Posted on 09/11/2018 11:57:23 PM PDT by Salvation
KEYWORDS: blessedvirginmary; catholic; lk6; ordinarytime; prayer;
Please FReepmail me to get on/off the Alleluia Ping List.
From: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31
The Excellence of Virginity
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
25-35. The Apostle now explains the excellence of virginity or celibacy (vv. 26ff)
for love of God as compared with marriage. The Magisterium of the Church has
explicitly spoken on the same lines (cf. Council of Trent, “De Sacrum Matrimonio”,
can. 10; Pius XII, “Sacra Virginitas”, 11).
He begins by saying that he has no commandment from the Lord on this matter
(cf. note on 7:12-16; Mt 19-12) but he for his part recommends celibacy, and his
advice carries weight because he is an Apostle chosen by the Lord in his mercy.
The reasons why he makes this recommendation reduce to one, basically—the
love of God: the unmarried person can dedicate himself or herself to God more
fully than a married person can, who has to look after the family and is “divided”
(v. 34). “This is the main purpose and primary reason for Christian virginity—to
dedicate oneself exclusively to divine things, giving them all one’s attention and
love, thinking of Him constantly and consecrating oneself to Him completely,
body and soul” (Pius XII, “Sacra Virginitas”, 5). This exclusive dedication to
God will lead to a full and productive life because it enables a person to love
others and devote himself or herself to them with great freedom and availability.
Also, celibacy has an eschatological dimension: it is a special sign of heavenly
delights (cf. Vatican II, “Perfectae Caritatis”, 12), and points to the fact that the
blessed in heaven live as angels (cf. Mt 22:30).
St Paul’s references to marriage should be understood in the context in which
he is writing (cf. note on 7:1-9). All he wants to make clear here is that, although
celibacy is a higher state, marriage is not something bad: those who marry are
not doing anything wrong (v. 28), nor is there any need for married people to live
as celibates (vv. 3-5) or to separate (v. 27). However, only someone who acknow-
ledges the great value that marriage has is in a position to appreciate celibacy
as a gift of God. “Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not on-
ly does not contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes it and confirms it.
Marriage and virginity or celibacy are two ways of expressing and living the one
mystery of the covenant of God with his people. When marriage is not esteemed,
neither can consecrated virginity or celibacy exist; when human sexuality is not
regarded as a great value given by the Creator, the renunciation of it for the sake
of the Kingdom of heaven loses its meaning” (Bl. John Paul II, “Familiaris Consor-
tio”, 16)
28. “Worldly troubles” (tribulation of the flesh): this is not in any way pejorative
of marriage: “Married love is uniquely expressed and perfected by the exercise
of the acts proper to marriage. Hence the acts in marriage by which the intimate
and chaste union of the spouses takes place are noble and honorable: the truly
human performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches
the spouses in joy and gratitude” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 49).
The phrase is very like that used in v. 33 (”worldly affairs”): that is, married peo-
ple cannot ignore the material needs of their family. This is also what the Apostle
means when he says that the married man’s interests are “divided” (v. 34), that
is, he cannot please God unless he attend to the needs—including material needs
—of his family. Married people have to turn these circumstances—inherent in their
state of life—into a means of sanctification. “Husband and wife are called to sanc-
tify their married life”, Monsignor Escriva writes, “and to sanctify themselves in it.
It would be a serious mistake if they were to exclude family life from their spiritual
development. The marriage union, the care and education of children, the effort to
provide for the needs of the family as well as for its security and development, the
relationships with other persons who make up the community—all these are
among the ordinary human situations that Christian couples are called upon to
sanctify” (”Christ Is Passing By”, 23).
29-31. In their letters, St Paul and the other Apostles frequently remind us that
life is short (cf. Rom 13:11-14; 2 Pet 3:8; 1 Jn 2:15-17), in order to encourage
us to make the very best use of our time to serve God, and others for his sake.
“When I reflect on this, how well I understand St Paul’s exclamation when he
writes to the Corinthians, “tempus breve est” (1 Cor 7:29). How short indeed is
the time of our passing through this world! For the true Christian these words ring
deep down in his heart as a reproach to his lack of generosity, and as a constant
invitation to be loyal. Brief indeed is our time for loving, for giving, for making atone-
ment. It would be very wrong, therefore, for us to waste it, or to cast this treasure
irresponsibly overboard. We must not squander this period of the world’s history
which God has entrusted to each one of us” (J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 39).
A Christian, therefore, should always be detached from worldly things, and never
let himself become the slave of anything or anyone (cf. 1 Cor 7:23; “Lumen Gen-
tium”, 42) but, instead, always have his sights on eternal life. “It is a great help
towards this”, St Teresa of Avila teaches, “if we keep a very constant care of the
vanity of all things, and the rapidity with which they pass away, so that we may
withdraw our affections from everything and fix them on what will last forever.
This may seem to be a poor kind of help but it will have the effect of greatly forti-
fying the soul. With regard to little things, we must be very careful, as soon as
we begin to be fond of them, to think no more about them and to turn our thoughts
to God. His majesty will help us to do this” (”Way of Perfection”, chap. X).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Luke 6:20-26
The Beatitudes and the Curses
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
20-49. These thirty verses of St. Luke correspond to some extent to the Sermon
on the Mount, an extensive account of which St. Matthew gives us in Chapters 5
to 7 in his Gospel. It is very likely that in the course of His public ministry in diffe-
rent regions and towns of Israel Jesus preached the same things, using different
words on different occasions. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit each evan-
gelist would have chosen to report those things which he considered most useful
for the instruction of his immediate readers—Christians of Jewish origin in the
case of Matthew, Gentile converts in the case of Luke. There is no reason why
one evangelist should not have selected certain items and another different ones,
depending on his readership, or why one should not have laid special stress on
some subjects and shortened or omitted accounts of others.
In this present discourse, we might distinguish three parts—the Beatitudes and
the curses (6:20-26); love of one’s enemies (6:27-38); and teaching on upright-
ness of heart (6:39-49).
Some Christians may find it difficult to grasp the need of practising the moral
teaching of the Gospel so radically, in particular Christ’s teaching in the Sermon
on the Mount. Jesus is very demanding in what He says, but He is saying it to
everyone, and not just to His Apostles or to those disciples who followed Him
closely. We are told expressly that “when Jesus finished these sayings, the
crowds were astonished at His teaching” (Matthew 7:28). It is quite clear that
the Master calls everyone to holiness, making no distinction of state-in-life, race
or personal circumstances. This teaching on the universal call to holiness was
a central point of the teaching of St. Escriva. The Second Vatican Council ex-
pressed the same teaching with the full weight of its authority: everyone is
called to Christian holiness; consider, for example, just one reference it makes,
in “Lumen Gentium”, 11: “Strengthened by so many and such great means of
salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state — though each in his
or her own way—are called by the Lord to that perfection of sanctity by which
the Father Himself is perfect.”
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is not proposing an unattainable ideal, useful
though that might be to make us feel humble in the light of our inability to reach
it. No. Christian teaching in this regard is quite clear: what Christ commands,
He commands in order to have us do what He says. Along with His command-
ment comes grace to enable us to fulfill it. Therefore, every Christian is capable
of practising the moral teaching of Christ and of attaining the full height of his
calling —holiness—not by his own efforts alone but by means of the grace which
Christ has won for us, and with the abiding help of the means of sanctification
which He left to His Church. “If anyone plead human weakness to excuse Him-
self for not loving God, it should be explained that He who demands our love
pours into our hearts by the Holy Spirit the fervor of His love, and this good Spirit
our Heavenly Father gives to those that ask Him. With reason, therefore, did St.
Augustine pray: ‘Give Me what Thou command, and command what You please.’
As, then, God is ever ready to help us, especially since the death of Christ our
Lord, by which the prince of this world was cast out, there is no reason why any-
one should be disheartened by the difficulty of the undertaking. To him who loves,
nothing is difficult” (”St. Pius V Catechism”, III, 1, 7).
20-26. The eight Beatitudes which St. Matthew gives (5:3-12) are summed up in
four by St. Luke, but with four opposite curses. We can say, with St. Ambrose,
that Matthew’s eight are included in Luke’s four (cf. “Expositio Evangelii Sec.
Lucam, in loc.”). In St. Luke they are in some cases stated in a more incisive,
more direct form than in the First Gospel, where they are given with more expla-
nation: for example, the first beatitude says simply “Blessed are you poor”,
whereas in Matthew we read, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, which contains
a brief explanation of the virtue of poverty.
20. “The ordinary Christian has to reconcile two aspects of this life that can at
first seem contradictory. There is on the one hand “true poverty”, which is ob-
vious and tangible and made up of definite things. This poverty should be an ex-
pression of faith in God and a sign that the heart is not satisfied with created
things and aspires to the Creator; that it wants to be filled with love of God so
as to be able to give this same love to everyone. On the other hand, an ordinary
Christian is and wants to be “one more among his fellow men”, sharing their
way of life, their joys and happiness; working with them, loving the world and
all the good things that exist in it; using all created things to solve the problems
of human life and to establish a spiritual and material environment which will fos-
ter personal and social development [...].
“To my way of thinking the best examples of poverty are those mothers and
fathers of large and poor families who spend their lives for their children and who
with their effort and constancy—often without complaining of their needs—bring
up their family, creating a cheerful home in which everyone learns to love, to
serve and to work” (St. J. Escriva, “Conversations”, 110f).
24-26. Our Lord here condemns four things: avarice and attachment to the things
of the world; excessive care of the body, gluttony; empty-headed joy and general
self-indulgence; flattery, and disordered desire for human glory—four very common
vices which a Christian needs to be on guard against.
24. In the same kind of way as in verse 20, which refers to the poor in the sense
of those who love poverty, seeking to please God better, so in this verse the “rich”
are to be understood as those who strive to accumulate possessions heedless
of whether or not they are doing so lawfully, and who seek their happiness in
those possessions, as if they were their ultimate goal. But people who inherit
wealth or acquire it through honest work can be really poor provided they are de-
tached from these things and are led by that detachment to use them to help
others, as God inspires them. We can find in Sacred Scriptures a number of peo-
ple to whom the beatitude of the poor can be applied although they possessed
considerable wealth—Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David, Job, for example.
As early as St. Augustine’s time there were people who failed to understand
poverty and riches properly: they reasoned as follows: The Kingdom of Heaven
belongs to the poor, the Lazaruses of this world, the hungry; all the rich are bad,
like this rich man here. This sort of thinking led St. Augustine to explain the deep
meaning of wealth and poverty according to the spirit of the Gospel: “Listen, poor
man, to my comments on your words. When you refer to yourself as Lazarus,
that holy man covered with wounds, I am afraid your pride makes you describe
yourself incorrectly. Do not despise rich men who are merciful, who are humble:
or, to put it briefly, do not despise poor rich men. Oh, poor man, be poor yourself;
poor, that is, humble [...].
Listen to me, then. Be truly poor, be devout, be humble; if you glory in your rag-
ged and ulcerous poverty, if you glory in likening yourself to that beggar lying
outside the rich man’s house, then you are only noticing his poverty, and nothing
else. What should I notice you ask? Read the Scriptures and you will understand
what I mean. Lazarus was poor, but he to whose bosom he was brought was rich.
‘It came to pass, it is written, that the poor man died and he was brought by the
angels to Abraham’s bosom.’ To where? To Abraham’s bosom, or let us say, to
that mysterious place where Abraham was resting. Read [...] and remember that
Abraham was a very wealthy man when he was on earth: he had abundance of
money, a large family, flocks, land; yet that rich man was poor, because he was
humble. ‘Abraham believed God and he was reckoned righteous.’ [...] He was
faithful, he did good, received the commandment to offer his son in sacrifice, and
he did not refuse to offer what he had received to Him from whom he had received
it. He was approved in God’s sight and set before us as an example of faith”
(”Sermon”, 14).
To sum up: poverty does not consist in something purely external, in having or
not having material goods, but in something that goes far deeper, affecting a per-
son’s heart and soul; it consists in having a humble attitude to God, in being
devout, in having total faith. If a Christian has these virtues and also has an abun-
dance of material possessions, he should be detached from his wealth and act
charitably towards others and thus be pleasing to God. On the other hand, if
someone is not well-off he is not justified in God’s sight on that account, if he
fails to strive to acquire those virtues in which true poverty consists.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
---|
1 Corinthians 7:25-31 © |
The world as we know it is passing away |
---|
Responsorial Psalm |
---|
Psalm 44(45):11-12,14-17 © |
Gospel Acclamation | 1Jn2:5 |
---|
Or: | Lk6:23ab |
---|
Gospel | Luke 6:20-26 © |
---|
Happy are you who are poor, who are hungry, who weep |
---|
Luke | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Luke 6 |
|||
20. | And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples, said: Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. | Et ipse elevatis oculis in discipulis suis, dicebat : Beati pauperes, quia vestrum est regnum Dei. | και αυτος επαρας τους οφθαλμους αυτου εις τους μαθητας αυτου ελεγεν μακαριοι οι πτωχοι οτι υμετερα εστιν η βασιλεια του θεου |
21. | Blessed are ye that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for you shall laugh. | Beati qui nunc esuritis, quia saturabimini. Beati qui nunc fletis, quia ridebitis. | μακαριοι οι πεινωντες νυν οτι χορτασθησεσθε μακαριοι οι κλαιοντες νυν οτι γελασετε |
22. | Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. | Beati eritis cum vos oderint homines, et cum separaverint vos, et exprobraverint, et ejicerint nomen vestrum tamquam malum propter Filium hominis. | μακαριοι εστε οταν μισησωσιν υμας οι ανθρωποι και οταν αφορισωσιν υμας και ονειδισωσιν και εκβαλωσιν το ονομα υμων ως πονηρον ενεκα του υιου του ανθρωπου |
23. | Be glad in that day and rejoice; for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For according to these things did their fathers to the prophets. | Gaudete in illa die, et exsultate : ecce enim merces vestra multa est in cælo : secundum hæc enim faciebant prophetis patres eorum. | χαρητε εν εκεινη τη ημερα και σκιρτησατε ιδου γαρ ο μισθος υμων πολυς εν τω ουρανω κατα ταυτα γαρ εποιουν τοις προφηταις οι πατερες αυτων |
24. | But woe to you that are rich: for you have your consolation. | Verumtamen væ vobis divitibus, quia habetis consolationem vestram. | πλην ουαι υμιν τοις πλουσιοις οτι απεχετε την παρακλησιν υμων |
25. | Woe to you that are filled: for you shall hunger. Woe to you that now laugh: for you shall mourn and weep. | Væ vobis, qui saturati estis : quia esurietis. Væ vobis, qui ridetis nunc : quia lugebitis et flebitis. | ουαι υμιν οι εμπεπλησμενοι οτι πεινασετε ουαι υμιν οι γελωντες νυν οτι πενθησετε και κλαυσετε |
26. | Woe to you when men shall bless you: for according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets. | Væ cum benedixerint vobis homines : secundum hæc enim faciebant pseudoprophetis patres eorum. | ουαι οταν καλως υμας ειπωσιν οι ανθρωποι κατα ταυτα γαρ εποιουν τοις ψευδοπροφηταις οι πατερες αυτων |
Pray for Pope Francis.
50 Boko Haram Islamic Radicals Killed; 1,000 Hostages, Women and Children, Rescued in Nigeria
Nigeria: In the Face of Ongoing Islamist Attacks, the Faith is Growing
US Promises to Help Nigeria Exterminate Boko Haram
Is This Bishop Right about the Rosary Conquering Boko Haram? [Catholic Caucus]
Why Boko Haram and ISIS Target Women
Report reveals scale of Boko Haram violence inflicted on Nigerian Catholics
Military evacuating girls, women rescued from Boko Haram
Echos of Lepanto Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Harm
After vision of Christ, Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Haram (Catholic Caucus)
Nigerian Bishop Says Christ Showed Him How to Beat Islamic Terror Group
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]
St. Michael the Archangel
~ PRAYER ~
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+
Sea of Sorrow
Oh! on what a sea of sorrow
Was the Virgin-Mother cast,
When her eyes with tears o'erflowing
Gazed upon her Son aghast,
From the bloodstained gibbet taken,
Dying in her arms at last.
In her bitter desolation,
His sweet mouth, His bosom too,
Then His riven side beloved,
Then each hand, both wounded through,
Then His feet, with blood encrimsoned,
Her maternal tears bedew.
She, a hundred times and over,
Strains Him closely to her breast
Heart to Heart, arms arms enfolding,
Are His wounds on her impressed:
Thus, in sorrow's very kisses,
Melts her anguished soul to rest.
Oh, dear Mother! we beseech thee,
By the tears thine eyes have shed,
By the cruel death of Jesus
And His wounds' right royal red,
Make our hearts o'erflow with sorrow
From thy heart's deep fountainhead.
To the Father, Son, and Spirit,
Now we bend on equal knee:
Glory, sempiternal glory,
To the Most High Trinity;
Yea! perpetual praise and honor
Now and through all ages be.
Novena Prayer To Our Sorrowful Mother
Most Blessed and afflicted Virgin, Queen of Martyrs, who didst stand generously beneath the cross, beholding the agony of thy dying Son; by the sword of sorrow which then pierced thy soul, by the sufferings of thy sorrowful life, by the unutterable joy which now more than repays thee for them; look down with a mother's pity and tenderness, as I kneel before thee to compassionate thy sorrows, and to lay my petition with childlike confidence in thy wounded heart. I beg of thee, O my Mother, to plead continually for me with thy Son, since He can refuse thee nothing, and through the merits of His most sacred Passion and Death, together with thy own sufferings at the foot of the cross, so to touch His Sacred Heart, that I may obtain my request,
For to whom shall I fly in my wants and miseries, if not to thee, O Mother of mercy, who, having so deeply drunk the chalice of thy Son, canst most pity us poor exiles, still doomed to sigh in this vale of tears? Offer to Jesus but one drop of His Precious Blood, but one pang of His adorable Heart; remind Him that thou art our life, our sweetness, and our hope, and thou wilt obtain what I ask, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hail Mary
Virgin Most Sorrowful, pray for us
(Seven times each)
Mary, most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, accept the sincere homage of my filial affection. Into thy Heart, pierced by so many swords, do thou welcome my poor soul. Receive it as the companion of thy sorrows at the foot of the Cross, on which Jesus died for the redemption of the world. With thee, O sorrowful Virgin, I will gladly suffer all the trials, contradictions, and infirmities which it shall please Our Lord to send me. I offer them all to thee in memory of thy sorrows, so that: every thought of my mind and every beat of my heart may be an act of compassion and of love for thee. And do thou, sweet Mother, have pity on me, reconcile me to thy Divine Son, Jesus; keep me in His grace and assist me in my last agony, so that I may be able to meet thee in Heaven and sing thy glories.
Most holy Virgin and Mother, whose soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the Passion of thy Divine Son, and who in His glorious Resurrection wast filled with never ending joy at His triumph, obtain for us who call upon thee, so to be partakers in the adversities of Holy Church and the Sorrows of the Sovereign Pontiff, as to be found worthy to rejoice with them in the consolations for which we pray, in the charity and peace of the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Litany of the Seven Sorrows
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God, the Father of heaven, God the Son, Redeemer of the world, . God the Holy Ghost, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of the Crucified, Sorrowful Mother, Mournful Mother, Sighing Mother, Afflicted Mother, Foresaken Mother, . Desolate Mother, Mother most sad, Mother set around with anguish, Mother overwhelmed by grief, Mother transfixed by a sword, Mother crucified in thy heart, Mother bereaved of thy Son, Sighing Dove, Mother of Dolors, Fount of tears, Sea of bitterness, Field of tribulation, Mass of suffering, Mirror of patience, Rock of constancy, Remedy in perplexity, Joy of the afflicted, Ark of the desolate, Refuge of the abandoned,. Shiled of the oppressed, Conqueror of the incredulous, Solace of the wretched, Medicine of the sick, Help of the faint, Strength of the weak, Protectress of those who fight, Haven of the shipwrecked, Calmer of tempests, Companion of the sorrowful, Retreat of those who groan, Terror of the treacherous, Standard-bearer of the Martyrs, Treasure of the Faithful, Light of Confessors, Pearl of Virgins, . Comfort of Widows, . Joy of all Saints, Queen of thy Servants, Holy Mary, who alone art unexampled, Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin, |
Christ, have mercy on us. Christ, graciously hear us. |
|
Let us pray, --- O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Thy Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end, Amen. |
||
The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady 1. The Prophecy of Simeon 2. The Flight into Egypt . 3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple 4. Mary meets Jesus Carrying the Cross 5. The Crucifixion 6. Mary Receives the Dead Body of Her Son 7. The Burial of Her Son and Closing of the Tomb. |
||
Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows Most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, Mary, would that I could be in Heaven, there to contemplate the honors rendered to thee by the Most Holy Trinity and by the whole Heavenly Court! But since I am still a pilgrim in this vale of tears, receive from me, thy unworthy servant and a poor sinner, the most sincere homage and the most perfect act of vassalage a human creature can offer thee. In thy Immaculate Heart, pierced with so many swords of sorrow, I place today my poor soul forever; receive me as a partaker in thy dolors, and never suffer that I should depart from that Cross on which thy only begotten Son expired for me. With thee, O Mary, I will endure all the sufferings, contradictions, infirmities, with which it will please thy Divine Son to visit me in this life. All of them I offer to thee, in memory of the Dolors which thou didst suffer during thy life, that every thought of my mind, every beating of my heart may henceforward be an act of compassion to thy Sorrows, and of complacency for the glory thou now enjoyest in Heaven. Since then, O Dear Mother, I now compassionate thy Dolors, and rejoice in seeing thee glorified, do thou also have compassion on me, and reconcile me to thy Son Jesus, that I may become thy true and loyal son (daughter); come on my last day and assist me in my last agony, even as thou wert present at the Agony of thy Divine Son Jesus, that from this painful exile I may go to Heaven, there to be made partaker of thy glory. Amen. |
Litany of Sorrows
|
|
Prayer To Our Lady of Sorrows, by St. Bridget
O Blessed Virgin Mary, Immaculate Mother of God, who didst endure a martyrdom of love and grief beholding the sufferings and sorrows of Jesus! Thou didst cooperate in the benefit of my redemption by thine innumerable afflictions and by offering to the Eternal Father His only begotten Son as a holocaust and victim of propitiation for my sins. I thank thee for the unspeakable love which led thee to deprive thyself of the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus, true God and true Man, to save me, a sinner. Oh, make use of the unfailing intercession of thy sorrows with the Father and the Son, that I may steadfastly amend my life and never again crucify my loving Redeemer by new sins, and that, persevering till death in His grace. I may obtain eternal life through the merits of His Cross and Passion. Amen.
Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori's Prayer To The Mother Of Sorrows
O, my Blessed Mother, it is not one sword only with which I have pierced thy heart, but I have done so with as many as are the sins which I have committed. O, Lady, it is not to thee, who art innocent, that sufferings are due, but to me, who am guilty of so many crimes. But since thou hast been pleased to suffer so much for me, by thy merits, obtain me great sorrow for my sins, and patience under the trials of this life, which will always be light in comparison with my demerits; for I have often deserved Hell.
Amen.
Lists Every Catholic Should be Familiar With: The 7 Sorrows (Dolours) and 7 Joys of Our Lady
The Seven Dolors (Sorrows) of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Devotional]
Apparition in Africa: Our Lady of Sorrows [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary [Catholic Caucus Devotional]
Feast of Our Lady/Mother of Sorrows
Homilies on Our Lady of Sorrows
Starkenburg:Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Sorrows Shrine
Our Mother of Sorrows
ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, OF THE DOLOURS OF MARY, The Glories [Sorrows] of Mary
Our Lady of Sorrows - Sep 15
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.