Recta Ratio

As the month of September is dedicated to Our Blessed Lady's sorrows by the Church, September's installments of Our Blessed Lady's Saturday are likewise dedicated.

PRAYER TO OUR SORROWFUL MOTHER

O Mother of Sorrows, thou, who beneath the Cross of Jesus wert given to us as our Mother, look down with pity on us, thy children, who weep and mourn in this valley of tears. By that sword of sorrow which pierced thy Heart when thou looked upon the Face of thy dead Son, obtain for us that comfort we so sorely need in our sufferings.

Thou wert given to us as our Mother in the hour of thy greatest grief that thou might be mindful of our frailty and the evils that press upon us. Without thy aid, O Sorrowful Mother, we cannot gain the victory in this struggle against flesh and blood. Therefore, we seek thy help, O Queen of Sorrows, lest we fall prey to the wiles of the enemy. We are orphans in need of the guiding hand of our Mother amid the dangers that threaten our destruction. Thou whose grief was boundless as the sea, grant us by the memory of those sorrows the strength to be victorious.

Intercede further, O Mother of Sorrows, for us and all who are near and dear to us, that we may ever do the Will of thy Son, and may direct all our actions to His honor, and to the furtherance of devotion to thy sorrows. Amen.

Virgin Most Sorrowful, pray for us.

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 1 Glory Be....

Labels: Restorationists

Ant. Remember not, Lord, my offenses, nor the offenses of my fathers, nor takest Thou vengeance upon them.

Psalm 129
De profundis. A prayer of a sinner, trusting in the mercies of God. The sixth penitential psalm.

1 Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord: 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. 3 If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it. 4 For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word: 5 My soul hath hoped in the Lord.

6 From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. 7 Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption. 8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and always will be in the World of Worlds.
Amen.

Prayer Against Envy
O my God, Thou so lovest the world that Thou gaveth Thy only begotten Son so that all who believe in Thee might not perish, but may have eternal life. Thou maketh the sun rise upon the good and the bad, and Thou raineth upon the just and the unjust. Yet I am filled with jealousy while others prosper. I want everything to come to me, and I am saddened by my neighbor's least good fortune! O what inhuman malice! O infernal poison! Forgive, o most loving Father what up to this point has been my sin. Gentle is Thy mercy. From the depths of that mercy, grant that henceforth I may be robed in kindness as a chosen one of God. May I also, above all, strive to have charity, which is the bond of perfection. (Col. 3:14)

Ant. Remember not, Lord, my offenses, nor the offenses of my fathers, nor takest Thou vengeance upon them.

Labels: Restorationists

Jay Anderson called my attention to this one, by Joanna Bogle, A Book of Feasts and Seasons.

Catholic Traditions In Cooking, by Ann Ball is an old favorite of mine, as are the books by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette (though the lack of meat is a trifle off-putting, they are great for Lent).

It is no secret that I like to cook. Any member of my original Recta Ratio Yahoo Group knows about the over 500 recipes there. And I love both the seasonal patterns of New England life, as well as those of Ireland and England. Combining those traditions with the liturgical cycle of the Church is a very compelling idea for me, especially doing it in a way that is historically correct.

So Joanna's book looks a must for me.

Labels: Restorationists

Former Senator Fred Thompson has announced that he is running for the GOP nomination for President. Officially, I am still with Senator Brownback. But if Brownback continues to lag so badly, I am going to make the move to supporting Thompson. In Bill Buckley's immortal words, "Always support the rightward-most viable candidate." If Brownback is not viable (and the same can be said for Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, et al.) then there is no point supporting him. Thompson seems to have what conservatives want in his stands on the issues, and has the name-recognition to overtake McCain/Guiliani/Romney.

I'll give Brownback a couple more months. And if his campaign doesn't catch fire, and vault him into the top tier of candidates, it will be time to write him off for this year.

Labels: Conservatism

I was stunned this morning to read about the death of Luciano Pavarotti, the great tenor. His Christmas special, taped in Montreal, was a staple in the home. I am not a big opera fan. Gilbert and Sullivan are about as far as I go in the operatic genre. But there is no denying Pavarotti's greatness. His death, at the age of 71 from pancreatic cancer, is the end of an era for opera. God forgive him his faults. Requiescat in pace.

Labels: Restorationists

Since September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, here are a Pieta (above) and an altar scene (below).

Both were taken by the highly talented Roberto Villarrica of Fotos Cofrades.

These statues are carried in processions in the various towns of Spain (many towns seem to have their own sets) for Holy Week and during the year as the appropriate feast day arrives.

Labels: Restorationists

And celebrations are being planned.

Labels: Restorationists

The magic number is 18.

But there are still about 3 weeks left in the season.

And even if we win the AL East, we might very well have to face the Yankees in the playoffs, if they win the wild card. So I am rooting for Seattle to continue doing unto them as they did yesterday.

And equally good news: Boston College won its first game of the season against Wake Forest.

Labels: Boston Red Sox

One of our old banner images, the Mass of Saint Gregory, from the "Hours of Henry VIII."

Labels: Restorationists