Recta Ratio

Why doesn't Archbishop O'Malley, or Cardinal McCarrick, or Bishop Gregory? Isn't 30 years of support of legalized m-rd-r of babies enough?

Incredible act of stupidity. We are talking about old family English martyr stock here.

But the parents appear to have been lax about getting the child baptized, too, which I find equally inconceivable. "Oh botheration, Aunt Agatha won't be able to make it in June. And Father Fotheringay-Phipps will be in Hawaii in June. And there is that regional sales meeting I have to be ready for in July. And we're on holiday in Provence in August. September is too busy for everyone, and then there are the Holidays. Oh well, we can get little Egbert baptized next year, I suppose. What harm will it do?"

The priority for the parents has to be to get the kid baptized as soon as possible. I'd have the priest in the delivery room with the godparents, if I should ever become a father. Heck, I'd try to baptize the kid in utero, if I could. Better that than risk Limbo (the easiest room in Hell, but still Hell) should anything go wrong. Who knows what sins lurk in the mind of a baby? Human nature is not all sweet innocence, despite appearances. Who really knows the fate of the unbaptized? I say, take no chances.

Baptize early and often.

I've even made sure all of my pets have been blessed, if not by a priest, then by me. They may not have souls, but I hope they will be present with us in Heaven in some way. Would I do any less for my own child?

Prologue To Book Four

AN INVITATION TO HOLY COMMUNION

The Voice of Christ:
"COME to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you."

"The bread which I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world."

"Take you and eat: this is My Body, which shall be delivered for you. Do this for the commemoration of Me."

"He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My , abideth in Me, and I in him."

"The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life."

Chapter 1
The Reverence With Which Christ Should Be Received
The Voice of the Disciple

These are Thy words, O Christ, Eternal Truth; though not uttered at one time nor written together in one place of Scripture. Because therefore they are Thy words and true, I must gratefully and faithfully receive them all. They are Thine, and Thou hast uttered them; and they are mine also, because Thou didst speak them for my salvation. Gladly I receive them from Thy mouth, that they may be more deeply implanted in my heart.

Words of such great grace arouse me, for they are full of sweetness and love; but my own sins terrify me, and my impure conscience driveth me away from receiving so great mysteries. The sweetness of Thy words encourageth me, but the multitude of my faults presseth me down.

Thou commandest that I draw near to Thee with firm confidence, if I would have part with Thee, and that I receive the food of immortality, if I desire to obtain eternal life and glory. "Come unto Me," sayest Thou, "all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. "

Oh, sweet and lovely word in the ear of the sinner, that Thou, O Lord my God, dost invite the poor and needy to the Communion of Thy most holy body and bl--d. But who am I, O Lord, that I should presume to approach unto Thee? Behold the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee, and yet Thou sayest, Come ye all unto Me.

What meaneth this most gracious condescension, this most lovely invitation? How shall I dare to come, who know no good thing of myself, whence I might be able to presume? How shall I bring Thee within my house, seeing that I so often have sinned in Thy most loving sight?

Angels and Archangels stand in awe of Thee, and Thou sayest, "Come unto Me!" Except Thou, Lord, hadst said it, who should believe it true? And except Thou hadst commanded, who should attempt to draw near?

Behold, Noah, that just man, laboured for a hundred years in building the ark, that he might be saved with the few; and I, how shall I be able in one hour to prepare myself to receive the Builder of the world with reverence?

Moses, Thy servant, Thy great and especial friend, made an ark of incorruptible wood, which also he covered with purest gold, that he might lay up in it the tables of the law, and I, a corruptible creature, shall I dare thus easily to receive Thee, the Maker of the Law, and the Giver of life?

Solomon, the wisest of the kings of Israel, was seven years building his magnificent temple to the praise of Thy Name, and for eight days celebrated the feast of its dedication, offered a thousand peace offerings, and solemnly brought up the Ark of the Covenant to the place prepared for it, with the sound of trumpets and great joy, and I, unhappy and poorest of mankind, how shall I bring Thee into my house, who scarce know how to spend half an hour in devotion? And oh that it were even one half hour worthily spent!

O my God, how earnestly these holy men strove to please Thee! And alas! how little and trifling is that which I do! how short a time do I spend, when I am disposing myself to Communion. Rarely altogether collected, most rarely cleansed from all distraction.

And surely in the saving presence of Thy Godhead no unmeet thought ought to intrude, nor should any creature take possession of me, because it is not an Angel but the Lord of Angels, that I am about to receive as my Guest.

Yet there is a vast difference between the Ark of the Covenant with its relics, and Thy most pure Body with its ineffable virtues, between those sacrifices of the law, which were figures of things to come, and the true sacrifice of Thy Body, the completion of all the ancient sacrifices.

Wherefore then do I not yearn more ardently after Thy adorable presence? Why do I not prepare myself with great solicitude to receive Thy holy things, when those holy Patriarchs and Prophets of old, kings also and princes, with the whole people, manifested so great affection of devotion towards Thy Divine Service?

The most devout king David danced with all his might before the Ark of God, calling to mind the benefits granted to his forefathers in days past; he fashioned musical instruments of various sorts, put forth Psalms, and appointed them to be sung with joy, played also himself ofttimes on the harp, being inspired with the grace of the Holy Ghost; he taught the people of Israel to praise God with the whole heart, and with unity of voice to bless and praise Him every day.

If so great devotion was then exercised, and celebration of divine praise was carried on before the Ark of the Testimony, how great reverence and devotion ought now to be shown by me and all Christian people at the ministering of the Sacrament, at receiving the most precious Body and bl--d of Christ.

Many run to diverse places to visit the memorials of departed Saints, and rejoice to hear of their deeds and to look upon the beautiful buildings of their shrines. And behold, Thou art present here with me, O my God, Saint of Saints, Creator of men and Lord of the Angels.

Often in looking at those memorials men are moved by curiosity and novelty, and very little fruit of amendment is borne away, especially when there is so much careless trifling and so little true contrition. But here in the Sacrament of the Altar, Thou art present altogether, My God, the Man Christ Jesus, where also abundant fruit of eternal life is given to every one soever that receiveth Thee worthily and devoutly. But to this no levity draweth, no curiousity, nor , only steadfast faith, devout hope, and sincere charity.

O God, invisible Creator of the world, how wondrously dost Thou work with us, how sweetly and graciously Thou dealest with Thine elect, to whom Thou offerest Thyself to be received in this Sacrament! For this surpasseth all understanding, this specially draweth the hearts of the devout and enkindleth their affections. For even thy true faithful ones themselves, who order their whole life to amendment, oftentimes gain from this most excellent Sacrament great grace of devotion and love of virtue.

Oh admirable and hidden grace of the Sacrament, which only Christ's faithful ones know, but the faithful and those who serve sin cannot experience! In this Sacrament is conferred spiritual grace, and lost virtue is regained in the soul, and the beauty which was disfigured by sin returneth again. So great sometimes is this grace that out of the fulness of devotion given, not only the mind but also the weak body feeleth that more strength is supplied unto it.

But greatly must we mourn and lament over our lukewarmness and negligence, that we are not drawn by greater affection to become partakers of Christ, in whom all the hope and merit of those that are to be saved consist. "For He Himself is our sanctification and redemption."

He is the consolation of pilgrims and the eternal fruition of the Saints. Therefore it is grievously to be lamented that many so little consider this health-giving mystery, which maketh heaven glad and preserveth the whole world. Alas for the blindness and hardness of man's heart, that he considereth not more this unspeakable gift, and even slippeth down through the daily use, into carelessness.

For if this most holy Sacrament were celebrated in one place only, and were consecrated only by one priest in the whole world, with what great desire thinkest thou, would men be affected towards that place and towards such a priest of God, that they might behold the divine mysteries celebrated?

But now are many men made priests and in many places the Sacrament is celebrated, that the grace and love of God towards men might the more appear, the more widely the Holy Communion is spread abroad over all the world.

Thanks be unto Thee, O good Jesus, Eternal Shepherd, who hast vouchsafed to refresh us, poor and exiled ones, with Thy precious Body and Bl--d, and to invite us to partake these holy mysteries by the invitation from Thine own mouth, saying, "Come unto Me, ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh ye."

The only thing that I can add is that at St. Thomas' time, it would appear that many did not avail themselves of the presence of the local priest to partake of the Sacrament frequently. Most people received at Christmas and Easter. But most made sure to get to Confession before receiving.

Today, a glance at the Communion line at any Catholic parish will show that people have taken St. Thomas' urgings to Communicate frequently to heart. But they have neglected what he will say in a later chapter about receiving in a state of grace.

No one goes to confession today, but everyone goes to Communion every week. Only some divorced people with scruples don't go (and actually, it is not a sin that would exclude one from the Sacrament to be divorced, as long as one is chaste in deed, but then again, maybe they are not chaste in deed). The social pressure now is to join everyone else in the Communion line, without a thought of one's sins. how can people think about it since no priest ever preaches on the subject for fear of turning people off with "fire and brimstone"?

So instead of so many people being reluctant to Communicate, we have today hundreds of thousands of sacrilegious Communions weekly. They can be commended for wanting to partake of the grace of Christ's Sacrament. But they need to clear their consciences first.

I suspect, human nature being pretty constant even over 600 years or so, that if people understood this, they would return to the low level of Communion that St. Thomas railed against. People just don't like getting into a state of grace via Confession. It is human nature not to like it. I don't like it. But I am going to try to do it today.

Update:
Yes, if you clicked on shortly after I posted this, and again a couple of hours later, I did change translations. I prefer this translation, with its more archaic usages. It sounds more like prayerful reflection to me. Just my own preference. I am also making this on-line translation the one I link to both here and at the Yahoo Group.

I have been thinking of a new series or installment piece to offer. It came to me yesterday. I was doing some thinking about the interplay between sin, Confession, and the Eucharist. I happened to pick up My Imitation of Christ and turned to the fourth book. I think many are familiar with the first book, but many less have persevered to Book Four, which deals with the Eucharist.

My Imitation of Christ is said to be the second most popular work on religion in the Western World, secodn to only the Holy Bible itself. And yet, how many people actually read it? How many, even of my very select groups of readers, have cracked it open?

Well, here is a chance. I am going to offer chapters of Book Four on an occasional basis, not every day, but every few days. I may or may not comment on what Saint Thomas a Kempis has to say. What little can I offer that would in any way shed light on this saint's thought? Little, I should think.

Martyred by being basted in molten lead.

His feast in the Greek Orthodox Calendar.

The calendars mostly don't mark it any more, but in 1945 on this date, the US & UK celebrated a day of jubilation to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany. That victory was won at the price of much, much blood. In fact we suffered losses in liberating Italy, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, part of Czechoslovakia, and North Africa that would make modern pundits blanch. Eighty thousand Americans were killed, wounded, or captured in the Battle of the Bulge alone. The effort took almost 31/2 years, including the North African and air campaigns.

It has been my privilege to know several men who fought to free Europe from the National Socialist tyranny. My Dad spent V-E in a hospital in England recovering from a gunshot wound he had received a few weeks before in Germany (in the town of Weissenfels, to be specific). William Daly, one of my history professors, spent it recovering after being liberated from a German prisoner-of-war camp (he was a B-17 crewman).

The fighting in Europe was of a scale and ferocity that, thank God, has not been reached since. The entire national effort of the US and Britain needed to be focused on defeating the National Socialists and not only driving them back to their homeland, but taking them out forever. Even the fighting in Vietnam, where roughly 56,000 Americans died over ten years, was light combat by comparison. We lost hundreds of men each day in the ETO.

This V-E Day, as we have the recent experience of liberating another country victimized by a tyrant and by a single-party government, we look back on the accomplishments of the men who fought and won World War II with renewed awe.

We repeat, again, the words of the Psalmist:

Truly, who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is the rock?
33
This God who girded me with might, kept my way unerring,
34
Who made my feet swift as a deer's, set me safe on the heights,
35
8 Who trained my hands for war, my arms to bend even a bow of bronze.
36
You have given me your protecting shield; your right hand has upheld me; you stooped to make me great.
37
You gave me room to stride; my feet never stumbled.
38
I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till I destroyed them.
39
I struck them down; they could not rise; they fell dead at my feet.
40
You girded me with strength for war, subdued adversaries at my feet.
41
My foes you put to flight before me; those who attacked me I destroyed.
42
They cried for help, but no one saved them; cried to the LORD but got no answer.
43
I ground them fine as dust in the wind; like mud in the streets I trampled them down.
44
You rescued me from the strife of peoples; you made me head over nations. A people I had not known became my slaves;
45
as soon as they heard of me they obeyed. Foreigners cringed before me;
46
their courage failed; they came trembling from their fortresses.
47
The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, my savior!
48
O God who granted me vindication, made peoples subject to me,
49
and preserved me from my enemies, Truly you have exalted me above my adversaries, from the violent you have rescued me.
50
Thus I will proclaim you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.
51
You have given great victories to your king, and shown kindness to your anointed, to David and his posterity forever.
Psalm 17/18, 32-51

Mary: Mother of Christ

"Iesus Christus, Deus homo: Jesus Christ, God-man. This is one of the 'mighty works of God,' which we should reflect upon and thank him for. He has come to bring 'peace on earth to men of good will,' to all who want to unite their wills to the holy will of God - not just the rich, not just the poor, but everyone: all the brethren. We are all brothers in Jesus, children of God, brothers of Christ. His mother is our mother."

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Jesus himself, when we receive him in holy Communion.

MOTHER of Christ, hear thou thy people's cry
Star of the deep and Portal of the sky!
Mother of Him who thee made from nothing made.
Sinking we strive and call to thee for aid:
Oh, by what joy which Gabriel brought to thee,
Thou Virgin first and last, let us thy mercy see.

ALMA Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

I was busy with links for the Yahoo Group today:

Added a number of links to the homeschooling folder.

Found the Grandfather of all Catholic links sites, and gave it a
folder.

Added some sacred art links, including Textweek which is a superb
collection of links to great Christian art. Prayerbook.com has a
treasury of scanned images from old missals, including many that were
used in pre-Vatican II St. Joseph Missals we had around the house
when I was growing up. Some of these images may end up in the photos
section if I can figure out how to get them there.

For the most part, the only thing in the Files section is texts of
prayers.

The links area is where most things are now. But that may change
shortly, as Files and Photos heat up.

Why did it take som long? What was up with that? Clearly these two defrockings were no-brainers if any ever are. "Gee, a guy who was at the founding of NAMBLA and is accused of homosexual rape of many teenage boys... . Should we or shouldn't we?" Ten seconds of analysis gives you the answer to that.

Has the Holy Father truly lacked ten seconds to consider the matter in the last two years (at the very least)?

That brings us to 137, of which some 60-70 should probably be closed.

And of course both my home parish in Salem and Boston's only Latin Mass parish, Holy Trinity, are now on the list. St. James was the only parish voted to be closed by the Salem cluster (as it has no pastor and was otherwise a good candidate).

But the new inclusion of Holy Trinity, the only place in the Archdiocese really still suitable for the Tridentine Rite Mass is a shocker. It is an active and vibrant non-geographical parish. It has decent attendence, more than 200 for each Latin Mass. It is weak on Sacraments because most people who go there have the primary sacraments done at their geographical parish, to which they are supposed to maintain some connection.

I doubt that there is another parish in the Archdiocese that is fully suitable for use by the Latin Mass community. Altar rail. High altar ad orientem. Magnificent statuary/stained glass. Would some parish that is otherwise active allow the Latin Mass people to get rid of their low altar and re-install a communion rail?

Here is an alternative I have floated before. If the Archdiocese really thinks it can't handle keeping Holy Trinity open as a diocesan parish, or that it reall reall needs the money from the sale of the Holy Trinity realty, why not invite the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to take it over (buy it) and staff it with their own priests. The FSSP is having trouble housing all the men who want to become Latin-Mass priests. Soon enough, they will have the manpower to take on a responsibility like this. Some diocesan priests might also seek admission to the order, taking care of the short-term. While an opportunity like this might violate whatever growth plan the FSSP is on, I suspect tha they would respond to the chance to get their foot in the Boston door with alacrity and enthusism. I also suspect that they would send one of their best-known priests to staff Holy Trinity if the opportunity arose.

There are many possibilities. The most obvious is that is not close (probably half the 137 will not close). Then there is a take-over by the FSSP. In either case, it stays open and the Latin Mass continues there.

If Archbishop O'Malley closes it, despite all the possibilities, it will be clear that he is no friend of the Latin Mass, and sides can be drawn accordingly. It has been noted that, in a decade as bishop of Fall River, he did nothing to bring that diocese an Indult Mass despite the strong encouragement the Holy Father gave all bishops to do so in 1988.

Closing Holy Trinity is clearly a test case, as I don't see how the Latin Mass can work anywhere else in the Archdiocese. It should also be noted that there has been, to my knowledge, no sort of back-channel encouragement from the Archdiocese, of the sort that says, even if Holy Trinity closes, a place will be found for the Latin Mass. If Holy Trinity closes, I strongly doubt there will be any Indult Mass in Boston.

Mary: Our Mother in Ordinary Life

"We can't forget that Mary spent nearly every day of her life just like millions of other women who look after their families, bring up their children, and take care of their houses. Mary sanctifies the ordinary, everyday things - what some people wrongly regard as unimportant and insignificant: everyday work, looking after those closest to you, visits to friends and relatives. What a blessed ordinariness, that can be so full of love of God."

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Affectionate details of service and attention to those closest to us.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Amen.

SUB tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus1, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.
Amen.

One, the Sub Tuum, will be up here in the morning. Slower going with the links than I had hoped.

But there is a lot more stuff of interest on line for this Group than for my Redcoats 1 Group, where I am running into a great deal of frustration trying to find linkable images of things I know exist, at least at museums and reprinted in books, though no on-line image may yet exist. There are at least 50 period illustrations or artifacts that I know exist, but cannot locate on the web.

Some things just may not be recorded on the web yet, like a 1771 portrait of a British colonel that sold at Christie's six years ago for 600,000 (Pounds, not Dollars). Most frustrating is that it is reproduced in a limited edition journal called the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research. The BPL has a copy. I have seen it. But you cannot take it out of the library to have it scanned or color-copied, and they don't do that there.

Petty frustrations. They keep you from fretting over the gigantic ones. Lord bless them for that.

Time for some serious discipline.

If other bishops regularly suspend priests for saying the Tridentine Mass when ordered not to, why not do the same for these "priests"?

Thanks to Amy Welborn for the link.

The Annunciation -
Mary: The First Tabernacle

"If you seek Mary, you will find Jesus. And you will learn a bit more about what is in the heart of God, who humbles himself, discarding all manifestations of his power and majesty to take the form of a servant. Speaking in human terms, we could say that God outdoes himself, because he goes much further than he needs to go in order to save us. The only way to measure what he does is to say that it cannot be measured; it comes from a madness of love which leads him to take on our flesh and bear the weight of our sins."

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The Regina Caeli recited punctually at noon and with great affection.

GRANT unto us, Thy retainers, O Lord Jesus Christ, to be protected always and everywhere by the patronage of Blessed Mary, Thy Virgin Mother.
Amen.

Da nobis famulis tuis, Domine Iesu Christe, beatae Mariae Virginis Matris tuae semper et ubique patrocinio protegi.
Amen.

Of course, you can't confine prayer like that. Prayer must be part of every day. And the gesture is more symbolic than meaningful, especially since it is so watered down and ecumenical.

Still it is nice that the country officially honors prayer on a particular day. It is better than not recognizing that there is a force in the lives of most citizens greater than even this great country.

The college semester is about to end with exams in the next week or ten days. This used to be a fun period for me in my youth.

Ten days of intensive cramming (and my method of studying was mostly memorization as I was a history major) reading my notes from a class over and over and over,and over, working myself into a frenzy of complete concentration and devotion of all thought to one thing: getting an A. Then we would sit for the exam for a few hours on a warm May day, trying to concentrate on the test, not on the legs of the co-ed across the way (Who knew she had legs like that? They'd been covered up in khakis all winter, including all of April.).

And then, by the fifteenth of May, all the papers were turned in, all the exams taken, and I was free for my books and my board wargames for the rest of May, all of June, July, and August, plus the first couple of days of September.

That was the life.

This is an opportunity to distance the Board, if not the Church in America as a whole, from the Democrat Party. Three of the resignees are major league Democrats. Will the bishops grasp the opportunity, or throw it away to appoint more liberal Democrat hacks?

There are plenty of good Catholics, faithful to the Church's teachings, who ought to be offered positions: Mary Ann Glendon, Robert Bork, Phil Lawler, Deal Hudson, Michael Rose (but not both Hudson and Rose, as they have become more than a little sharp with each other) spring to mind. And there are many more (Peggy Noonan, Rod Dreher, etc.) possibilities.

Amy Welborn found it first.

Two young Catholics broke up a performance of a blasphemous and anti-Catholic play in Spain. The name of the play was, in Spanish, "I Shit On God," in English, "In God We Shit." Sad they had to use personal violence to make the point. The Spanish authorities ought to have banned the play as offensive.

Freedom of speech goes so far. Then, when it bursts the bonds of civilized discourse, it becomes an act of aggression against society. And society, acting through its govenment, has a right to intervene to maintain customary traditonal standards.

I would have no problem with government banning the Vagina Monolgues as obscene. Or the more scatological stuff of Michael Moore, or Spike Lee, or Tracy Chapman, or most "gangsta" rap.

In our own society, speech that is anti-homosexual, or anti-abortion, or that takes issue with the agenda of the "civil rights" lobby, or the illegal immigrant lobby, is often controlled, punished. But anti-Christian, anti-US, anti-property, anti-white, anti-male, anti-gun, and anti-tobacco speech is protected.

I am sure that it is the same in Spain, and that these two young fellows will have the book thrown at them, rather than be given the official reprimand they deserve, and the equally just pats on the back from the court officers on the way out the door.

I once was a libertarian. Then I grew up.

The Yankees, once comfortably back 41/2 games, are only a half game back now. Is it time to push panic buttons? Or should we save that for the annual August slump?

Inviolata, integra, et casta es Maria,
Quae es effecta fulgida caeli porta.
O Mater alma Christi carissima,
Suscipe pia laudum praeconia.
Te nunc flagitant devota corda et ora,
Nostra ut pura pectora sint et corpora.
Tu per precata dulcisona,
Nobis concedas veniam per saecula.
O benigna! O Regina! O Maria,
Quae sola inviolata permansisti.

INVIOLATE, spotless and pure thou art,
O Mary Who wast made the radiant gate of Heaven.
Holy mother of Christ most dear,
Receive our devout hymn and praise.
Our hearts and tongues now ask of thee
That our souls and bodies may be pure.
By thy sweet sounding prayers
Obtain for us forgiveness forever.
O Benign One, O Queen, O Mary,
Who alone among women art inviolate.

Mary: Her Immaculate Conception

"How would we have acted, if we could have chosen our own mother? I'm sure we would have chosen the one we have, adorning her with every possible grace. That is what Christ did. Christ being all-powerful, all-wise, Love itself, his power carried out his Will...This is the clearest reason why our Lord granted his mother, from the very moment of her Immaculate Conception, all possible privileges. She was free from the power of Satan. She is beautiful, spotless and pure in soul and body."

Let us offer to our Mother today:

The renewal of our baptismal vows.

The Cardinal Newman Society's Report (in PDF).

Thans to Father Sistare at Not So Quiet Catholic Corner for the link.

Spent the morning running full tilt into brick walls, and the afternoon rather unwell.

Saint Augustine Webster, Saint John Houghton, Saint John Payne, Blessed George Haydock, Blessed Anthony Page, Blessed Richard Reynolds, and Blessed Robert Lawrence.

From yeoldewoburn.com:

Mary's Family: The Trinity On Earth

"It is only natural that the Church rejoice as it contemplates the modest home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We read in the hymn from Matins on the feast of the holy Family: 'It is pleasing to recall the humble house of Nazareth and its slender resources. It is pleasing to tell again in song Jesus' hidden life. Jesus grows up in hidden seclusion, to be trained in Joseph's unpretentious trade. The loving mother sits beside her dear Son, the good wife by her husband, content if her loving attention can ease and comfort them in their weariness.'"

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A loving review of her life with Jesus, as we recite the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on thee, for, in all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on thee, ever repeating thy sacred name, Mary, Mary.

O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fill my soul when I pronounce thy sacred name, or even only think of thee. I thank God for having given thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely pronouncing thy name: let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.

Spent a good deal of time adding new links and organizing the links section of the new group today. The Yahoo format allows me to do something with my links that Blogrolling does not: categorize them. I manually added in all of the St. Blog's links that I currently carry here.

I also added one new prayer file (the one below, Ave, Regina Caelorum).

It will take a few more days just to get the links where I want them. Then I can start in on more files, including Best of Recta Ratio blogs, and Photos, featuring Christian sacred art in gif or jpeg format, if I can find that (an initial Google search on that topic coming up blank).

And I'll add Prayer files as they occur to me, mostly Marian prayers this month, as I would like to feature one per day here, if there are 31 prayers to the Blessed Mother (i'm sure there are, but am not sure if I'll find, like, or use 31).

HAIL, O Queen of Heav'n enthron'd,
Hail, by angels Mistress admitted
Root of Jesse, Gate of morn,
Whence the world's true light was born.

Glorious Virgin, joy to thee,
Lovliest whom in Heaven they see,
Fairest thou where all are fair!
Plead with Christ our sins to spare.

V. Allow me to praise thee, holy Virgin.
R. Give me strength against thy enemies.

Let us pray
Grant, O merciful God, our weak natures Thy protection, that we who commemorate the holy Mother of God may, by the help of her intercession, arise from our sins. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

AVE, Regina caelorum,
Ave, Domina Angelorum:
Salve, radix, salve, porta,
Ex qua mundo lux est orta:

Gaude, Virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa,
Vale, o valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.

V. Dignare me laudare te, Virgo sacrata.
R. Da mihi virtutem contra hostes tuos.

Oremus
Concede, misericors Deus, fragilitati nostrae praesidium; ut, qui sanctae Dei Genetricis memoriam agimus; intercessionis eius auxilio, a nostris iniquitatibus resurgamus. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.

From yeoldewoburn.com:

Mary And The Blessed Trinity

"Through the Incarnation of our Lord in her immaculate womb, Mary, the Daughter of God the Father, is also the Spouse of God the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God the Son."

Let us offer to our Mother today:

A "Hail Mary" each time the clock strikes another hour.

And Saint James the Lesser.

Two Apostles for the price of one today!

Of course, this used to be the feast of St. Monica, but she was moved to almost coincide with her son's feast.

Nice in a sort of sappily sentimental way, but annoying to have the Church playing ducks and drakes with the dates on which folks have traditionally celebrated the feasts of important saints. Seasonal rythms built around the feasts of the saints mean something. They made hash of it moving St. Thomas from July to December, when no one knows when he died.

It is inevitable that important saints will have to share feast days when the current Pope alone will probably, before he is done, canonize some 500 saints. So why couldn't we just leave the feasts of existing saints alone, and if they have to share, they have to share?

O Beata Maria admitte preces nostras
Intra sacarium exauditionis
Et reporta nobis antidotum reconciliationis:
Sit per te excusabile quod parte gerimus.
Sit imperrabile quod fide mente poscimus
Accipe quod offerimus et dona quod rogamus.

Assiste parata votis poscentium,
optatum effectum:
sit tibi studium exorare
Pro populo Dei quem meruisti
Benedicta tu ferre pretium mundi.

O Blessed Mary, carry our prayers
Into the Holy Presence for hearing
And Bring us back the medicine of reconciliation:
Through you may what we have done be excused,
May what we ask in goof faith be obtained,
Receive what we offer and the gifts we aks.

You who are prepared, give aid,
The best outcome for the prayers
Of your votaries.
Show zeal in interceding
For the people of God,
You, blessed one, worthy to become
The ransom of the world.

From yeoldewoburn.com:

Mary: The Most Perfect Creature

"She who is full of grace, the object of God's pleasure, exalted above all the angels and the saints, lived an ordinary life. "Mary is as much a creature as we are, with a heart like ours, made for joy and mirth as well as suffering and tears. Before Gabriel communicates to her God's plan, our Lady does not know that she has been chosen from all eternity to be the mother of the Messiah. She see herself as a lowly creature. That is why she can acknowledge, with full humility, that 'he who is mighty has done great things' for her."

Let us offer to our Mother today:

Many glances of affection and many words of love, when we see her image or picture in our home, in the church, or anywhere.

Did you ever think that humanity could stoop so low in this supposedly civilized age?

Michael Dubruiel at Annunciations provides the link and some information.

What more can you say?