Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Holy Day of Obligation

This year, December 8 falls on a Sunday, so the Feast of the Immaculate Conception will fall on the following Monday. Which is today!

Luca Mombello (1518-1520/ 1588-1596)
Immacolata Concezione con Dio Padre / The Immaculate Conception with God the Father
via Idle Speculations where there is some fascinating information
about paintings of the Immaculate Conception with the Son included.

 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Our Lady's preservation from all stain of original sin is an absolutely unique privilege. According to theologians, the fullness of grace in Mary's case was the principal ground and characteristic of her human nature. Every aspect of her being shone with the splendour of that harmony with which God had originally wanted to endow all humanity ... We understand clearly that God prepared with infinite love the one who was to become the Mother of his Son: How would we have acted if we could have chosen our own mother? I'm sure we would have chosen the one we have, adorning her with every possible grace. That is what Christ did. Being all-powerful, all-wise, Love itself (1 John 4:8), his power carried out his will. (St. Josemaria Escriva)

The life of the Immaculate Mother of God will always be a worthy ideal for us all to imitate, because she is a model of sanctity in ordinary life, of the kind of holiness that is accessible to everyone in everyday circumstances. It is a quiet dedication that often passes unnoticed.

In Conversation with God, Special Feasts: July - December

I do love those moments when modern science catches up to the Church. Today, believe it or not is one such day. This blew me away.

The gift of the Immaculate Conception was given contemporaneously with Mary's microscopic sparking to life. ... God chould choose His own mother and so logically chose a perfect one. As the author of creation, He crafted a pristine soul incapable of sin or moral disorder. ...

When she is just a fetus, a woman has as many eggs as she will ever have. The ovaries of a female fetus are saturated with eggs whose numbers will only decrease over time. So half of the genetic material necessary to form an embryo has waited, latent, inside of that embryo's mother since the time that mother was herself in utero. The unbroken chain of human life is unfathomably beautiful. Grandmother, mother, and grandchild are, in a certain sense, bound together, united, in every woman expecting a daughter. When Mary was conceived in the womb of Saint Anne, then, the DNA of Jesus of Nazareth was already present in the embryonic Mary. This is a biological fact, not a statement of faith. At the Annunciation, when Mary miraculously conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, that "Lord and Giver of Life" spoke through the words ofthe Archangel Gabriel and sparked Christ to first stir with humanity deep inside the body where His genes had long been waiting. ...

In Saint Anne, God was readying the fairest flower of Israel, her most modest daughter and humble rose, for Himself. Mary's virtues of humility and obedience would straighten the path twisted by Eve's sins of disobedience and pride.

Father Michael Black, Saints and Feasts of the Catholic Calendar, Vol IV

If you've been saying the Immaculate Conception novena, here's the final day's prayer.

Marianne Stokes, Madonna and Child, 1907-1908

via Wikimedia Commons

I discovered this image via Magnificat's cover years ago. Our Lady is so serene and loving looking that I wanted to include it here, despite the fact that it isn't specifically about the Immaculate Conception.

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 8

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Birth Of Mary
(I like thinking about the practicalities as well as the theological at this moment.
Just like her son, Jesus, would do, Mary is a sign to us that God works in the material things —
the "matter" of our world.)

GATE OF HEAVEN

St. Alphonsus Liguori affirms that Mary is the Gate of Heaven, since in the way all befits a king confers first to pass through his palace gate, no grace comes down from heaven without first passing through the hands of Mary. Even during her earthly life we see how Our Lady was the dispenser of Divine grace. Precisely through her the unborn Jesus blesses the Precursor from his Mother's womb on the occasion when Mary has gone in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Jesus performs his first miracle by changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee -- at Mary's insistence. The disciples begin to put their faith wholly in Jesus from this very moment. The Church in history and in the nations of the world began on that day of Pentecost -- in the presence of Mary.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the eighth day.

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 7

Madonna of the Roses, William-Adolphe Bouguereau

 

REFUGE OF SINNERS

Cardinal Newman recommends that we do not think of God as a severe and harsh taskmaster. One who himself acts out of anger, with severity or harshness, or who is easily offended by others, is often led to perceive God in this light. Jesus, however, loves each one of us beyond our wildest imaginings. He seeks us out all the more earnestly the worse our situation may appear to us. Since God is forever kind and merciful, Our Lady's role is not to soften Divine justice, but to prepare our hearts to receive the countless graces the Lord has prepared for us.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the seventh day.

The Black Madonna by Gaston de La Touche, 1908

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 6

Mother of God Oumilenie
(Affectionate Tenderness), Russia, XVth Century
via Icons Explained

MOTHER MOST AMIABLE

Next to the Lord, when he is nailed to the Cross stands Mary, John the beloved disciple, and some holy women. At this climactic moment the Lord speaks to the Blessed Virgin with words that have particular meaning for each one of us. He says to her: "Woman, behold thy son." Then He says to the disciple, "Behold thy mother." (John 19:27) ... It is moving to see Jesus forgetful of his own sufferings and loneliness during the anguish of the Passion ... The immense love he shows for Mary, whom he does not want to leave on her own, still moves us today. There, next to Mary, John personifies every single one of us. Christ gave us his mother to be our own.

On this day of the novena we can consider our own personal relationship with her. Do we approach her trustingly as St. John would? Do we often remember that she is at our side? Do we seek her intercession frequently, saying with all our heart: Mother, O Mother of mine...

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the sixth day.

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 5

Maternal Bond,* Timothy P. Schmalz

MYSTICAL ROSE

But Mary kept in mind all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) And his mother kept all these things carefully in her heart. (Luke 2:51)

The Blessed Mother treasures in her heart the events she is privileged to witness. She ponders the great and small happenings of her ordinary life in the light of faith. Her considerations, full of affection, colour her entire attitude toward the various occurrences of her life as they unfold. Mary gives us a supreme example of interior recollection. Her insistent prayer rises to heaven like the sweet perfume of the rose...

The Blessed Virgin shows us how to ponder the truths of the Faith in our heart. We also come to perceive the events of our life in the light of God's presence. Apparent disaster and success, the birth of a child and the death of a loved one, the difficulties that arise at work and in family life and the experiences of our friendship, all these will take on their deepest meaning before our contemplative gaze. Like Mary our model, we can habitually seek the Lord in the intimacy of our soul in grace.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the link for the fifth day of the novena.

*Note: you may order replicas of the statue at the artist's website. 

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 4

Thirteenth century Madonna with Child in the Italo-Byzantine style

Lord our God, you were pleased to bring joy into the world through the Incarnation of your Son. Grant that we who honour his Mother, the cause of our joy, may always walk in the way of your commandments with our hearts set on true and lasting joy in you. (Prayer over the Gifts, Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Christ is our principal reason for happiness. He removes every trace from sadness from our hearts. Our Lady is truly the Cause of our joy, since her cooperation in the economy of salvation makes it possible for Christ to enter into us.

...The Blessed Virgin can show us how to be the cause of joy for others in our family life, at our place of work and in all our social contacts, our most casual encounters with acquaintances, our interviews and business trips. The brief duration of our meeting with neighbors does not matter ... Our own original source of joy is God, to whom the Blessed Virgin leads us.

On this fourth day of the Novena in honour of the Immaculate Conception we can examine the quality of our joy. Can others find God through our cheerful disposition? Are we uplifting -- do we bear charm not harm for those with whom we come into contact every day? Today we can offer Our Lady a firm and sincere resolution: May we make the way lovable and easier for others, since life brings enough bitterness with it already. Our cordiality is a way of imitating the blessed Virgin, who smiles on us from heaven as we brighten up the way of holiness for our fellow men. She encourages us to discover her Son in others.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the fourth day.

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 3

Mary and Jesus Under a Palm Tree (Middle Eastern)

 

HANDMAID OF THE LORD

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because He has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid (Entrance Antiphon, Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

...The Blessed Virgin gives us a perfect example of how to fulfill the Will of God by our complete availability. How unfortunate it would be if, in one way or another, we were to try to exercise our own caprice in the matter. We can best cooperate with the Lord through our complete dedication when we allow him free rein in our life.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the third day.

 

Arabic Madonna and Child by Albert Aublet, 1898.

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 2

Mary and Jesus (Chinese)

 

HOUSE OF GOLD

Before God made known his coming into the world in the fullness of time, He prepared Mary as the suitable creature within whom He would dwell for nine months, from the moment of his Incarnation until his birth in Bethlehem. Evidence of God's power and love show forth in his creation. Mary is the House of Gold, the new Temple of God, and is adorned with so great a beauty that no greater perfection is possible. The grace of her Immaculate Conception, including all the graces and gifts God has bestowed on her soul, are directed towards the fulfillment of her divine maternity.

St. Thomas Aquinas quoted in
In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the second day.

Virgin and Child with angels by Le Pho

Immaculate Conception* Novena: Day 1

As has become tradition over the years, let's say the Immaculate Conception Novena together to get us in the proper frame of mind as we approach that feast day.

I always like to begin this novena with images that remind us about some of the happiest mother-child moments — tickling and giggling together.

Master of the Winking Eyes, Madonna and Child, ca. 1450

Mary's purpose is to show us her Son. She always points the way to Him. I have never known her to fail me whenever I have asked her to show me Jesus. I will be posting something each day as this is a very worthy Advent contemplation.

Mary constantly showers down graces and favours on the faithful, and so has won the prerogative all-powerful intercessor. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Christians know that they can reach God through his Mother. She is our shortcut — the most direct path to God for us. Our love for her is shown in our continually coming up with new ways of expressing affection for her. We begin the Novena leading to the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception by trying to offer Our Lady something special each day.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

DAY 1: MORNING STAR

Our Lady's appearance is the first ray of dawn that shines forth in the world. She rises over the horizon and is the forerunner to the brilliant splendour of salvation that will enter the world through Jesus Christ.

Paul VI quoted in
In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the first day.

An ivory carving ca. 1275–1300 from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

* The Immaculate Conception is a belief in the Catholic church, as well as some Protestant denominations, that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was protected by God from the original sin during her own conception. Since she subsequently lived a life completely free from sin, this makes her perfectly pure. The idea of the Immaculate Conception is often confused with the doctrine of the Incarnation and Virgin Birth of Christ. The Immaculate Conception was defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854 and consecrated by Pope Pius XII in 1942. However, this tradition had existed within the Catholic church for more than a millenium. Eastern Orthodox Christians do not believe in the Immaculate Conception, because they have a different view of the original sin from Catholics, and in their tradition, it would be unnecessary for Mary to require divine purification from this. The majority of Protestants reject the idea because it is not explicitly stated in the Bible.  (Description from Olga's Art Gallery.)

Litany of the Sacred Heart

Here is the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

The U.S. bishops have called on all Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart “as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today.” 

It is prayed today on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a day when the L.A. Dodgers are honoring the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Sadly, this is part of the culture, part of the air we breathe.

And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5)

Like Isaiah we are part of an unclean culture. We also know who our King is, the Lord of hosts — and we must make reparation.

The USCCB has a printable version that you can also download as a pdf. This is a version I've had posted for years.

Read more about the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus here.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, 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 Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Response: have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of Infinite Majesty,
Heart of Jesus, Sacred Temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven,
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom dwells the fullness of divinity,
Heart of Jesus, in Whom the Father was well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, of Whose fullness we have all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful,
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke you,
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium,
Heart of Jesus, obedient to death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection,
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in you,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in you,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints,

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R. Make our hearts like to yours.

Let us pray:

Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Your most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers You in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Your mercy, in Your great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You forever and ever.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

On the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we give special honor to the source and symbol of the love Our Saviour has for us. Celebrated the Friday after the feast of Corpus Christi, the feast day celebrates the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; one of the oldest devotions of the Church, dating back in some form to the Patristic Era, the era of the early Church Fathers. Sr. Mary Jeremiah, O.P., S.T.D. Describes the importance and significance of the devotion:

“Jesus Christ is the center of the universe. His pierced Heart, as the symbol of His infinite and divine charity united to his human affections and love, is the focal point of all time. Those who lived during the long period before his incarnation and redemptive death and resurrection waited with yearning for the promised redeemer. Those who witnessed the piercing of his side, as well as all people who will live, are invited to gaze upon and contemplate this mystery. . . As Christians lovingly gaze upon his Heart, they are given the grace to believe in God's mercy and forgiveness.” - from the book The Secret of the Heart

Originally from an article on Aquinas and More, link dead

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a moveable feast, which means that it depends on the date of Easter Sunday. It is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost Sunday, which falls on the 50th day of Easter.

Here's a good history and background on the Solemnity from The Pillar.

I personally have a special love for the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

O Lord Jesus Christ, to your most Sacred Heart I confide this intention. Only look upon me, then do what your love inspires. Let your Sacred Heart decide. I count on you. I trust in you. I throw myself on your mercy. Lord Jesus, you will not fail me.

(Mention your request)

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in your love for me.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, your kingdom come.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked you for many favors, but I earnestly implore this one. Take it, place it in your open heart. When the Eternal Father looks upon it, he will see it covered with your Precious Blood. It will no longer be my prayer, but yours, Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Let me not be disappointed. Amen.

There is something about this part especially that gets to me: "When the Eternal Father looks upon it, he will see it covered with your Precious Blood. It will no longer be my prayer, but yours, Jesus."

I have also posted the Litany of the Sacred Heart which is very useful for prayerful meditation on the perfection that is Jesus' heart with which we try to bring our hearts in line daily.

Other Good Thoughts about The Sacred Heart of Jesus

"In the best apologetic manner the Catholic lady said, "Well, you know how you Baptists accept Jesus into your heart? We Catholics ask Jesus to accept us into his heart.

Father Dwight Longenecker

He also has a nice piece which reminds me that one of my very favorite churches, La Basilica de Sacre Coeur in Paris, is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. 

Easter Thursday: Litany for the Easter Season

Resurrection of Jesus, by Anton von Werner, Berlin Cathedral

 

A beautiful litany full of praise and joy. And, not too long. What could be better?

Litany for the Easter Season

Father of life, we give you praise and glory.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

You have given Jesus victory over sin.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

You have raised him from the dead.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

You have made his cross a sign of glory.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

You have made us sharers in your life.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

With Christ, you have buried us in death to sin.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

With him you have raised us to new life.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

He is seated with you in glory.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

He sends his Spirit to guide our lives.
Christ is risen, alleluia!

Jesus will come again in glory.
Christ is risen, alleluia!
Source

Russian icon, 15th century

Litany of the Cross

What else for Good Friday?

Bergen Crucifix

Litany of the Cross

The cross is the hope of Christians.
The cross is the resurrection of the dead.
The cross is the way of the lost.
The cross is the saviour of the lost.
The cross is the staff of the lame.
The cross is the guide of the blind.
The cross is the strength of the weak.
The cross is the doctor of the sick.
The cross is the aim of the priests.
The cross is the hope of the hopeless.
The cross is the freedom of the slaves.
The cross is the power of the kings.
The cross is the water of the seeds.
the cross is the consolation of the bondsmen.
the cross is the source of those who seek water.
The cross is the cloth of the naked.
We thank you, Father, for the cross.
Source

Litany for Lent

This seems the perfect litany to prepare us for Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Via a spot with many litanies for you to explore.

Christ, our Lord,
you endured the agony in the garden
to strengthen us in prayer.
Christ, have mercy.

You carried your cross to save us.
Christ, have mercy.

You were nailed to the cross to heal our wounds of sin.
Christ, have mercy.

You died on the cross to bring us eternal life.
Christ, have mercy.

You were raised to life so that we could live with you for God.
Christ, have mercy.

Litany for Lent

From a spot that has many good litanies to offer.

Litany for Lent

Lord Jesus, you have come to save us from our sins.
Lord, have mercy.

You fasted to encourage us to do penance.
Lord, have mercy.

You suffered temptation to give us strength.
Lord, have mercy.

You were transfigured to give us hope.
Lord, have mercy.

You suffered insults to bring us salvation.
Lord, have mercy.

You accepted death to bring us life with you.
Lord, have mercy.

Litany of Married Saints

This litany comes from 30 Days with Married Saints. It was powerful when we were praying it with the retreat team for a marriage enrichment retreat. I also love it as a reminder of all the different kinds of saints that have given us such wonderful looks at how to live for Jesus in regular life. As we come up to All Saints' Day, let's as for their prayers that we may become saints too.

LITANY OF MARRIED SAINTS

Holy Mary, wife of Joseph and mother of Jesus,
pray for us.

Saint Joseph, husband of Mary and foster-father of Jesus,
pray for us.

Saints Elizabeth and Zecharia, models of fidelity,
pray for us.

Saints Anna and Joachim, grandparents of Jesus,
pray for us.

Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, examples of Christian marriage,
pray for us.

Saints Isidore and Maria, protectors of farming families,
pray for us.

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, patroness of mothers and the unborn,
pray for us.

Saint Margaret of Scotland, patroness of large families,
pray for us.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, model of hope,
pray for us.

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, patroness of those who suffer the loss of a child,
pray for us.

Saint Monica, who rejoiced in answered prayers,
pray for us.

Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, exemplars of holy parents,
pray for us.

All you holy married saints,
pray for us.

All you defenders of the family,
pray for us.

Amen.

Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi

The Litany of the Counsel of the Saints VI

Magnificat has this wonderful litany in month leading up to All Saints' Day. We've reached the end of it!

If any of these meditations spoke to you, take the time to look up a bit more about that particular saint. You might find a new friend to help you to a closer relationship with Christ.
This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of the saints. Feel free to add your favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

R. (Saint's name), pray for us

Saint John Eudes: "With his own hand God the Father has impressed on Mary's heart a perfect semblance of the divine qualities of his love." R

Saint Claude de la Colombiere: "My Jesus, let me live in your heart and pour all my bitterness into it where it will be utterly consumed." R

Saint Paul of the Cross: "The soul whom God wants to draw to deepest union with him by means of holy prayer must pass through the way of suffering during prayer." R

Saint Alphonsus Liguori: "We must love God in the way that pleases him, and not just in a way that suits ourselves." R

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: "O Jesus, sure joy of my soul, give me but a true love of you. Let me seek you as my only good." R

Claude de la Colombiere

Saint John Vianney: "the soul can feed only on God; only God can suffice it; only God can fill it; only God can satiate its hunger. Its God is absolutely necessary to it." R

Saint John Neumann: "Though God hates sin more than any other thing, he loves us poor miserable sinners. He ardently desires the welfare of our souls as if his own happiness depended on it." R

Saint Therese of Lisieux: "You alone, O Jesus, could satisfy a soul that needed to love even to the infinite." R

Saint Bernadette Soubirous: "O Mary, Mother of Sorrows, I am the child of your sorrows. My tender Mother, here is your child, who can do no more. Have pity on me." R

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini: "Stretch every fiber of my being, dear Lord, that I may more easily fly towards you. May your Spirit, which once breathed over the chaos of the earth give life to all the powers of my soul." R

 

Detail of St. Therese a photograph
taken in the courtyard of the monastery of Lisieux
Easter Monday, April 15, 1894.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe: "Shall the urge for complete and total happiness, inherent to human nature, be the only ned to remain unfulfilled and unsatisfied? No, even this longing can be fulfilled by the infinite and eternal God." R

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross: "Holy realism has a certain affinity with the realism of the child who receives and responds to impressions with unimpaired vigor and vitality, and with uninhibited simplicity." R

Saint Katharine Drexel: "May your faith be increased so as to realize the fact that you are never alone, wheresoever you may be, that the great God is with you, in you." R

Saint Faustina: "Jesus, I trust in you." R

Saint Pio: "If the soul longs for nothing else than to love its God, then don't worry and be quite sure that this soul possesses everything, that it possesses God himself." R

Saint Damien: "In the face of the too real dangers that surround me I repeat: 'Lord, I have placed all my hope in you. I will never be confounded.'" R

Padre Pio

The Litany of the Counsel of the Saints V

Magnificat usually has this wonderful litany in the month leading up to All Saints' Day. There will be a posting of part of this litany throughout October.

This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of the saints. Feel free to add our favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

R. (Saint's name), pray for us

Saint Angela of Merici: "Strengthen, O Lord, my senses and my affections that they may not stray into any betrayal of trust." R

Saint Francis Xavier: "God our Lord knows the intentions which he in his mercy has wished to place in us, and the great hope and confidence which he in his goodness has wished that we should have in him." R

Saint Ignatius of Loyola: "As long as obedience is flourishing, all the other virtues will be seen to flourish and bear fruit." R

Saint Teresa of Avila: "Be joyful for there is someone who loves your God as he deserves, who knows him as her only Son." R

Saint John of the Cross: "You considered/That one hair fluttering at my neck;/You gazed at it upon my neck/And it captivated You." R 

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga: "As God is above all created things, honors, possessions, so should our internal esteem of his Divine Majesty surpass our esteem or idea of anything whatever." R

Theresa of Avila, Peter Paul Reubens

Saint Philip Neri: "My Jesus, if you want me, cut the fetters that keep me from you." R

Saint Robert Southwell: "Jesus, possess my mind with your presence and ravish it with your love, that my delight may be to be embraced in the arms of your protection." R

Saint Isaac Jogues: "My hope is in God, who needs not us to accomplish his designs. We must endeavor to be faithful to him." R

Saint Peter Claver: "Man's salvation and perfection consists in doing the will of God, which he must have in view in all things, and at every moment of their lives." R 

Saint Vincent de Paul: "But for divine grace in would be in temper hard and repellent, rough and crabbed." R

 

St. Vincent de Paul

 

The Litany of the Counsel of the Saints IV

Magnificat usually has this wonderful litany this month leading up to All Saints' Day. There will be a posting of part of this litany throughout October.

This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of the saints. Feel free to add our favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

R. (Saint's name), pray for us

Saint Gregory the Great: "We have been truly set free from subjection to sin because we are united to him who is truly free." R

Saint Maximos the Confessor: "God made us so that we might become partakers of the divine nature and sharers in his eternity, and so that we might come to be like him through deification by grace." R

Saint Bede the Venerable: "We should rejoice that the Lord deigns to visit our hearts, and that he deigns to illumine this Passover of our good actions by his benevolent presence." R 

Saint Bernard: "In the measure that grace's kingdom is extended, sin's power is weakened." R

Saint Dominic: "I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you more effectively than during my life." R

Saint Francis of Assisi: "May I feel in my heart, as far as possible, that abundance of love with which you, Son of God, were inflamed." R

Saint Anthony of Padua: "Let us pray that the Lord Jesus Christ pour his grace into us by means of which we ask for and receive the fullness of true joy. R 

Saint Clare: "Live and hope in the Lord, and let your service be according to reason." R

St. Dominic in Prayer, El Greco

Saint Thomas Aquinas: "The life of man consists in the love that principally sustains him and in which he finds his greatest satisfaction." R

Saint Catherine of Siena: "When we love something we don't care what sort of abuse or injury or pain we might have to endure to get it; we are concerned only with satisfying our desire for the thing we love." R

Saint Bernardine of Siena: "If we but recollect the name of Jesus, it is to fight with confidence -- for this name subjects all the fury of our enemies to us." R

Saint Catherine of Genoa: "God lets the soul share his goodness so that it becomes one with him. The nearer the soul comes to him, the more it partakes of what is his." R 

Saint Thomas More: "The brothers of the patriarch Joseph could never have done so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred." R

Thomas is girded by angels with a mystical belt of purity
after his proof of chastity.
Painting by Diego Velázquez.

The Litany of the Counsel of the Saints III

Magnificat usually has this wonderful litany this month leading up to All Saints' Day.  There will be a posting of part of this litany throughout October.

This litany is a meditation on what some of the saints have spoken or written. As we listen to these saints, we pray for a deeper personal participation in their sanctity. This litany represents only a small sampling of the vast communion of the saints. Feel free to add our favorites to it. One option is to sing the litany and its response.

R. (Saint's name), pray for us

Saint Athanasius: "It is the Father's glory that man, made and then lost, should be found again' and, when done to death, that he should be made alive, and should become God's temple." R

Saint Ephrem the Syrian: "O Jesus, in that hour, when darkness like a cloak shall be spread over all things, may your grace shine on us in place of the earthly sun." R

Saint Charles Borromeo: "The candle that gives light to others must itself be consumed. Thus we also have to act. We ourselves are consumed to give a good example to others." R

Saint Catherine De' Ricci: "You have been reborn with him through a holy desire to live a new life, looking at yourselves as reflected in his life." R

Saint Cecilia: "To die for Christ is not to sacrifice one's youth, but to renew it. Jesus Christ returns a hundred-fold for all offered him, and adds to it eternal life." R

St. Cecilia, Guido Reni

Saint Leo the Great: "Let us be raised to the one who made the dust of our lowliness into the body of his glory." R

Saint Patrick: "I arise today through the strength of Christ with his baptism, through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, through the strength of his Resurrection with his Ascension." R

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque: "All my pleasure in this land of exile is that of having every other kind of suffering found on the cross, deprived of every other consolation except that of the Sacred Heart." R

Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort: "In Mary alone, by the grace of Jesus Christ, man is made godlike as far as human nature is capable of it." R

Saint Benedict: "What is more delightful than this voice of the Lord calling to us? See how the Lord in his love shows us the way of life." R

Saint Columba: "Loving Savior, inspire in us the depth of love that is fitting for you to receive as God." R

Saint Benedict of Nursia by Fra Angelico