Recta Ratio

Inviolate, spotless and pure art thou,
O Mary Who wast made the radiant gate of the King.

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 gracious queen, O Mary,
who alone among women art inviolate.

Labels: Our Blessed Lady

July 22nd is the feast of St Mary Magdalene, one of the great penitents, who stood by the Cross with Our Blessed Lady.

Note, there has been much confusion, conflating this Mary with either the woman taken in adultery, or Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. I see that the error about her being the sister of Martha and Lazarus is perpetuated in my St. Joseph's Daily Missal (1959), and in the Roman Breviary. The best scholarship indicates that she is a distinct person, and not either of these other identities.



Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us!

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern

The Prayer Of Manassah

O Lord Almighty, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and of all their righteous seed; O Lord Thou Who hast made heaven and earth with all their adornments;
Thou Who hast marked the sea with Thy word of command, Thou who hast confined the deep and marked it with Thy terrible and glorious name; at Whom all things quake and tremble before the face of Thy power, for unbearable is the majesty of Thy glory and overwhelming is the threat of Thy wrath upon sinners; yet truly immeasurable and unsearchable is the promise of Thy mercy,for Thou art the Lord, the Most High over all the earth, compassionate, long-suffering, full of mercy, and lamenting over the evils of men.

But Thou, O Lord, according to Thy goodness, hast promised repentance and forgiveness for those who have sinned against Thee; and in the multitude of Thy mercies Thou hast appointed repentance for salvation of sinners.

Therefore, Thou, O Lord, God of the just, hast not appointed repentance for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who did not sin against Thee, but Thou hast appointed penance for me on account of my sins.

For my sins number more than the grains of sand in the sea, my sins I have multiplied, O Lord, my sins I have multiplied! I am not worthy to gaze upon and behold heaven above because of the multitude of my sins.

I am bowed down by many fetters of iron, so that I cannot lift my head nor can I breathe, for I have provoked Thy wrath and done evil in Thy sight, setting up abominations and multiplying my offenses.

And now I bend my knee and humble my heart, beseeching Thy goodness, O Lord.

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge my transgressions.

For this reason I beg to ask Thee, O Lord, forgive me, forgive me! Do not destroy me with my transgressions nor be angry forever with me nor condemn me to the depths of the inferno. For I say Thou art, O God, the God of the repentant, and in me Thou wilt show Thy great goodness! For, unworthy as I am, Thou wilt save me according to Thy great mercy, and I will praise Thee always for all of the days of my life. For all the host of the heavens praise Thee and to Thee be glory forever.
Amen.

Labels: Friday At the Foot Of the Cross

Today would be liturgically observed as the feast day of the Blessed Carmelites of Compiegne. On July 17th, 1794 a number of Carmelites from that city were guillotined at Paris during the Reign of Terror. Their brutal execution and the manner in which they conducted themselves (mounting the scaffold singing Laudate Domino) helped end the terror. Within a week of their execution, Robespierre fell from power and was himself introduced to Madam Guillotine. That is not merely post hoc ergo propter hoc reasoning. The French public was genuinely shocked at the brutality of the executions of these holy women. And that shock led to a reaction against the Jacobins.

They are very worthy of admiration in my view on two counts. First they were members of the Carmelite order, for which I have a special reverence. The Carmelites were instrumental in bringing me back to an active faith and regular attendance. Secondly, they were martyred by the French revolutionaries in that orgy of blood known as the Terror. Anyone martyred for the sake of the Faith by the French revolutionaries, or the Spanish Communists, or the Russian, Chinese, Cuban, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian Communists, or by the Moslems, or as part of the protestant rebellion, has a special place in my devotions and is a worthy example of the Faith.

A few years ago, John at The Inn At the End of the World posted this about the Carmelite martyrs.

Labels: Our Saintly Brethern