Recta Ratio

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

Most holy Mary, Our Lady of Intercession, whose maternal tenderness gathers in one
embrace all the Souls redeemed by the Precious Blood of thy Son Jesus, we come before
thy royal throne with sadness in our hearts as we remember those who have gone
before us, but also with unlimited confidence in thine intercession. Death, which burst
asunder the bonds of earth, has not destroyed the affection which binds us to those who lived
in the same Faith as we do. O Mary, countless souls await with unutterable anxiety the
assistance of our prayers, and the merits of our good works in that place of expiation.
Urged by the charity of Jesus Christ, we raise our countenance and heart in supplication
to thee, the compassionate Mother of all believers, in favor of those suffering Souls.
Make our prayers of good effect, O Mary; obtain for them the power to move the
Heart of Jesus our Redeemer through thy motherly intercession. Let thine
incomparable holiness supply the defects of our misery, thy love make good our
languid affection, thy power strengthen our weakness. grant, O Queen of Heaven,
that the ardent desire of the Souls of the departed to be admitted to the
Beatific Vision may soon be satisfied. We pray to thee, O Mother, especially
for the Souls of our relations, of priests, of those who were zealous in honoring
thee, of those who did good to the Souls of others, of those who wept with them
and for them and finally, for the Souls of those who are forgotten.

Grant that one day, when we are all reunited in Heaven, we may be able to rejoice
in the possession of God, in the happiness of thy dear presence, in the fellowship
of Saints, thanking thee forever for all the blessings thou hast obtained for us,
O Mother, who art our unfailing comfort.
Amen.

Hail Mary three times, and once:

Eternal rest give unto them. O Lord, and let perpetual light
shine upon them; may they rest in peace. Amen.

Labels: Our Blessed Lady

We have been singing the Salve Regina so long now at the end of the day's prayers, that we might forget that, with the start of Advent (the Sunday after Thanksgiving, meaning November 30th this year) we switch to the Alma Redemptoris Mater as our Marian hymn.

Labels: Advent

I don't think that you can go wrong preparing for the birth of Our Lord by reading Saint Alphonsus Liguori's The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Labels: Advent

Lord God omnipotent, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood which Thy Divine Son shed on this day, upon the wood of the cross, from His most sacred hands and feet, deliver the Souls in Purgatory, and especially that Soul for which I am most bound to pray; that the blame rest not with me that Thou bringest it not forthwith to praise Thee in Thy glory and to bless Thee forever.
Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De Profundis

Labels: Friday At the Foot Of the Cross

Labels: Our Blessed Lady

Well, if you are looking for a convenient source for recipes and menu ideas, I humbly recommend my original Recta Ratio Yahoo Group, with over 500 recipes, many geared towards Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's needs.

Here is a small sample of what I have stored there:

Appetizers
Blue Cheese and Walnut Terrine
Cranberry Rum Brie
Mustard Mead Dip
Swedish Meatballs

Beverages
Artery-Clogging Hot Chocolate
Eggnog
Dark & Stormy Punch
Hogmanay

Breads
Amaretto Fruit Bread
Fitzpatrick Soda Bread
Gadsby's Tavern Sally Lunn Bread
Santa Lucia's Saffron Bread

Breakfast
Breakfast Pizza
Dublin Coddle
Grand Marnier French Toast With Orange Rum Sauce
St. Stephen's Scrambled Eggs

Cakes
Double Gingerbread
Galliano Cake
Simnel Cake
Twelfth Cake

Candy
Almond Rum Truffles
Chocolate Orange Fudge
Sugar Plums
The Nipples of Venus

Cookies
Chambord or Cointreau Brownies
Christmas Hermits
Lebkuchen
Rum Balls

Desserts
Black Forest Trifle
Cherry Slump
Christmas Trifle
Port Jelly With Custard Sauce

Entrees
Boston Chick and Oyster Pie
Irish Spiced Beef
Pork Roast With Apples and Cream
Roast Turkey With Chestnut Dressing

Ice Cream
Cardamom Ice Cream
Chocolate Grand Marnier Ice Cream
Clove Wine Sorbet
Lavendar Honey Ice Cream

Pies
Boiled Cider Pie
Christmas Peppermint Pie
Mincemeat Pie
Pumpkin Pie

Salads
Chicken Salad With Sherry Dressing
Provencal Salad
Salmagundi
Tomato, Onion, Pepperoni and Provolone Salad

Soups
Almond Soup
Chicken Chowder
Legal Seafoods' Clam Chowder
Sherried Lobster Bisque

Vegetables and Sides
Brandied Peaches
Carrot Pudding
Nottingham Yam Pudding
Tomato Aspic

And remember, that is just a tiny sample. So join the group and enjoy the recipes.

Labels: Recta Ratio Housekeeping

It had been mild through the first half of November, but winter is setting in here in Boston. This morning at 9am, Boston.com said that the temperature in the city was 24 degrees, with a wind-chill of 12 degrees. It is only supposed to reach the upper 30s today, and that has me scrambling to break out the winter gear.

We have been lucky so far, and the cold setting in a week before Thanksgiving is nothing unusual in New England.

Next up, first snow.

Labels: New England Things

Who is none other than 2B Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox. The Sox' first baseman, Kevin Youkilis, was 3rd in the voting. Pedroia is a joy to watch, and he is earning plenty of hardware (World Series Championship Ring and AL Rookie of the Year in 2007, and a Gold Glove and MVP in 2008).

The hot stove league is really starting to heat up now, and there is much talk of the Sox picking up Texiera, as a badly needed bat. The question becomes, where do you put him, as he is a first baseman, as is Youkilis. You could move Youk to 3rd, but then what do you do with Mike Lowell? I don't think Lowell is done, and I don't think you really want to part with him.

You could put him in right field, and trade J.D. Drew, who is very valuable, but you would have to swallow a goodly part of Drew's salary. It has been famously pointed out that Drew alone makes more than the entire starting rotation of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, a good part of their bullpen, and part of their lineup, combined! The knock on Drew is that he is a bit like a post-1975 Fred Lynn. Flashes of brilliance, but not terribly resilient.

Then again, who really knows if last year was just an off-year for Big Papi, or the taste of things to come. Between filling in for a possibly-injured Lowell, Ortiz, Drew, or Youkilis, I think Texiera would have plenty of opportunities to play, though perhaps not at the same position.

The question, where is he going to play ought not keep the Sox from picking him up, if they can. But he won't come cheap.

Labels: Boston Red Sox

It think her feast was Monday in the Ordinary Form, and today in the Extraordinary Form.

This great saint is always associated with her acts of charity.

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

One of the best, and least-known, Catholic artists of the last century. His work graces many of the publications of the Confraternity of the Most Precious Blood, including their indispensable edition of the Imitation Of Christ.

Labels: Appreciating

It would be the feast of Saint Gertrude the Great.

Many people have identified this image as Our Blessed Lady, probably including me at one point, but it is in fact supposed to be Saint Gertrude.

Remember to say this prayer attributed to her frequently, particularly when passing a Catholic graveyard, as its recitation may release 1,000 souls from Purgatory.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.

Labels: If Today Were Not A Sunday