Recta Ratio

Our Lady's Rosary
Dear Mother, I bring Thee roses
Because they are so sweet,
But lilies, my favorite flowers
I am placing at Thy feet.

Accept with each Hail Mary
A rose for Thy crown so bright,
Please don't forget the lilies,
The lilies so pure and white.

Let them be a bond of love
And understanding rare,
And send a blessing from above
In answer to my prayer.

Loneliness would be unknown
If more people came to Thee,
With their trials and sorrows
And said their Rosary.

With each Hail Mary, they would find
Their load much lighter grow,
And in humility, kiss the cross
In peace, would onward go.

by Alice W. Sparks
from Robert, Cyril, Our Lady's Praise in Poetry,
Poughkeepsie, New York: Marist Press, 1944.

Labels: Our Blessed Lady

The Red Sox pulled off one of the most dramatic single-game comebacks in American League playoff history last night, when, at the brink of elimination, behind in the best-of-seven series 3 games to one, and trailing 7-0 in the 6th inning, they scored 8 runs in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings to beat the Devil Rays in Game 5 by an 8-7 score, and sent the series back to Tampa Bay Saturday night for Game 6.

Playoff experience counts for something, anyway. To be honest, I went to bed when they were behind 5-0. Dice-K was being hammered by the Tampa offense, as had Lester, Beckett, and Wakefield in the previous 3 games. I thought dismally even this morning that this post was going to be a post-mortem on the Red Sox season and playoff experience. But no, we live to fight another night, at least.

The challenge is daunting. We still trail in the series 3-2, and the last two games are in Tampa Bay. Tampa has had the Red Sox number all season, dominating us and beating us flat for the AL East title.

And even if, somehow, we squeak past Tampa, there is still a very impressive Phillies team and reliever Brad Lidge between the Red Sox and a repeat World Series Championship.

But I hope last night's thrilling victory was a shot in the arm for this team. Let them now rouse themselves, and remember that they are the defending World Series Champions, no matter how bruised, battered, and banged up they are.

GO RED SOX!!!!!

REPEAT!!!!!

Labels: Boston Red Sox

THE PENITENT'S LITANY

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies,
blot out my iniquity. [Psalm 50:3].

Lord, have mercy on me.
Christ, have mercy on me.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on me.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on me.
God the Holy Ghost, Perfecter of the elect, etc.
Holy Trinity, one God, etc.
O God, Who by the voice of Thy prophets and Apostles
dost call upon us incessantly to be converted and to abandon our evil ways,
O Divine Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who didst Thyself come on earth to call sinners to repentance,
O Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who didst come among us to seek and to save the lost sheep,
O Jesus, Who hast declared that unless we do penance, we shall perish everlastingly,
O Jesus, Who desirest not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live,
O Jesus, Who hast assured us that there shall be joy in Heaven
over one sinner that is converted and does penance,
O Jesus, Who, in the example of the prodigal son returning home to the bosom of his father,
hast inspired us with confidence in Thy tenderness,
O Jesus, Who for the sake and salvation of sinners wast pleased to undergo so many hardships,
abors and fatigues,
O Jesus, Who didst not refuse to receive publicans and public sinners,
in order to draw them to repentance,
O Jesus, Who callest upon us to be converted to Thee with all our hearts,

Have mercy upon me,
O Lord, and hear my prayer.
Have mercy upon me,
O Lord, and hear my petition.
From all evil, Deliver me, O Lord.
From all sin, Deliver me, O Lord.
From the spirit of impenitence and from all hardness of heart, etc.
From final impenitence, etc.
By Thy Baptism and holy fasting,
By Thy labors and sorrows,
By the merits of Thy Precious Blood, which Thou hast shed for my sins,
On the Day of Judgment,
That Thou would vouchsafe in Thy mercy to create in me
a new heart and a new mind,
I beseech Thee to hear me, O Lord.
That Thou would vouchsafe to conduct me to true repentance,
I beseech Thee to hear me, O Lord.
That as I have imitated the Prodigal in his sins,
so may I also imitate him in his sorrow, etc.
That as I am the lost sheep, so Thou, as the Good Shepherd,
deign kindly to carry me back to the fold upon Thy shoulders,
That as hitherto I have served iniquity unto iniquity,
so henceforth I may serve justice unto sanctification,
That I may cultivate all the virtues of the truly penitent
and bring forth fruits worthy of piety,
That for the time to come, renouncing all impiety and worldly desires,
I may live chastely, soberly and innocently,
That Thou wilt give me the grace and courage to resist my passions,
to bend my will to obedience to Thy laws,
and to crucify my flesh with its vices and concupiscences,
That, like the prudent virgins in the Gospel, I may be always watchful,
that I may cherish prayer and that I may cultivate industry,
That I may with confidence have recourse to the throne of grace,
that thus I may obtain grace in seasonable aid,
That Thou wouldst not deal with me according to my sins,
but in Thine infinite tenderness, have pity upon me,
That I may so purify myself by penance and by the sufferings of this life
as to avoid those torments which are reserved for the impenitent hereafter,

O Lamb of God,
Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare me, O Lord.
O Lamb of God,
Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear me, O Lord.
O Lamb of God,
Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon me, O Lord.

Let Us Pray.
O God, Who willest not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live, vouchsafe in Thy mercy to look down in compassion upon my misery and my weakness, in order that, remembering that I am only dust and ashes and that soon, in punishment for my sins, I must return to dust and ashes again, I may thus be prepared to receive the pardon of my manifold offenses and receive that recompense which Thou hast promised to the penitent, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

O Father of Mercies and Tender Physician of our Souls, I have grievously sinned against Thee, and I am no longer worthy to be called Thy child. I have repaid Thy benefits with ingratitude and Thy graces with neglect. I have merited Thy displeasure and have deserved the heavy weight of Thy punishments. Deeply aware of this, my unhappy state, behold, I now present myself before Thee to implore Thy pardon. Pardon me then, O God of Love, and remember not the sins of my past life. Remember only that Thou art my Father and that I am still Thy child. Thy mercy still exceeds the greatness of my misery. Wherefore, O God, unworthy sinner that I am, I will not cease to confide in Thee. In Thee, O Lord, I have trusted; let me not be confounded forever. I propose from henceforth daily to bewail my past ingratitude, and I now make at Thy feet the firm resolution never more to offend Thee mortally, and to fly with the most prudent care from all those occasions which I know by experience are dangerous to my weakness. By the help of Thy grace, I will adopt the securest means of overcoming my passions and of subduing my evil habits, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

Taken from
THINK WELL ON IT
Bishop Richard Challoner
1681-1781
Published on the World Wide Web by Generous Permission of
TAN BOOKS

Labels: Friday At the Foot Of the Cross

The Catholic Encyclopedia

The Twelve Promises Of Our Lord To Saint Margaret Mary For Those Devoted To His Sacred Heart

1-I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2-I will establish peace in their families.
3-I will console them in all their troubles.
4-They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially
at the hour of their death.
5-I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6-Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
7-Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8-Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9-I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10-I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
11-Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in
My Heart, never to be effaced.
12-The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall
receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace
of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without
receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that
last hour.

Read also the explanations of the promises by Father Joseph McDonnell, SJ.


The Secret of Saint Margaret Mary, translated by Frank Sheed

A Salutation To the Sacred Heart, by Saint Margaret Mary Alocoque

Hail, Heart of Jesus, save me!
Hail, Heart of my Creator, perfect me!
Hail, Heart of my Saviour, deliver me!
Hail, Heart of my Judge, grant me pardon!
Hail, Heart of my Father, govern me!
Hail, Heart of my Spouse, grant me love!
Hail, Heart of my Master, teach me!
Hail, Heart of my King, be my crown!
Hail, Heart of my Benefactor, enrich me!
Hail, Heart of my Shepherd, guard me!
Hail, Heart of my Friend, comfort me!
Hail, Heart of my Brother, stay with me!
Hail, Heart of the Child Jesus, draw me to Thyself!
Hail, Heart of Jesus dying on the Cross, redeem me!
Hail, Heart of Jesus in all Thy states, give Thyself to me!
Hail, Heart of incomparable goodness, have mercy on me!
Hail, Heart of splendor, shine within me!
Hail, most loving Heart, inflame me!
Hail, most merciful Heart, work within me!
Hail, most humble Heart, dwell within me!
Hail, most patient Heart, support me!
Hail, most faithful Heart, be my reward!
Hail, most admirable and most worthy Heart, bless me!


There is a more in-depth life of Saint Margaret Mary at Pierced Hearts

Saint Margaret Mary's Prayer of Consecration To the Sacred Heart

I, ( your name. . .), give myself and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ my person and my life, my actions, pains, and sufferings, so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being save to honor, love, and glorify the Sacred Heart.

This is my unchanging purpose, namely, to be all His, and to do all things for the love of Him, at the same time renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to Him.

I therefore take Thee, O Sacred Heart, to be the only object of my love, the guardian of my life, my assurance of salvation, the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy, the atonement for all the faults of my life and my sure refuge at the hour of death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God Thy Father, and turn away from me the strokes of His righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in Thee, for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty; but I hope for all things from Thy goodness and bounty.

Do Thou consume in me all that can displease Thee or resist Thy holy will. Let Thy pure love imprint Thee so deeply upon my heart that I shall nevermore be able to forget Thee or to be separated from Thee. May I obtain from all Thy loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Thee, for in Thee I desire to place all my happiness and all my glory, living and dying in true bondage to Thee.
Amen.


Saint Margaret Mary, pray for us!

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

As they are with John McCain, most everyone is writing off the chances of the battered Red Sox coming back against the young and hungry Tamp Bay Devil Rays, who lead the series 3-1. Tonight is the Sox' last chance to turn things around. They come into this game with Mike Lowell out for the season, Josh Beckett, Big Papi, and J.D. Drew playing hurt. Their starting pitching, and middle relief have been woeful. Beckett, Lester, and Wakefield have been ineffective. Byrd and Timlin have been trying to one-up each other in uselessness.

Only Dice-K has won in this series, and he is notoriously erratic, as many people say, the worst 18-3 pitcher you can get. He starts tonight, so all the remaining hope is on his tired shoulders.

GO DICE-K!!!!!


GO RED SOX!!!!!

REPEAT!!!!!

Labels: Boston Red Sox

These days, it seems like all great causes are going down the drain all too rapidly.

The USA is about to douse itself with gasoline and light itself on fire by electing as President an unqualified and utterly repugnant creep with a cult of personality that would make Chairman Mao and Fidel jealous.

The economy does not look good. True, it is just a market adjustment. That is the way a free market prunes its unhealthy limbs. But people with no historical, or even experiential knowledge think it is the end of the world.

The Red Sox seem to be going down for the count in the ALCS, and trail 3-1 now.

The Patriots are losing to teams they should not be losing to.

All things are looking bleak.

Pray.

Labels: O Mores, O Tempora

From the cathedral of Bordeaux, France.

And no, the dark gothic mood has nothing whatsoever to do with last night's
ALCS GAme 4, which ended in a 13-4 drubbing of my beloved Red Sox by the Tampa Bay Devil Dogs. Nothing at all.

Labels: It Looks Better In Gothic

Today is the feast of this great Carmelite reformer and mystic.

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's feast day in the 1970 Ordo is October 13th. In the traditional Ordo, which we follow here, it is October 17th.

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

Last night's start by Jon Lester was, shall we say, disappointing. In fact, it was a disaster, a 9-1 rout of the Sox at Fenway by the Devil Rays. Tampa is now up 2-1 in the series. This is not acceptable.

Tonight, Wakefield goes for the Sox. They need to turn around the momentum of this series.

GO WAKEFIELD!!!!!!!

GO RED SOX!!!!!!!

REPEAT!!!!!!!

Labels: Boston Red Sox

So much for our common cultural heritage. We should be more like Belgium, where the language difference between Flemings and Walloons threatens to tear that nation into two countries. Or Canada. Or the former Yugoslavia.

Come on, people, wake up. This guy as president would be a disaster far greater than any in this nation's history.

Labels: Any Serious Catholic Who Isn't A Very Conservative Republican...

New England in the fall is wicked awesome!

The weather this weekend has been spectacular, and the colors are improving.

Labels: New England Things

The Sox split the two games in Tampa over the weekend, and return for the first of 3 in Fenway this afternoon. Lester goes for the Sox.

GO RED SOX!!!!!!

REPEAT!!!!!!

Labels: Boston Red Sox