Monday, April 30, 2007

The N.O. Feast of St. Pius V


Father,
You chose Saint Pius V as pope of Your Church
to protect the faith and give You more fitting worship.By his prayers,
help us to celebrate Your holy mysteries
with a living faith and an effective love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son,who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.


Saturday, April 28, 2007

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Novus Ordo Good Shepherd Sunday

April 29


"The essential constitution of the Church comes from the Lord and was given to us so that we might attain eternal life and, starting from this perspective, be able to illuminate life in time and time itself."

___H.H. Benedict XVI: 2005 Christmas Address to the Roman Curia


Thursday, April 26, 2007

The Veneration of Saints and Relics


The Martyrs of England and Wales

In every saint there is an excellence of grace, which indicates the presence of Christ, and for that reason we honor them. In the relics of any saint, we can expect to see at the end of time the light of a glorified body. The reason for a special debt of honor we owe the martyrs is clear. They made Christ manifest in the world by imitating Him in His highest action, His Passion and Death, to the extent of bearing witness to the truth by shedding their blood. Certainly, if we are confessing the same faith as the Apostles, we owe it in part to the martyrs.

However, by the words, gestures and signs, many of which have been absorbed into the Church’s official worship, the faithful not only honor the martyr and ask for his intercession, but they also reaffirm that they share in the same reality with the martyr, that they are members of the same communion of Saints. This can be said of any saint, but the martyrs are the first born sons of our Holy Mother Church, elder brothers therefore, who deserve a special degree of reverence.

From an article by Fr.Hufford


Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The Greater Litanies; April 25



The Greater Litanies, which traditionally are celebrated on the feast of St. Mark commemorate the first entrance of St. Peter into Rome (St. Mark accompanied the great Apostle to Rome, and with St. Peter worked for the conversion of the heathen Romans to the true Faith). The celebration of these litanies is also kept with the hope that through the imploring of God’s mercy upon His people they may be protected from every calamity both spiritual and temporal, and to beg for the Divine blessing on the fruits of the earth. At the same time the Church beseeches the Lord, in His mercy, to remove from her children the chastisement which they may have justly incurred through their sins, and to grant them the grace to avoid committing fresh offences, as well as the grace of persevering in their spiritual resurrection.



The Greater Litanies:

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven,

have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Pray for us.

Holy Mother of God, Pray for us.

Holy Virgin of virgins, Pray for us.

St. Michæl, Pray for us.

St. Gabriel, Pray for us.

St. Raphæl, Pray for us.

All ye holy angels and archangels, Pray for us.

All ye holy orders of blessed spirits, Pray for us.

St. John Baptist, Pray for us.

St. Joseph, Pray for us.

All ye holy patriarchs and prophets, Pray for us.

St. Peter, Pray for us.

St. Paul, Pray for us.

St. Andrew, Pray for us.

St. John, Pray for us.

All ye holy apostles and evangelists, Pray for us.

All ye holy disciples of our Lord, Pray for us.

St. Stephen, Pray for us.

St. Lawrence, Pray for us.

St. Vincent, Pray for us.

All ye holy martyrs,Pray for us.

St. Sylvester,Pray for us.

St. Gregory, Pray for us.

St. Augustine,Pray for us.

All ye holy bishops and confessors, Pray for us.

All ye holy doctors, Pray for us.

St. Anthony, Pray for us.

St. Benedict, Pray for us.

St. Dominic, Pray for us.

St. Francis, Pray for us.

All ye holy priests and levites, Pray for us.

All ye holy monks and hermits, Pray for us.

St. Mary Magdalen, Pray for us.

St. Agnes, Pray for us.

St. Cecilia, Pray for us.

St. Agatha, Pray for us.

St. Anastasia, Pray for us.

All ye holy virgins and widows, Pray for us.

All ye holy men and women, saints of God, Intercede for us. Be merciful to us, Pray for us.

Spare us, O Lord.

Be merciful to us,

Hear us, O Lord.

From all evil, O Lord, deliver us.

From all sin, O Lord, deliver us.

From everlasting death, O Lord, deliver us.

Through the mystery of Thy holy incarnation, O Lord, deliver us.

Through Thy coming, O Lord, deliver us.

Through Thy nativity, O Lord, deliver us.

Through Thy baptism and holy fasting, O Lord, deliver us.

Through Thy cross and passion, O Lord, deliver us.

Through Thy death and burial, O Lord, deliver us.

Through Thy holy resurrection, O Lord, deliver us.

Through Thine admirable ascension, O Lord, deliver us.

Through the coming of the Holy Ghost the Comforter, O Lord, deliver us.

In the day of judgment, O Lord, deliver us.

We sinners, We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou spare us, We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou vouchsafe to rule and preserve Thy holy Church, We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou vouchsafe to preserve our apostolic prelate and all ecclesiastical orders in holy religion. We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou vouchsafe to humble the enemies of Thy holy Church, That Thou vouchsafe to grant peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes, We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou vouchsafe to confirm and preserve us in Thy holy service. We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou render eternal good things to all our benefactors, We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth, That Thou vouchsafe to give eternal rest to all the faithful departed. We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou vouchsafe graciously to hear us. We beseech Thee, hear us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

Let us pray:

Graciously hear, O Lord, the prayers of Thy Church that, having overcome all adversity and every error, she may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.

Amen.



Monday, April 23, 2007

The Holy Father on the Conversion of Saint Agustine:




April 24


The Holy Father, Benedict XVI, on his pastoral visit to the Italian city of Pavia, where the relics of St. Augustine are venerated, reflected on the conversion of the great saint. The pope observed that St. Augustine's path to conversion took place in three stages


First conversion :

Of the first of these the Holy Father says: "The first fundamental conversion was the interior road to Christianity, toward the 'yes' of faith and baptism," St. Augustine was baptized on Easter in 387, in the city of Milan by the St. Ambrose who was the bishop of that city.

Holy Father explained further that St.Augustine "was always tormented by the question of truth. He wanted to find truth," .

"He always believed -- sometimes rather vaguely, sometimes more clearly -- that God exists and takes care of us, but to truly know this God and Jesus Christ and come to say 'yes' to him with all the consequences this entails -- this was the great interior struggle of his youth.”

"He tells us” the Holy father says of St. Augustine “that, by means of Platonic philosophy, he accepted and recognized that 'in the beginning was the Word,' the Logos, creative reason. But philosophy did not show him any road to reach this Word; this Logos remained distant and intangible. Only in the faith of the Church did he find the second essential truth: The Word was made flesh. And in this way he touches us and we touch him."

Augustine's second conversion explains the Pope, “took place after his baptism in Hippo, in Africa; he founded a small monastery and by popular demand was ordained a priest by force”

Second conversion

The Holy Father continues: "The beautiful dream of the contemplative life disappeared, Augustine's life fundamentally changed. Now he had to live with Christ for all. He had to translate his knowledge and sublime thoughts into the thought and language of the simple folk of his city. The great philosophical work of a lifetime, which he had dreamed of, remained unwritten. In its place we were given the gift of something more precious: the Gospel translated into the language of daily life."

"This was the second conversion that this man, struggling and suffering, had to undergo," the Pope added. "He must always be there for everyone; always with Christ he must give his own life so that others might find Christ, the true Life."

Third conversion

St. Augustine's third conversion took place when he discovered that "only one is truly perfect and that the words of the Sermon on the Mount are completely realized only in one person: in Jesus Christ himself,"


The Holy Father adds that St. Augustine came to understand that "the whole Church -- all of us, including the apostles -- must pray every day: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

"Augustine saw the final step of humility,” said the Pope, “not only the humility of inserting his great thought into the faith of the Church, not only the humility of translating his great knowledge into the simplicity of proclamation, but also the humility of recognizing that the merciful goodness of a God who forgives was necessary for him and the whole pilgrim Church. We make ourselves resemble Christ, the perfect one, to the greatest extent possible, when we become merciful persons like him."

The Holy Father concluded with this exhortation: "In this hour let us thank God for the great light that radiates from the wisdom and humility of St. Augustine and let us pray to the Lord that he give all of us the necessary conversion each day and thus lead us to the true life."




Sunday, April 22, 2007

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Augustine.


Respondit Iesus et dixit ei
amen amen dico tibi nisi quis natus fuerit
denuo non potest videre regnum Dei



April 24:


Some time in the year 386, Augustine, his mother St. Monica, his son Adeodatus, and several friends, were spending time in Cassiciacum, a small village near Milan. While outdoors, Augustine heard the voice of a child singing a song, the words of which were, "Pick it up and read it. Pick it up and read it." He thought at first that the song was related to some kind of children's game, but could not remember ever having heard such a song before.

Then, realizing that this song might be a command from God to open and read the Scriptures, he located a Bible, picked it up, opened it and read the first passage he saw. It was from the Letter of Paul to the Romans. Augustine read:

Not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. --Romans 13: 13-14

Reading this scripture, Augustine felt as if his heart were flooded with light. He turned totally from his life of sin. He was Baptized by St. Ambrose of Milan during the Easter Vigil April 24, 387. His friend Alypius and his son Adeodatus were Baptized at the same time as well.




Collect:

Lord, renew in your Church the spirit you gave Saint Augustine.
Filled with this spirit, may we thirst for you alone as the fountain of wisdom and seek you as the source of eternal love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel: Matthew 23:8-12

At that time Jesus said:
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Feast of St George


April 23

St. George, a Roman solder was arrested and beheaded for profession of the Christian faith during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian. He is particularly venerated by the Eastern Church and among the Latins he is acclaimed as the patron of many nations, in addition he is also numbered among the Fourteen Holy Helpers.


A prayer to St. George:

Blessed St. George, holy martyr and soldier of Christ; through the grace of God almighty you gained victory over the ancient enemy of our fallen race. Help us in our struggle against sin and in our fight for virtue. Under your protection, may we progress in grace and attain for ourselves a crown of glory in heaven. Amen.

Good Shepherd Sunday



Ego sum pastor bonus
et cognosco meas et cognoscunt me meae
.


Collect:
O God, who, by the humility of Thy Son, didst lift up a fallen world, grant unending happiness to Thy faithful: that those whom Thou hast snatched from the perils of endless death, Thou mayest cause to rejoice in everlasting days. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth.


Gospel: John 10: 11-16

At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees:
I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and flieth: and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep: and the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling, and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd: and I know Mine, and Mine know Me, as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father: and I lay down My life for My sheep. And other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.