http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/2898/holyandimmaculatemother.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></p><p>First Friday is a devotion to the beloved Sacred Heart of Jesus. First Saturday, similarly, is a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is wholly within reason that these two devotions deelply connected—for where one heart is beating, so, too, is the other.</p><p>Our Lord Jesus Sacred Heart takes its form from Mary’s body, a body that is fueled by her own heart. Yet, her own heart is Immaculate precisely because of Christ’s own Sacred Heart, which simply conveys the graces of His Sacrifice to His own mother at her own conception to ensure His own conception. It is an amazing circularity of love between two hearts, a love between Mother and Son that is so readily able to extend beyond the confines of time. It is this love between the Sacred Heart on First Fridays and the Immaculate Heart on First Saturdays that we seek to consecrate ourselves to through these two devotions.</p><p>In 1917, when Our Lady appeared at Fatima, she began a series of visits to three children. One of these children, Lucy, was visited by the Blessed Mother for the remainder of her life. During these visits, the Virgin Mary showed Lucy and the other children glimpses of Hell and revealed to them a number of secrets and prophecies. One of the revelations made to Lucy in 1925 was the foundation from which First Saturdays arose.</p><p>The vision that occurred was a joint visit from Mary and the Infant Child Jesus. Mary conveyed to Lucy that her heart was wounded, showing Lucy a representation of her Immaculate heart, surrounded by thorns. This heart was victim to “ungrateful men” who “wound [her heart] at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude.” Because of these wounds, the Blessed Mother asked Lucy to perform a certain sort of penance to console her compassion-thirsty heart. That penance, it turns out, is the backbone of what First Saturdays is about.</p><p>“Say to all who, for five months, on the first Saturdays, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary, and keep Me company during fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to my Immaculate Heart, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of souls.”</p><p>Thus, the First Saturday devotion requires:</p><p>a.) Confession (which later visions revealed could occur within 8 days before or after the first Saturday);</p><p>b.) Reception of Holy Communion;</p><p>c.) Recitation of the Rosary;</p><p>d.) 15 minutes of meditation (separate from the saying of the Rosary) on any one or more of the mysteries of the Rosary;</p><p>e.) a-d being done with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart.</p><p>f.) The discipline must be kept for five first Saturdays in-a-row.</p><p>In 1930 it was revealed to Lucy, after she had entered the convent that the number of Saturdays necessary to complete the devotion correlates to the five blasphemies that Mary’s Immaculate Heart suffers from:</p><p>1.) Blasphemy against her Immaculate Conception;</p><p>2.) Blasphemy against her perpetual virginity;</p><p>3.) Blasphemy against her divine maternity of God and mankind;</p><p>4.) Distortion of her image;</p><p>5.) Neglect of implanting knowledge, love and devotion into the hearts of children.</p><p>Additionally, over time the promises associated with the practice have expanded to include not only the personal salvation of one’s own soul, but to grant salvation to all sinners (especially the blasphemers) and for peace in the world. Thus, this practice and devotion is of the utmost importance for young and Faithful Catholics to take up. In a world mired in turmoil, the Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Heart will purify us by showing us a great, maternal love—a love that ultimately seeks to unite us to the Sacred Heart of her Son, Jesus Christ.</p>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2128402265648825840.post-25007104670431870872012-08-03T14:00:00.001-07:002012-08-03T14:00:19.834-07:00The First Friday of the Month<p><img src="http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/5425/firstfridaydevotion.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><br /> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>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.</strong></em></span> </p><p>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 Savior 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.</p><p>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 honor of the Sacred Heart on the first Friday of the month for nine successive months.</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>An Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus</strong></em></span><br /> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong> [For the First Friday of the Month]</strong></em></span></p><p>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 honor 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 Garden of Olives, and caused Thee to expire in anguish and agony on the Cross.</p><p>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 honor 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.</p><p>Cor Jesu Sacratissimum, miserere nobis.<br /> Cor Jesu Sacratissimum, miserere nobis.<br /> Cor Jesu Sacratissimum, miserere nobis.</p><p>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.<br /> Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.<br /> Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.Amen</p>Cradle Tradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15650751759529940393noreply@blogger.com