Saint Maria Goretti
by VP
Posted on Sunday July 06, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
"Venerable brethren and beloved children. Through a loving design of Divine Providence the supreme exaltation of a humble daughter of the people has been celebrated in this shining eventide with a Solemnity unequaled and in a form up to now unique in the annals of the Church.
It has been celebrated In the vastness and majesty of this place of mystery, become a sacred temple towards which is turned the firmament which chants the glories of the Most High—a temple desired by you rather than provided by Us and filled with an unnumbered amount of faithful such as other canonizations have never seen. Above all, it is a temple almost, as it were, required by the dazzling brilliance and intoxicating fragrance of this lily cloaked in purple whom We this moment with intimate joy have inscribed in the album of Saints: the tiny and sweet martyr of purity, Maria Goretti.
Why have you come in such huge numbers, beloved children, to her glorification? Why have you been softened even to tears at hearing or reading the account of her short life so like a Gospel story for its simplicity of line, the color of its environment, the very flashing violence of its death? Why has Maria Goretti so quickly captured your hearts even to becoming their darling and their favorite?
There is then in this world, apparently turned upside down and immersed in hedonism, not just a thin rank of settled elect of Heaven and the pure air, but a throng, immense multitudes on whom the supernatural perfume of Christian purity exerts an irresistible and promising fascination: promising yes, and reassuring. If it is true that in the martyrdom of Maria Goretti purity shone forth above all; nevertheless in and with it other Christian virtues also triumphed. In her purity there was the most elementary and significant affirmation of perfect mastery by the spiritual over the material. In her supreme heroism, which is not improvised, there was a tender, docile love, obedient and active, towards parents. There was sacrifice in harsh daily labor, poverty accepted in a Gospel manner and sustained by Faith in a celestial providence. There was religion intently embraced and its understanding always more desired, made ever more the treasure of life and nourished by the flame of prayer. There was a burning desire for the Eucharistic Jesus, and finally, there was the crown of charity, the heroic pardon granted to her murderer. All this made up the garland of country flowers, rustic but so dear to God, which adorned the white veil of her First Communion and shortly afterwards, that of her martyrdom.
Thus this sacred ceremony develops spontaneously into a popular assembly for purity. In the light of every martyrdom there is always a bitter contrast, the stain of some iniquity. Behind that of Maria Goretti is a scandal which at the beginning of this century seemed unheard-of. At a distance of almost 50 years, amidst the often insufficient reaction of those who are good, the conspiracy of immorality—availing itself of books, illustrations, the theater, radio programs, fashions, resorts and associations — attempts to undermine in the bosom of society and the family those who are the natural custodians of virtue, to the harm principally of those in their tenderest childhood.
Oh young people, beloved boys and girls, apples of the eyes of Jesus and of Our own — speak out! Are you resolved firmly to resist any attempt whatever that others may dare to make against your purity?
And you, fathers and mothers, in the sight of this multitude, before the image of this adolescent virgin who with her spotless purity has stolen your hearts, in the presence of her mother who having educated her to martyrdom and while living in its harrowing wake does not mourn her death and who now kneels overcome to pray to her —speak! Are you ready to assume the solemn pledge of watching over your sons and daughters, so far as in you lies, in order to preserve and defend them against such great dangers as surround them and to keep them ever away from places that prepare the way for impiety and moral perversion?
And now, oh all you who hear Us, lift up your hearts. Above the foul marshes and mud of the world there stretches a heaven of beauty. It is the heaven which drew little Maria, the heaven to which she wished to rise by the only way that leads to it: Religion, love of Christ, heroic observance of His commandments.
Hail, oh sweet and lovable Saint! Martyr on earth and angel in heaven, from your glory turn your gaze on this throng that loves you, venerates you, glorifies and exalts you. On your brow you wear clear and shining the victorious name of Christ. On your virgin countenance is the strength of love, the constancy of fidelity to your Divine Spouse. You are the spouse of blood through tracing upon yourself His image.
To you, powerful with the Lamb of God, we entrust these Our sons and daughters here present and all others spiritually united with Us. They admire your heroism but even more they wish to be your imitators in fervor of faith and incorruptible stainlessness of morals. To you fathers and mothers run that you may help them with their training mission. In you through Our hands all childhood and youth find refuge that they may be protected from every contamination and enter upon the path of life in the serenity and joy of the pure of heart. Amen."
May we preserve without stain our white baptismal robe of innocence. May we who have lost this innocence kneel humbly in Holy Penance, and with the absolution of the priest, may the torrent of Christ's precious Blood flow into our souls and give us a new courage to carry the burning light of God's love through the dangerous highways of this life until Christ our king shall call us to the courts of Heaven. Amen."
For the Church and Civil Authorities
by VP
Posted on Friday July 04, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
“America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance — it is not. It is suffering from tolerance. Tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded.”
"The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The Tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.”
“A religion that doesn’t interfere with the secular order will soon
discover that the secular order will not refrain from interfering with
it.” Rev. Fulton J. Sheen
We pray Thee, O almighty and Eternal
God, Who through Jesus Christ Hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to
preserve the works of Thy mercy; that thy Church, being spread through
the whole world, may continue, with unchanging faith, in the confession
of Thy name.
We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow
with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life our Pope
Francis, the vicar of our Lord Jesus Christ in the government of His
Church; our own bishop Bishop Zarama; all the other bishops, prelates, and pastors
of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise
among us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people
into the ways of salvation.
We pray Thee, O God of might,
wisdom, and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered,
laws are enacted, and judgments decreed, assist, with the Holy Spirit of
counsel and fortitude, the President of the United States, that his
administration may be
conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people,
over whom he presides, by
encouraging due respect for virtue and religion;
by faithful execution of the law in justice and
mercy; and by restraining vice
and immorality.
Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress,
and shine forth in all the
proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government;
so that they may tend to the preservation
of peace, the promotion of national happiness,
the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful
knowledge, and may
perpetuate to us the blessings of equal liberty.
We pray for his Excellency the Governor of
this State, for the members of the Assembly,
for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who
are appointed to guard our political welfare; that they may be enabled,
by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties
of their respective stations with honesty and
ability.
We
recommend likewise to Thy unbounded mercy all our brethren and fellow
citizens, throughout the
United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge, and sanctified
in the observance of Thy
most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace
which the world cannot give;
and, after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those
which are eternal.
Finally, we pray Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy
servants departed who are gone
before us with the sign of faith, and repose in the sleep of peace:
the souls of our parents, relations, and friends;
of those who, when living, were members of this
congregation; and particularly of such as are lately deceased;
of all benefactors who, by their
donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the
decency of divine worship,
and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance.
To these, O Lord, and to
all that rest in Christ, grant we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment,
light, and everlasting
peace, through the same Jesus, Our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
( Adapted from Archbishop Carroll's prayer)
July: Offerings to the Divine Incarnate Word of His own Most Precious Blood
by VP
Posted on Tuesday July 01, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Devotion: Precious Blood
Virtue: Simplicity
Offerings to the Divine Incarnate Word of His own Most Precious Blood (Extracted from those made by S. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi when in a state of rapture. Confraternity of the Precious Blood)
- O most Holy Word! I offer Thee Thy
priests, and in their behalf I offer thee whatever is most dear to Thee
in heaven and on earth, in union with all Thy Most Precious Blood: and I
pray Thee to enable them fitly to conceive of the high degree to which
they are exalted, and to hold in extreme abhorrence whatever can
dishonor their dignity or contaminate their lives.
O most Loving Word! I offer Thee the Virgins consecrated to Thee, and in their behalf I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood which Thou didst sweat in Thine Agony, in the garden. I place these doves in their own nest, and these lilies in their garden, Thy most amiable Heart; and I pray Thee to make them know the height of the vocation to which Thou hast called them, and faithfully correspond to Thy love.
O Eternal Word! I offer Thee all the faithful sons of Holy Church, Thy Spouse, members of that body of which Thou art the Head; and I offer Thee in their behalf the Most Precious Blood which Thou didst shed in Thy scourging: I pray Thee to cause them to remember the solemn renouncement of the world, the flesh, and the devil, which they made in baptism; and that they may lead such lives as will not bring discredit on the faith which they profess.
O Divine Word! I offer Thee all poor sinners, and in their behalf I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood and Water which issued from Thy sacred Side when pierced by the lance. I pray Thee to wash the stains from their souls in this Blood and Water, and to grant that, with a timely repentance, they may, by returning love for love, make up for the sins they have committed against Thee.
O Eternal Word! I offer to Thee all heretics, and in their behalf I offer Thee that Most Precious Blood which Thou didst shed from Thy Body, all wounded as it was, when Thou wast stripped to be crucified. I entreat Thee to have compassion on these poor sheep, which, separated from Thy fold, are on the way to lose themselves in the paths of error and obstinacy; and place them in the bosom of Thy Church, where alone truth and safety are found.
O Divine Word! I offer Thee all infidels, and in their behalf I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood which Thou didst shed from Thy sacred Head when crowned with thorns. I beseech Thee to remember that these souls also are the work of Thy Hands. Enlighten them, that they may know their true and only God, and their Savior; that they too may be made partakers of the grace of the Sacraments, and of our common redemption.
Eternal Father! I offer Thee the intense pains which Thy only-begotten Son did suffer, during the three hours that he was nailed to the Cross for love of us; particularly when, in the intensity of His grief and abandonment, He exclaimed, " My God! my God! why hast Thou forsaken me?" I offer them to Thee in behalf of all those in their agony, together with the Blood that flowed from His five wounds; that they, by the power of this Blood, may be fortified and defended against all temptations, and may reach the port of eternal bliss.
O most merciful Word! I offer to Thee all the holy souls in Purgatory, and in then- behalf I offer Thee Thy most Precious Blood. I beseech Thee to grant that this sacred fount of comfort may incessantly flow to mitigate their pains, and to hasten their release, that so they may quickly come to be united with Thee in that glory to which they are destined. Amen.
O Eternal Father! I offer Thee the love which Jesus Christ, Thy Son, testified towards the human race during the whole course of His Passion, and especially in the pain which He endured in the hiding of the Beatific Vision from the lower part of His nature. I pray Thee that Thy complacency in this love may so delight Thee, that Thou mayest mercifully vouchsafe to overlook the many offenses committed against Thee in the world at this time.
Seven Glorias in honor of the Most Precious Blood.
On Promoting Devotion to the Most Precious Blood, Pope John XXIII - 1960
"It is supremely important that the Church’s liturgy fully conform to Catholic belief (“the law for prayer is the law for faith”[3]), and that only those devotional forms be sanctioned which well up from the unsullied springs of true faith."
"(...) worship achieves its normal fulfillment in sacramental communion with the same Blood, indissolubly united with Christ’s Eucharistic Body. In intimate association with the celebrant the faithful can then truly make his sentiments at communion their own: “I will take the chalice of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. . . The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul for everlasting life. Amen.” Thus as often as they come worthily to this holy table they will receive more abundant fruits of the redemption and resurrection and eternal life won for all men by the Blood Christ shed “through the Holy Spirit.”[13] Nourished by his Body and Blood, sharing the divine strength that has sustained count less martyrs, they will stand up to the slings and arrows of each day’s fortunes — even if need be to martyrdom itself for the sake of Christian virtue and the kingdom of God. Theirs will be the experience of that burning love which made St. John Chrysostom cry out:
Let us, then, come back from that table like lions breathing out fire, thus becoming terrifying to the Devil, and remaining mindful of our Head and of the love he has shown for us. . . This Blood, when worthily received, drives away demons and puts them at a distance from us, and even summons to us angels and the Lord of angels. . . This Blood, poured out in abundance, has washed the whole world clean. . . This is the price of the world; by it Christ purchased the Church… This thought will check in us unruly passions. How long, in truth, shall we be attached to present things? How long shall we remain asleep? How long shall we not take thought for our own salvation? Let us remember what privileges God has bestowed on us, let us give thanks, let us glorify him, not only by faith, but also by our very works. [14]
If only Christians would reflect more frequently on the fatherly warning of the first pope: “Look anxiously, then, to the ordering of your lives while your stay on earth lasts.
You know well enough that your ransom was not paid in earthly currency, silver or gold; it was paid in the precious blood of Christ; no lamb was ever so pure, so spotless a victim.”[15] If only they would lend a more eager ear to the apostle of the Gentiles: “A great price was paid to ransom you; glorify God by making your bodies the shrines of his presence.”[16] Their upright lives would then be the shining ex ample they ought to be; Christ’s Church would far more effectively fulfill its mission to men. God wants all men to be saved,[17] for he has willed that they should all be ransomed by the Blood of his only-begotten Son; he calls them all to be members of the one Mystical Body whose head is Christ. If only men would be more responsive to these promptings of his grace, how much the bonds of brotherly love among individuals and peoples and nations would be strengthened. Life in society would be so much more peaceable, so much worthier of God and the human nature created in his image and likeness.[18]"
On Promoting Devotion to the Most Precious Blood, Pope John XXIII - 1960Feast of Saint Peter and Paul
by VP
Posted on Sunday June 29, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
These two apostles, having been great sinners, the one by denying his Master, and the other by persecuting His Church, and yet being raised to the dignity of pillars in the Church of Christ, commend the infinite goodness of God, and give you sufficient reason never to despair, but always confide in His mercy. Praise Him therefore, adore Him, and place your hopes firmly in Him.
Having faithfully laboured in the vineyard, and by their sufferings and miracles given proof of the doctrine which they taught; they were both put to death on the same day, at Rome, under the Emperor Nero; St. Peter being crucified, and St. Paul finishing his martyrdom by the sword. Pray for the prelates and pastors of Christ's Church; that as they receive the power of these apostles, they may act with their spirit; that by watching, preaching, mortification, and continual labours, they may seek the good of their neighbour, and venture their lives for his salvation.
In these two apostles, we have all reason to give praise and adoration to God, and admire the wonders of His power, who making choice of so weak vessels, has by them confounded all the wisdom of men, overthrown the empire of the devil, and established an eternal kingdom, which shall abide for ever. Consider the great weakness of our nature, our self-love, and the fear we have of suffering; and then compare it with the zealous labours of these apostles, with their resolution and patience under all kinds of persecutions, hated by Jews, reproached by the Gentiles, condemned by magistrates, opposed by princes, and yet preaching the faith without fear; neither tired with their labours, nor discouraged by torments, nor terrified with death, but victorious against all opposition; and you will easily discover such wonderful effects of the divine power and goodness in them, as to oblige you to pour forth your soul this day in praise and thanksgiving for the infinite mercies shown to these His servants for the good of all succeeding ages. On the other side, they will teach you how great a confidence you ought at all times to repose in God, notwithstanding all your infirmities and weakness. For though to work out your salvation be a work of difficulty, on account of the many enemies before you; yet upon reflecting how very little proportion there is between your difficulties and the discouragements which the apostles had, how great reason have you to place your trust in God, and hope that He, who so powerfully assisted them, as to give them victory over all the powers of darkness confederated against them, will likewise stand by you in those much weaker attempts, which shall be made against you.
But as the triumphs of these apostles are sufficient to raise up your dejected and sinking spirits, and fill them with hopes; so they ought to be a reproach to you of your great cowardice and general weakness, who are so often tired with ordinary difficulties, afraid of mortifications, impatient in sufferings, dejected with temptations, and so frequently overcome in small assaults. For if you would but seriously again compare your difficulties with theirs, the self-denials required of you, with their perpetual contradictions to sense and nature, in watching, nakedness, thirst, and a total renunciation of whatever the world approves; if you would contrast your sufferings with their persecutions, prisons, chains, and repeated deaths, the very little that you do, with what they did for the love of Jesus; it is to be feared that this consideration would require greater courage to support you from sinking under it than you usually show on other occasions; and that instead of celebrating the glory of these apostles with joy, you would find forcible reasons to spend this day in sighs and tears, bewailing your unworthiness, the contradiction of your life to theirs, and that professing yourself a disciple of the same master, you can scarcely produce anything whereby to make out this title.
This thought seems to invert the order of this solemnity; which being appointed for joy and thanksgiving, is thus put into mourning, and looks with the severity of Ash-Wednesday, or Good Friday. This however we cannot avoid: for though we are all obliged to give thanks for the graces, by which these apostles were raised to that eminent degree of all Christian virtues, and likewise to rejoice in their victories and glory; it must be owned that there is something very mortifying in their festival, and those of all other saints. There is something that casts a damp upon our spirits, and more strongly moves us to penance, than the ashes of the most penitential days. For when we consider the glory which they enjoy, and reflect on the method of their
lives, and all those labours, by which they arrived at that
unchangeable state; we cannot but condemn ourselves for our great
stupidity and neglects, who are not only so unmindful of our God, but so easily diverted from all those exercises, which can be the only means of obtaining
a happy eternity. How forcibly does this bring to our mind all our
sloth and indevotion, our impatience and vanity, our self-love, and
seeking our ease, our solicitude for this world, and all those
innumerable sins, by which we have provoked God, condemned His mercies,
and been rebellious against His will. And what can follow hence, but
lamentation and tears, contrition and resolution of doing penance, to redeem the time that is lost, to make some reparation for past follies and neglect, and lay a foundation of more solid hopes of one day being admitted into the fellowship and glory of the saints?
This, O God of infinite mercy, we desire may be the happy effect of the solemnity observed this day. We beg most earnestly that the virtues of these apostles may be a continual spur to our dull souls; that their rejoicing in chains may cure us of all impatience; that their continual labours may make us detest all sloth; that their sincere love of Jesus may be a perpetual reproach to us of all self-love, and love of the world; that their willingness to suffer for their Master may carry us on through all difficulties with cheerfulness; and that the consideration of their happiness may permit our souls to find no rest but in those things, which may lead us to the participation of the same bliss. Grant us this request, O Jesus, that our souls may be saved.
And for the public, we beseech thee that the spirit of these apostles may descend on all those who succeed in their function, and particularly on that prelate, who sits in the chair of St. Peter, and has the care of the whole flock. Assist all other pastors of thy Church, that being zealous for virtue and truth, they may faithfully discharge every part of their duty. Direct all believers by thy grace, that by the observance of thy law, they may be all living members of thy mystical body. And for all those, who through error or infidelity are out of thy Church, have compassion on them, O Jesus, who didst come to seek the lost sheep. Open their eyes by thy heavenly light, remove all obstinacy and blindness, and lead them into the way of truth; that being united to thee by faith, they may become a part of thy fold, and be qualified to inherit thy promises. And you, O holy apostles, join with us in our prayers; and let that charity of yours, which began this work, be now the happy means of finishing it." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Prayer:
O holy apostles, Peter and Paul, I choose you this day and for ever to be my special patrons and advocates; thee, St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, because thou art the Rock, upon which Almighty God hath built His Church; thee, St. Paul, because thou wast forechosen by God as the Vessel of election and the Preacher of truth in the whole world. Obtain for me, I pray you, lively faith, firm hope and burning love; complete detachment from myself, contempt of the world, patience in adversity, humility in prosperity, attention in prayer, purity of heart, a right intention in all my works, diligence in fulfilling the duties of my state of life, constancy in my resolutions, resignation to the will of God and perseverance in the grace of God even unto death; that so, by means of your intercession and your glorious merits, I may be able to overcome the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, and may be made worthy to appear before the chief and eternal Shepherd of souls, Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth for endless ages, to enjoy His presence and love Him forever. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
V. Thous shalt make them princes over all the earth,
R. They shall be mindful of Thy Name, O Lord.
Let us pray
O God, whose right hand raised up blessed Peter, when he walked upon the water and began to sink, and thrice delivered his fellow-Apostle Paul from the depths of the sea, when he suffered shipwreck: graciously hear us and grant, by the merits of them both, that we also may attain unto everlasting glory: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Source: The Raccolta, — A Manual of Indulgences by Sacred Penitentiary Apostolic, Benziger Brothers, Inc. , 1957June 27 Our Lady of Perpetual Help
by VP
Posted on Friday June 27, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Rocky Mount NC
Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help for the Church and the Supreme Pontiff
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, O sweet
protector of Christians, when the enemies of your divine Son were
attacking the Church
most violently you appeared in Rome as the protective star of the Holy
See. Therefore, with as much faith as trust, I place myself
at your feet to beg you to defend and protect the holy spouse of Jesus
Christ. Show yourself the all-powerful Mother of the Church
in these days when she is still threatened by a daring impiety.
Protect the sacred person of the Supreme Pontiff, inspire Christians
with the veneration due to the Vicar of Jesus Christ, with submission
to his voice, with the love the Father of all the faithful deserves.
O Mary, see the bitterness with which his heart is filled, the
ineradicable sufferings which make him the visible image of your divine
crucified Son. And if, for the glory of God, his martyrdom must be
prolonged, console him by increasing the number of faithful
Christians, by raising up for your Church apostles and defenders of his
rights. Do not allow iniquity to prevail. Strengthen in Rome
the charity of St. Peter and bind hearts strongly in Catholic unity.
Amen
O Mother of Perpetual Help! Protect the Sovereign Pontiff, defend the Holy Church and strengthen the faith of the faithful.
Novena for Priests for Pentecost (May 30 to June 7)
by VP
Posted on Friday May 30, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
"Our Lord says: "Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers into His harvest." (Matt. 9.38). Remember that a priest is the salvation or the perdition of his flock. In the Old Testament we read that when other scourges were of no avail to turn the people, hardened in sin, from their evil ways, God sent upon them the heaviest scourge of all, wicked and corrupt priests. Let us therefore make it our continual prayer, that we may have good priests. The Ember days are appointed for this purpose. Special prayer should be offered to the Holy Ghost, for unless a priest is enlightened by the Holy Spirit we may apply to him the words: "If the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit." (Matt. 15.14)." The Catechism Explained: An exhaustive Exposition of the Christian Religion by F.r Francis Spirago 1899
Novena:
"Jesus, Good Shepherd, You sent us the
Holy Spirit to guide Your Church and lead her faithful to You through
the ministry of Your priests. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, grant to Your priests wisdom in leading, faithfulness in teaching,
and holiness in guarding Your sacred Mysteries.
As they cry out
with all the faithful, "Abba, Father!" may Your priests be ever more
closely identified with You in Your divine Sonship and offer their own
lives with You, the one saving Victim. Make them helpful brothers of one
another, and understanding fathers of all Your people. On this
Pentecost Sunday, renew in Your priests deeper faith, greater trust in
You, childlike reliance on our Mother Mary, and unwavering fidelity to
the Holy Father and his bishops.
Holy Mary, intercede for your priests.
St. Joseph, protect them.
St. Michael, defend them.
St. John Vianney, pray for them.
Amen."
(approved by Bishop Daniel Jenky, CSC)
- "Pope Leo XIII, May 9, 1897, decreed that a novena to the Holy Ghost should be made every year in preparation for the feast of Pentecost. (...) During this novena no particular form of prayer is of obligation. Any prayer to the Holy Ghost will suffice. (Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Holy Spirit: Divinum Illud Munus)
Novena to the Holy Ghost in Preparation for the Feast of Pentecost: The
novena of the Holy Spirit is the chief of all the novenas, because it
was the first that was ever celebrated, and that by the holy apostles
and the most Holy Mary in the supper room, being distinguished by so
many remarkable wonders and gifts; principally by the gift of the same
Holy Spirit, a gift merited for us by the passion of Jesus Christ
Himself. Jesus Himself made this known to us when He said to His
disciples that if He did not die He could not send us the Holy Ghost:
"If I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will
send Him to you" (John xvi. 7). We know well by faith that the Holy
Ghost is the love that the Father and the Eternal Word bear one to the
other; and therefore the gift of love which the Lord infuses into our
souls, and which is the greatest of all gifts, is particularly
attributed to the Holy Ghost. As St. Paul says, "The charity of God is
poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us (Rom.
v. 5). In this novena, therefore, we must consider, above all, the great
value of divine love, in order that we may desire to obtain it, and
endeavor, by devout exercises, and especially by prayer, to be made
partakers of it, since God has promised it to him who asks for it with
humility: Your Father from heaven will give the good Spirit to them that
ask Him" (Luke xi. 13).
Prayer to the Holy Spirit for the Church: "O
Holy Spirit, our Creator, come to the aid of Thy Holy Church, and
strengthen and confirm it by Thy supreme power against the incursions of
its enemies; and by Thy love and grace renew the spirit of Thy servants
whom Thou hast anointed, so that they may glorify in Thee the Father
and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”—(Indulg. 100
days. Resc. Aug. 26, 1889.)
Short Prayer to the Holy Ghost : Holy
Spirit, Spirit of truth, come into our hearts; give to all peoples the
brightness of Thy light, that they may be well-pleasing to Thee in unity
of faith. (Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. Leo XIII, July 31,
1897.)
Source: My Prayer Book; Happiness in Goodness: Reflections, Counsels, Prayers and Devotions By Francis Xavier Lasance
Saint Jeanne d'Arc
by VP
Posted on Friday May 30, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Sainte Jeanne d'Arc, Brittany
Prayer to St. Joan of Arc
Lord, You wondrously raised up St. Joan,
the Virgin, to defend the Faith and her country. Through her
intercession grant that the Church may overcome the snares of her
enemies and enjoy unbroken peace. Amen.
"What a spectacle," says Father Ayroles "to see this unlettered girl of nineteen years, weakened by the torments of her prison, defending herself unaided against an army of men, who were reputed to be depositories of human and divine knowledge, banded together to drag from her some incriminating word!"
What a shocking scandal for the gentle, pious peasant maiden from fair Domremy! It was an evil time; a time of schismatics and anti-popes, when king and nobles intrude into highest ecclesiastical positions their illegitimate sons or unworthy favorites. Relaxation of discipline was notorious, and all the excesses of the next century, the sixteenth, naturally followed."
Some of the Sanhedrin:
With Bishop Cauchon we are already acquainted. He had no more right to judge Joan than had the Khan of Tartary. He appointed himself; and whatever authority was lacking was conferred, in intent at least, by the university of Paris and the king of England. Neither had he any ecclesiastical jurisdiction. That Joan was taken prisoner at Compiegne was no more a reason for Cauchon to judge her anywhere, and least of all out of his diocese, than which the University of Paris had for the judging the Pope. "Fecit, tamen", as St. Augustine says of Pontius Pilate: "They did it, nevertheless."
Thomas Courcelles was especially chosen by Cauchon. He was one of the six doctors sent by the University of Paris to examine the Maid. All through the trial he was very exact in his task, and very well paid in the sum of one hundred and thirteen livres. Courcelles was one of the few in favor of subjecting Joan to torture. M. Quicherat calls him, and truly enough, "the father of Gallican liberties"; for probably no one dictated more articles than he in the schismatical council of Basle. He was the foe of Pope Eugene IV, and supporter of the anti-pope Felix V.
Erar, another of the doctors, preached at Joan in the cemetery at Rouen a discourse of extreme and unworthy violence. He was one of those who brutally tried to force Joan to sign a lying retraction. He had been rector of the University of Paris; and, like his brethren, was as anti-papal as he was anti-French.
Nicolas Midi, another of the Paris envoys, the last to preach at Joan before her execution, is supposed to have been the author - and calumniator - of the famous, or infamous XII Articles, sent from Rouen to Paris as a summary of the trial, and in which the defense is mutilated, or omitted.
Estivet, the prosecutor, canon of Beauvais, whence he was driven with Cauchon, was, of all this group, the lowest. His language resembled that of the English soldiers to Joan at Orleans.
The clergy of Rouen had been won over by the Duke of Bedfort, who showed them many favors. On October 23rd, 1430, when the price of the Maid was being handed over, he was admitted into the body of canons of the Cathedral of Rouen. The religious orders, especially the Benedictines were very numerous. We find them, unfortunately, cutting an evil figure in the trial of Joan. Gilles Duremort, abbot of Fecamp, and member of the English royal council, received the sum of one thousand livres for his share in the iniquitous transaction. He was an intimate friend of Bishop Cauchon, and was afterwards made bishop of Coutances. He did not reside in his monastery but in his fine palace at Rouen; as did his fellow-religious like character, Nicolad Lerous, abbot of Jumieges, and Pierre Miget, prior of Longueville.
Several Englishmen took part in the Process especially at decisive points. Of these was William Hayton, a bachelor in theology, secretary of the king and member of the royal council, who voted for Joan's death.
"In the name of the Lord, amen." Cauchon declares her a heretic, and cuts her off from the Church as a rotten member, and hands her over to the civil power.
(...) Joan denied that she was a heretic or schismatic; and she maintained the truth or her revelations to the last. Bishop de Mailly withdrew, in order not to see her die.
The executioner told of the cruel binding to the stake on the plaster platform, which was so high that the flames hardly reached it; and this moved the rough man to much pity for Joan. She knelt, and with tears begged pardon of all, and uttered her forgiveness for those who were guilty of her death. She prayed much - for half an hour, it is said - with indescribable devotion. Of the priests she begged Masses for the repose of her soul. (...) Then as the fire rose up, she bade the priest to go down from the platform, and begged him to hold up the crucifix straight before her eyes until she died.
(...) The English were growing harshly impatient for Joan's death and their own dinner. As Massieu was consoling her in her last agony, some of their captains cried out, "Priest, do you mean to have us dine here?" Some of them laughed at the death scene; but many of them also wept. As the flames ascended, Joan never ceased to call aloud to "her Lord" and her Saints. At last, as she bowed her head, and yielded up her pure souls to God, the sacred name of Jesus, uttered in a loud voice, was the last word on her lips.
Source: St. Joan of Arc: The Life-story of the Maid of Orleans By Rev. Fr. Denis Lynch, S.J. 1919
Memorial Day: with gratitude and Honor by Fr. J. Veltri S.J.
by VP
Posted on Monday May 26, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Gracious God, on this Memorial Day weekend,
we remember and give thanks
for those who have given their lives
in the service of our country.
When the need was greatest,
they stepped forward and did their duty
to defend the freedoms that we enjoy,
and to win the same for others.
O God, you yourself have taught us
that no love is greater than that
which gives itself for another.
These honored dead gave the most precious gift they had,
life itself,
for loved ones and neighbors,
for comrades and country – and for us.
Help us to honor their memory
by caring for the family members
they have left behind,
by ensuring that their wounded comrades
are properly cared for,
by being watchful caretakers of the freedoms
for which they gave their lives,
and by demanding that no other young men and women
follow them to a soldier’s grave
unless the reason is worthy and the cause is just.
Holy One, help us to remember that freedom is not free.
There are times when its cost is, indeed, dear.
Never let us forget those who paid so terrible a price
to ensure that freedom would be our legacy.
Though their names may fade with the passing of generations,
may we never forget what they have done.
Help us to be worthy of their sacrifice,
O God, help us to be worthy.
Source: Memorial Day Prayer
First Friday: Prayer to the Sacred Heart for Priests
by VP
Posted on Friday May 02, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Sacred Heart Stained Glass, Raleigh NC
Remember, O most loving Heart of Jesus,
that they for whom I pray are those for whom You prayed so earnestly the
night before Your death. These are they to whom You look to continue
with You in Your sorrows when others forsake You, who share Your griefs
and have inherited your persecutions, according to Your word: That the
servant is not greater than his Lord.
Remember, O Heart of
Jesus, that they are the objects of the worldʼs hatred and Satanʼs
deadliest snares. Keep them then, 0 Jesus, in the safe citadel of Your
Sacred Heart and there let them be sanctified in truth.
May they
be one with you and one among themselves, and grant that multitudes may
be brought through their word to believe in You and love You. Amen.
Prayer at the beginning of Lent
by VP
Posted on Tuesday March 04, 2025 at 11:00PM in Prayers
Temptation of Jesus in desert. By William Hole 1908
"Almighty God! I unite myself
at the beginning of this holy season of penance with the Church
militant, endeavoring to make these days of real sorrow for my sins
and crucifixion of the sensual man. O Lord Jesus! in union with
Thy fasting and passion, I offer Thee my fasting in obedience to
the Church, for Thy honor, and in thanksgiving for the many favors
I have received, in satisfaction for my sins and the sins of others,
and that I may receive the grace to avoid such and such a sin, N.
N. and to practice such and such a virtue, N. N."
Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's The Church's Year
