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COMMUNITY PRAYERS Morning Prayers
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Come, Holy Ghost, enlighten the hearts of Thy
faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created,
And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth!
Let us pray
0 God! who didst teach the hearts of the faithful, by light from the Holy Spirit, grant us to
relish in the same Spirit things that are right, and
to always enjoy the Consolation that cometh from Him. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen. We offer Thee, 0 God, the prayers and actions we are going to perform this day, for the
glory of Thy Holy Name, for the exaltation of
Holy Church, for the extirpation of schisms and
heresies, for peace among Christian princes, and
for all the intentions of our Holy Mother the
Church.
OFFERING
Say seven times:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to
the Holy Ghost,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen. And then:
Hail Mary.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts! all the
earth is full of Thy glory, Glory be to the Father;
glory be to the Son; glory be to the Holy Ghost!
Blessed be the most holy and undivided Trinity,
now and forever, world without end! Amen.
Most holy and undivided Trinity, prostrate at
the throne of Thy mercy, with all the powers of
our souls, we adore Thy Divine Majesty, and acknowledge that to Thee alone are due all love,
praise and thanksgiving for Thy infinite goodness.
We firmly believe and profess all the sacred
truths, which Thy Holy Catholic Church believes
and teaches, because Thou hast revealed them,
Who canst neither deceive nor be deceived.
Relying on Thy goodness and promises, we hope
to obtain the pardon of our sins, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and by
the intercession of his blessed Mother and all the
Saints.
We love Thee above all things, with our whole
heart and soul, purely because Thou art infinitely
good and infinitely amiable: and because sin is
infinitely displeasing to Thee, we therefore detest
all sin, and resolve rather to die than ever offend
Thee.
Blessed be Thy holy name, most sovereign
Lord, for all the favours bestowed on us or on any
of Thy creatures; but we thank Thy divine goodness especially for our creation, conservation, and
redemption; for our call to Thy Holy Catholic
Church, and for our perseverance in it; for bringing us into a Community, wherein we may praise
and serve Thee; for Thy fatherly care and providence over us in all the accidents and encounters
of our lives, for preserving us this night from all
evil of body and soul, and for granting us this
day wherein we may praise and serve Thee.
We offer Thee, 0 God, in thanksgiving for
these and all other favours whatsoever, spiritual
and temporal, our souls and bodies, our memory,
understanding and will; all the thoughts, words
and deeds of our whole life, whether present or
future) but especially those of this present day, in
union with the bitter Death and Passion of our
dear Saviour, Jesus Christ, with the merits of His
blessed Mother, the ever immaculate Virgin Mary,
and all the Saints and Angels in Heaven and all
the faithful on earth.
We likewise offer to Thy infinite goodness all
the mortifications and good works of all the just,
especially of those who have ever promised to
pray for us; all the sacrifices of Mass that have
been offered, are now being offered, or will be
offered to Thy Divine Majesty this day, or at any
time, throughout the whole world.
First, and chiefly, to the eternal praise of Thy
own adorable Majesty, to the glory of the Sacred
Humanity of Christ our Lord, to the honor of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, of our Guardian Angels, of
our Patrons and Patronesses, of the Saints of this
present day, of those whose relics we have, and of
all the Saints and Angels of heaven, whose intercession we most humbly implore.
Secondly, we make the same oblation to gain
such Indulgences as are annexed to the actions of
this day: to obtain the pardon of our sins, whether of commission or omission, the increase
of Thy Divine grace, an ardent love of Thy
sovereign goodness; and a happy death, fortified
with all the rites and sacraments of holy Church:
humbly begging that Thy holy hand may this day,
and all the days of our life, preserve us from all
sin and danger: in fine, that we may be such as
Thou desires, in every thought, word, and action
of our life and death.
We offer it for those also to whom we are
under any obligation; for those for whom we have
promised to pray, or for whom Thou desires us
to pray; for the conversion of souls, and for the
universal Church, that we may all, according to
our degrees and calling, serve Thee in sanctity
and perfection all the days of our life.
The satisfactory part we gladly offer for the
souls in Purgatory, especially for those to whose
sufferings there we have in any way given occasion; for this reason chiefly, that seeing we are
so ungrateful to Thee upon earth) we may, by this
means, prove instrumental in making others love
Thee most fervently in Heaven. Amen.
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 heaven! Give us this day
our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us. And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
ANGELICAL SALUTION
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 at
the hour of our death. Amen.
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
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He
descended into hell, the third day He rose again
from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and
sifteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the
living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of
Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection
of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
I confess the Almighty God, to Blessed Mary
ever Virgin, to Blessed Michael the Archangel, to
Blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles
Peter and Paul, and to all the Saints, that I have
sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed,
through my fault, through my fault, through my
most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech the
Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Blessed Michael the
Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the holy
Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, to
pray to the Lord our God for me.
May the Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life!
Amen.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution
and remission of all our sins! Amen.
Let us call to mind the sins and daily infidelities into
which we usually fall; and endeavor to foresee the occasions
of such failings as we may be exposed to during the present
day.
Make a short pause.
With most humble submission we acknowledge,
0 Lord, our many and daily transgressions of
Thy holy law; and in the bitterness of our souls,
we bewail our ingratitude in misspending so much
precious time, allowed us by Thy infinite goodness
for no other purpose that to lay up treasures for
eternal life. Penetrated with a sense of Thy predilection for us poor, ungrateful and miserable
sinners, we here, in Thy sacred presence. Eternal
God, and in the sight of our Guardian Angels, most sincerely enter
on our duty, and we are resolved to spend this day to Thy honor and glory.
We offer to Thee those Vows we made at entering into Thy holy Church, and from our hearts
we here repeat and renew the same. We renounce
the devil with all his works, the world with all its
pomp's, and the flesh with all its temptations.
LITANY OF THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS
Lord, have mercy on us!
Christ, have mercy on us! Lord, have mercy on us !
Jesus, hear us!
Jesus, graciously hear us!
God, the Father of Heaven!
Have Mercy on us!
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God, the Holy Ghost,
Holy Trinity, One God,
Jesus, Son of the living God,
Jesus, Splendor of the Father,
Jesus, Brightness of the eternal light,
Jesus, King of glory,
Jesus, Sun of justice,
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary,
Jesus, amiable,
Jesus, admirable,
Jesus, powerful God,
Jesus, Father of the world to come,
Jesus, Angel of the great council,
Jesus, most powerful,
Jesus, most patient,
Jesus, most obedient,
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Jesus, Lover of chastity,
Jesus, Lover of us,
Jesus, God of peace,
Jesus, Author of life,
Jesus, Model of virtues,
Jesus, zealous for souls,
Jesus, our God,
Jesus, our Refuge,
Jesus, Father of the poor,
Jesus, Treasure of the faithful,
Jesus, Good Shepherd,
Jesus, true light,
Jesus, eternal wisdom,
Jesus, infinite goodness,
Jesus, our way and our life,
Jesus, joy of Angels, ;
Jesus, King- of the Patriarchs,
Jesus, Master of the Apostles,
Jesus, Teacher of the Evangelists,
Jesus, Strength of Martyrs,
Jesus, light of Confessors,
Jesus, purity of Virgins,
Jesus, Crown of all Saints, Be merciful,
Spare us, 0 Jesus! Be merciful,
Hear us, 0 Jesus! From all evil,
Deliver us O Jesus
From all sin,
From Thy wrath,
From the snares of the devil,
From the spirit of fornication,
From eternal death,
From a neglect of Thy inspirations,
By the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation,
By Thy Nativity,
By Thy Infancy,
By Thy most Divine life,
By Thy labors,
By Thy Agony and Passion,
By Thy Cross and dereliction,
By Thy languor's,
By Thy Death and Burial,
By Thy Resurrection,
By Thy Ascension,
By Thy joys,
By Thy glory,
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the
world,
Spare us, 0 Jesus! Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the
world,
Hear us, 0 Jesus!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the
world,
Have mercy on us, 0 Jesus! Jesus, hear us!
Jesus, graciously hear us!
Let us pray
0 Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said: Ask and
you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock
and it shall be opened unto you: mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us the gift of
Thy Divine charity, that we may ever love Thee
with our whole heart, and never desist from Thy
praise. Who livest and reignest one God, world
without end. Amen.
0 God, Who hast appointed Thy only begotten
Son the Saviour of Mankind, and hast commanded
that He should be called Jesus, mercifully grant
that we may enjoy in Heaven the happy vision of
Him, Whose holy Name we venerate upon earth;
Who with Thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and
reigneth one God, world without end. Amen.
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 valley
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: 0 clement! 0 loving! 0 sweet Virgin
Mary!
Vouchsafe that we may praise thee, 0 Blessed
Virgin!
Give us strength against thy enemies!
Blessed in God in His Saints.
May the divine assistance always remain with
us.
Amen.
And may the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
LITANY OF ST. JOSEPH
Lord, have mercy on us !
Christ, have mercy on us!
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,
Saint Joseph,
Illustrious descendant of David,
Light of the Patriarchs,
Spouse of the Mother of God,
Chaste Guardian of the Virgin Mary,
Foster Father of the Son of God,
Watchful Defender of Christ,
Head of the Holy Family,
St. Joseph, most just,
St. Joseph, most chaste,
St. Joseph, most prudent,
St. Joseph, most valiant,
St. Joseph, most obedient,
St. Joseph, most faithful,
Mirror of patience,
Lover of poverty,
Model of workmen,
Glory of the domestic life,
Guardian of virgins,
Protector of families,
Solace of the wretched,
Hope of the sick,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of the demons,
Protector of Holy Church,
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the
world,
Spare us, 0 Lord!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the
world,
Graciously hear us, 0 Lord!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the
world,
Have mercy on us! He made him lord over His household,
And ruler of all His possessions.
Let us pray
0 God, Who in Thy unspeakable providence
didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be
the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, mercifully
grant that, as we venerate him for our protector
on earth, we may be found worthy to be aided by
his intercession in heaven Who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.
ANGELUS
From noon on Trinity eve to noon on Holy Saturday.
The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary:
and she conceived by the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
may it be
done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary. And the Word was made flesh:
and dwelt among us.
Hail Mary. Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises
of Christ.
Let us pray
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, Thy
grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the
Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known
by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion
and Cross, be brought to the glory of His resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
May the Divine assistance always remain with us.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through
the mercy of God, rest in peace! Amen.
Glory be to the Father (3 times). Direct, 0 Lord, we beseech Thee, all our
actions by Thy holy inspirations and carry them
on by Thy gracious assistance, that every prayer,
and work of ours may always begin by Thee,
and by Thee be happily ended. Through Christ
our Lord, Amen. We fly to thy patronage, 0 Holy Mother of
God; despise not our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us from all dangers, 0 ever glorious
and blessed Virgin.
Amen.
REGINA CAELI
From noon on Holy Saturday to noon on Trinity eve.
Joy to Thee, 0 Queen of heaven! Alleluia!
He Whom thou wast meet to bear. Alleluia!
As He promised, hath arisen ! Alleluia !
Pour for us to Him thy prayer; Alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad, 0 Virgin Mary, Alleluia!
Because our Lord is truly risen! Alleluia! Let us pray
0 God! Who, by the Resurrection of Thy
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, hast been pleased
to fill the world with joy, grant, we beseech
Thee, that by the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we
may receive the joys of eternal life. Through
the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
MEDITATION
IT has been very justly remarked, that vocation is preserved
by prayer, for a Sister of Charity cannot, without it, persevere to
the end. She might continue in the Community for some time, but ere long the world would draw
her out of it. She would find her duties too onerous,
because she has not lightened them by prayer. Hence,
becoming indifferent, she would at length, as I say, leave
all. Why is it, then, my dear Sisters, that some have lost
their vocation ? It is, because they have neglected prayer.
Prayer is the soul of our souls, that is, what the soul is to
the body, prayer is to the soul. The soul gives life to the
body, enabling it to speak, act, and move, as is necessary:
without the soul, the body would be corrupt flesh, or have a
mere animal life, which would make it seek only after earthly
things. Now, the soul without prayer, is without feeling or
motion in the service of God, and has only low, servile earthly
desires. I may add, my dear Sisters, that prayer is like a
mirror, by means of which, the soul can discern all her
imperfections; she can discover all that can render her
displeasing to God, and obtain grace to render herself conformable to His holy will. Persons in the world never
venture abroad without having arranged their dress before
their mirror, for fear there should be something unbecoming
or negligent in their appearance; indeed, there are some so
vain that they carry mirrors around with them, to see from
time to time if there is anything to be adjusted in their
dress. Now is it not reasonable. Sisters, that those who
serve God should be as zealous about pleasing Him, as
worldly people are to please the world; and that they should
recur to their spiritual mirror, prayer, daily, and even
during their exterior duties, often turn to God, by interior
aspirations, begging pardon for those things they see in
themselves that may be displeasing to Him, and imploring His
grace to correct them?
But you will say: Father, I am prevented from making
my prayer by having to carry medicine, and to visit the sick,
or to go to some lady, etc. You need not disquiet yourselves, my dear Sisters, for you can always keep in the holy
presence of God, by directing to Him all the Sighs and desires
of your heart. If you were aware, Sisters, how much pleasure
you give God, when you address Him with loving confidence,
you would go to Him with that holy freedom to which I
would desire to exhort you. If you knew what treasures and
graces you could obtain by prayer, with what pleasure you
would go to it, and you would derive there from consolation
and increased love of God, for prayer is the source and
fountain from which all knowledge and good is derived.
Holy Resolutions.—Be careful to observe the resolutions
which you take in prayer. Remember how St. Mary Magdalen
laid up in her heart, after the example of the Blessed
Virgin, all the good instruction she received from our Lord.
The good inspirations we receive in prayer, are as manna
from Heaven. Gather all the inspirations you can from your
prayer and profit by them; you will thus rejoice the heart
of your Divine Spouse, and give joy to all the Saints in
Heaven. You must form particular resolutions during your
meditation, seek the means to destroy your bad habits, and
to live conformed to Jesus Christ. For you must remember
that the principal fruit of prayer depends not on having
sublime thoughts and affectionate sentiments, but, on your
forming firm purposes to practice virtue, and to perform good
works.
How do you think Madame de Chantal learned to pray
well? By making use of pictures representing the different
mysteries of our holy religion; for example, she took a
picture of the Blessed Virgin, and, looking upon her eyes, she
would beg God to grant her the grace never to offend Him
by hers and would say: Give me, 0 Lord, the same modesty
and guard over my eyes, that Your holy Mother possessed,
She would then resolve so to regulate the movements of her
eyes, as not to allow them to wander on vain objects. At
another time, she would meditate on the ears of the Blessed
Virgin, and would say: Holy Virgin, I know that you were
attentive to listen to the beautiful precepts taught by your
Divine Son, and that you never listened to detraction, nor
took pleasure in words of double meaning, because you were
too pure. Having reasoned thus, she would resolve never to
lend an ear to evil conversations, and to endeavor to imitate
the Blessed Virgin in every way. |
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