Recta Ratio

From The Glories Of Mary, by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori:

O most holy Mother Mary, how is it possible that I, having so holy a mother, should be so wicked? a mother all burning with the love of God, and I loving creatures; a mother so rich in virtue, and I so poor? Ah, amiable Mother, it is true that I do not deserve any longer to be thy son, for by my wicked life I have rendered myself unworthy of so great an honor. I am satisfied that thou shouldst accept me for thy servant; and in order to be admitted amongst the vilest of them, I am ready to renounce all the kingdoms of the world. Yes, I am satisfied. But still thou must not forbid me to call thee mother. This name consoles and fills me with tenderness, and reminds me of my obligation to love thee. This name excites me to great confidence in thee. When my sins and the divine justice fill me most with consternation, I am all consoled at the thought that thou art my mother. Allow me then, to call thee mother, my most amiable mother. Thus do I call thee, and thus will I always call thee. Thou, after God, must be my hope, my refuge, my love in this valley of tears. Thus do I hope to die, breathing forth my soul into thy holy hands, and saying, My Mother my Mother Mary, help me, have pity on me!
Amen.

Labels: Our Blessed Lady

From The Glories Of Mary, by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori:

O, Mother of my God, and my Lady Mary; as a beggar, all wounded and sore, presents himself before a great queen, so do I present myself before thee, who art the Queen of heaven and earth. From the lofty throne on which thou sittest, disdain not, I implore thee, to cast thine eyes on me, a poor sinner. God has made thee so rich that thou mightest assist the poor, and has constituted thee Queen of Mercy in order that thou mightest relieve the miserable. Behold me then, and pity me: behold me and abandon me not, until thou seest me changed from a sinner into a saint. I know well that I merit nothing; nay more, that I deserve, on account of my ingratitude, to be deprived of the graces that, through thy means, I have already received from God. But thou, who art the Queen of Mercy, seekest not merits, but miseries, in order to help the needy. But who is more needy than I?

O, exalted Virgin, well do I know that thou, who art Queen of the universe, art already my queen; yet am I determined to dedicate myself more especially to thy service, in order that thou mayest dispose of me as thou pleasest. Therefore do I address thee in the words of St. Bonaventur: "Do thou govern me, O my Queen, and leave me not to myself" ("Domina, me tuae dominationi committo, ut me plenarie regas et gubernes; no mihi me relinquas."—Stim. Div. Am. p. 3, c. 19). Command me; employ me as thou wilt, and chastise me when I do not obey; for the chastisements that come from thy hands will be to me pledges of salvation. I would rather be thy servant than the ruler of the earth. I am thine; save me ("Tuus sum ego, salvum me fac."—Ps. cxviii. 94). Accept me, O Mary, for thine own, and as thine, take charge of my salvation. I will no longer be mine; to thee do I give myself. If, during the time past I have served thee ill, and lost so many occasions of honoring thee, for the future I will be one of thy most loving and faithful servants. I am determined that from this day forward no one shall surpass me in honoring and loving thee, my most amiable Queen. This I promise; and this, with thy help, I hope to execute.
Amen.

Labels: Our Blessed Lady

From The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori:
Ah, Father Eternal, trusting to the merits and to these promises of Jesus Christ, I ask not of Thee the good things of earth, but Thy grace alone. True it is that, after the wrongs I have done Thee, I should not deserve either pardon or grace; yet, if I deserve them not, Thy Son hath merited them for me, by offering up His Blood and His life for me. For the love, then, of this Thy Son, grant me Thy pardon. Give me a great sorrow for my sins, and a great love towards Thee. Enlighten me to know how lovely is Thy goodness, and how great is the love which Thou hast borne me from all eternity. Make known to me Thy will, and give me strength to fulfill it perfectly. O Lord, I love Thee, and desire to do all that Thou dost desire of me.
Amen.

Labels: Friday At the Foot Of the Cross

My reaction was utterly unprintable. And it remains so. May all his vital organs painfully rot away. May he be cursed in his every undertaking. May his seed fail. Let his name be heard no more. Let another Republican take his office.

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

Justice David souter, the most disappointing Republican appointment to the Supreme Court since Eisenhower's appointment of William Brennan, is retiring, so that ultra-leftist President Obama can appoint his successor. At least there will be no change in the voting patterns of the court, since Souter ended up being just as liberal as any of Obama's appointees would be anyway.

We have to pray that Justices Kennedy, Alito, Scalia, Thomas and chief Justice Roberts can all cling to their seats until Obama and any other Democrats are out of office, and the Senate has enough Republicans to get a decent conservative through. Or a whole batch of them.

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

When it comes to last night's 13-0 pounding of the Red Sox by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, or the Celtics' triple-overtime loss to the Bulls in the playoffs.

Labels: Boston Red Sox

The foster father of Our Lord's feast in his role as provider for the Holy Family and model for those who work. His general feast was on March 19th.

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

The Lagoon at the Boston Public Garden in Spring

The month of May is dedicated by the Church to Our Blessed Lady.

1st Saint Joseph the Carpenter
2nd Saint Athanasius
4th Saint Monica
5th Saint Pius V
11th Saints Phillip & James
13th Saint Robert Bellarmine
15th Saint Jean Baptiste de la Salle
18th Saint Venantius
25th Saint Gregory VII
26th Saint Phillip Neri
27th Saint Bede
28th Saint Augustine and Blessed Margaret Pole

The First Friday is Friday May 6th.
The First Saturday is Saturday May 7th.

May begins in Paschal Time. Ascension Thursday is thursday May 21st. The Rogation Days are Monday May 18th, Tuesday May 19th, and Wednesday May 20th. Whitsunday is Sunday May 31st. There is no embertide in May, though there is one in early June (Wednesday June 3rd, Friday June 5th, and Saturday June 6th).

The most common novena said during this month is the Novena To the Holy Ghost, said between Ascension Thursday and Whitsunday:

Novena to the Holy Ghost
Pray especially starting on the day after Ascension Thursday, ending on the Pentecost

First Day:
Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given us forgiveness of all our sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us Thy sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

Second Day:
Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set Thee, my Lord and God, before my face forever; help me to shun all things that can offend Thee, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Thy Divine Majesty in heaven, where Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

Third Day:
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

Fourth Day:
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in times of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

Fifth Day:
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

Sixth Day:
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

Seventh Day:
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

Eighth Day:
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all passing joys and satisfactions of the earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

Ninth Day:
Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration, may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and seven Glory Be's

General:
That the laity and the Christian communities may be responsible promoters of priestly and religious vocations.

Mission:
That the recently founded Catholic Churches, grateful to the Lord for the gift of faith, may be ready to share in the universal mission of the Church, offering their availability to preach the Gospel throughout the world.

Labels: First Of the Month Almanac

The last day of April is the feast of this great stigmatist.

Saint Catherine, please pray for us!

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

In the calendar of the Ordinary Form of the Mass, today, April 28th, is the feast of Saint Louis de Montfort. He is best known for his book True Devotion To The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Fisheaters has broken down the method for total consecration to Jesus through Mary here.

Saint Louis de Montfort, pray for us!

And for those following the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, today is the feast of Saint Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionists. The Catholic Encyclopedia has more.

"It is an excellent and holy practice to call to mind and meditate on our Lord's Passion, since it is by this path that we shall arrive at union with God. In this, the holiest of all schools, true wisdom is learned, for it was there that all the saints became wise."

Saint Paul of the Cross, pray for us!

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

The Sox swept the 3-game series with the Yankees in 3 exciting games. But the highlight had to be Jacoby Ellsbury stealing home in last night's 4-2 win.



That makes three straight against the Evil Empire (which will undoubtably come back later in the season), and nine straight on the homestand (another sweep), as well as ten straight overall.

Now they are off on what will be a tough roadtrip: Tampa Bay, cleveland, and New York. Let's just hope it sees better results than the last roadtrip to the West Coast!

Labels: Boston Red Sox

Falls on the Second Sunday After Easter for us trads.