The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam! - Matthew 16:18

This day Simon Peter ascended the gibbet of the cross. Alleluia. This day the keeper of heaven's keys went on his way to Christ with joy. This day the Apostle Paul, the light of the world, laying down his head for the name of Christ, was crowned with martyrdom. Alleluia.

Hodie Simon Petrus ascendit crucis patibulum. Alleluia. Hodie Clavicularius regni, gaudens migravit ad Christum: hodie Paulus Apostolus, lumen orbis terrae, inclinato capite, pro Christi nomine martyrio coronatus est. Alleluia!

- From the Antiphon at the Magnificat at Second Vespers

I am a Roman Catholic, Traditional.

Somehow, I had to type that :), on this special feast of the two Saints who founded new and most glorious Eternal Rome with their blood. Deo gratias et Mariae!

More to be continued tomorrow :) I'm really tired now. Deo gratias et Mariae!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Something very beautiful .. :)

Now, into my 2nd week at the lab. The Prof is good, the ppl too :) Deo gratias et Mariae. :)

Anyway, here's something very very very beautiful (it seems to me that I can find no other word to describe these things these days .. but its alright :), it really is very beautiful, very sweet, very very heart warming. The Beauty of Divinity - as I like to call it, so pure and chaste. Reparation

I got it from the Transalpine Redemptorists Blog, here.

O Most Sweet Jesus! My Dearest Jesus! :)

An Act of Atonement to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament

O most loving Jesus, Humbly prostrate before Thee in Thy Sacrament of love, we acknowledge Thee for our Lord and God, and we adore Thee with Thy Angels and Saints.

How great is Thy love for us! How great our ingratitude towards Thee! It pains us to see Thee so despised, forgotten and unknown. Before Thee, sinful and sorrowful, we acknowledge our sins and make reparation. For all the insults, irreverences, and outrages ever offered Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, we make reparation. For all the Masses neglected on Sundays and Holydays, for the Easter duty not made, and above all for the sacrilegious Communions ever received, we make reparation. For all our distractions, our coldness and our want of reverence at Holy Mass, at Communion and Benediction, we are sorry and we make reparation.

Give us, O dearest Jesus, the grace to know, to love and to serve Thee better. For the future, let our faith, our reverence and adoration be more worthy of Thee. Bless us, sweet Lord: forgive us every sin and fault; dismiss us with Thy peace in our hearts, and grant us the supreme happiness of one day seeing Thee face to face and possessing Thee together with Thy Holy Mother Mary and all Thy Angels and Saints forever in heaven. Amen.

Je l'avise et Il m'avise!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

A prayer of St. Bernard to Our Lady

I just found this prayer in the book, The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, here's it, "beautifulness" :) :

O Mary! thou art the only woman on whom the Saviour of the world has poured the treasures of his grace without measure; hence we are taught to honour thy chaste womb as the temple of God, wherein he was pleased to begin the great work of our redemption, the reconciliation of God with man. Thou, O mother of God, art that spiritual garden, whose fruit is never gathered by the hands of sinners. Thou art that hallowed soil where God has planted all the flowers which adorn his church, and amongst the rest, the holy virtues of humility, purity and charity, which are greater ornaments to the souls of men than violets, lilies and roses are to the earth. Thou art the paradise of God, whence flows the stream of living water to moisten the earth. Oh, what benefits were bestowed on the world through thee, when thou wast selected to be the fortunate channel of so many graces!

Ejaculatory prayer: Hail! our life, our sweetness and our hope! Dearest Mother Mary Dear.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

"He must increase: But I Must Decrease!" (John 3:30)

Today's the Birthday of St. John the Baptist :)

Here's something from Alone with God, a meditation on St. John the Precursor, I love especially this that St. John said: "He must increase; but I must decrease." - John 3:30.

Alone with God
By Fr. J. Heyrmann S.J.

June 24
THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

1. Holy Church celebrates three birthdays: the birthday of Jesus, the All-Holy, the birthday of His Holy Mother conceived without sin, whose soul never knew spot or stain; lastly of St. John the Precursor, who was sanctified before birth, by the presence of Jesus in His Mother’s womb. Jesus Himself bore witness that “there hath not risen among those who were born of women a greater than John the Baptist” (Mt. 11:11).

2. Petition: The grace to understand and to admire the greatness of John the Baptist. May we learn from him, by our whole life, to bear witness to Christ and to bring souls to Jesus.

I. The Forerunner

When John was born, his father Zachary, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, had spoken in prophecy, “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways” (Luke 1:76).

“And the child grew and was strengthened in spirit, and was in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel” (Luke 1:80). This was the hidden life of John, in the manner of the ancient prophets: in the silence and solitude of the desert he communed with the Holy Ghost in preparation for the task that lay ahead. Some months before Jesus left Nazareth to begin His public ministry, John, emerging from solitude, had appeared on the banks of the Jordan, “in the spirit and power of Elias” (Luke 1:17). The people’s response was wonderful: crowds heard his message, disciples gathered around him, and his influence was overwhelming. Had he but spoken the word, they would there and then have proclaimed him Messiah. But that word he would not speak. He said, “I am not the Christ” (John 2:20) but I am sent before him. “There shall come on, mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose” (Luke 3:16).

John did more than merely announce the coming of the Messiah; at the Jordan, he saw Him coming; enlightened by the Spirit, he recognized Him, and bore testimony to Him, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world. (Ecce Agnus Dei, Ecce qui tollis peccata mundi) This is he of whom I spoke … The next day again John stood, and two of his disciples, And beholding Jesus walking he said, Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak; and they followed Jesus” (John 1: 29-37).

The Baptist placed all his great authority, all he had and all he was, at the service of Jesus: a model of self-denial and self-sacrifice. How great he is in his humility! So all those must act whose vocation it is to bear testimony to Christ.

II. The Friend of the Bridegroom

This is another title which St. John gives himself, and which makes us penetrate deeper into his soul. When Jesus, helped by the testimony of the Baptist, was gradually establishing His authority and was gathering disciples, some of John’s followers felt piqued. “They came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou gavest testimony: behold, he baptiseth (probably not Jesus Himself, but some of His disciples) and all men come to him. John answered and said, A man cannot receive anything unless it be give to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom’s voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled” (John 3: 26-29). According to Jewish usage the friend of the bridegroom had the duty of preparing everything for the wedding feast; but as soon as the bridegrrom appeared, the friend disappeared, rejoicing over the bridegroom’s happiness. We may regard this pleasing feature as a reflection, cast on the austere countenance of the Baptist by “the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour” (Tit. 3:4) which here begins to manifest itself.

III. “He Must Increase: But I Must Decrease”

With these words John concluded his testimony, “He must increase: but I must decrease.” We feel how these words spring from the very depths of his heart. We know what a tragic fate is in store for him; to please the whims of a dancing girl, a voluptuous tyrant will have John’s head cut off in a dark dungeon. Was it thus that he had to decrease, to disappear utterly from before the eyes of the people and of his own disciples, in order that he might help Jesus to increase and to enjoy greater freedom of action? … Fod is wonderful in His Saints, and in the dispositions of His Providence. Many a time here on earth we see the vilest passions triumph over the noblest and fairest virtue: but “the just shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus” (Ps. 91:13).

Prayer: O God, who hast made this, the birthday of Blessed John, a day well worthy of our honour: grant unto Thy people the grace of spiritual joy, and direct the minds of all the faithful into the way of everlasting salvation. Through our Lord (Collect, Mass of today).

Faith of Our Fathers: (Beautiful hymn, we sang today at Mass :))

(via the Blue Traditional Roman Hymnal published by the SSPX, page 214)

Faith of our Fathers I

1. Faith of Our Fathers, living still,

In spite of dungeon fire and sword;

O how our hearts beat high with joy

When e'er we hear that glorious word!

Faith of Our Fathers, Holy Faith! We will be true to thee till death!

2. Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,

Were still in heart and conscience free;

How sweet would be their children's fate,

If they like them could die for thee!

3. Faith of our Fathers, Mary's pray'rs

Shall bring our country close to thee;

And through the truth that comes from God

This land shall then indeed be free.

4. Faith of our Fathers, We will love

Both friend and foe in all our strife;

And preach thee too,

as love knows how,

By kindly words and virtuous life.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee: Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

St. Aloysius Gonzaga!

Ah! Time flies I think (haha but also O dear me! ... :)) ... today was day 4 in the lab. But, today's also St. Aloysius!, beautiful saint, if you read the meditation I will paste below:

Alone with God
By Fr. Heyrman S.J.

21st June
St. Aloysius

(1568 – 1592)

1. In the year 1585 Luigi, the eldest son of the Marquess of Gonzaga, formally renounced his hereditary rights in favour of his younger brother Rudolfo, and entered the Society of Jesus. A painter has represented the scene in the following manner: in the foreground the two brothers stand facing each other in sharp contrast: Luigi wearing a black cassock and holding a crucifix in one hand, gives the hereditary crown to Rudolfo, a smart and attractive lad, dressed in gold brocade and beaming with joy. On a table lies the deed of cession, freshly signed and covered with heavy seals. In the background is the Marchioness, with the younger children, all bathed in tears. Call this theatrical, if you like; it is certainly a striking representation of two directly opposed conceptions of life, on which we may meditate with profit.

2. Petition: The grace that God, “the Giver of heavenly things,” may enlighten us about the wonderful power of divine love, which inflamed the soul of St. Aloysius.

I. Renouncing the World

In the Epistle of today’s Mass we read: “Blessed is the man, who lives, for all his wealth, unreproved, who has no greed for gold and puts no trust in his store of riches. Show us such man and we shall be loved in his praise … He kept clear of sin, when sinful ways were easy; did no wrong, when wrong lay in his power” (Ecclus. 31:8-11) (Translation of Knox).

One of those so blessed was Aloysius: he was heir to great wealth and was at home in several of the princely courts of Italy; as a lad of nine he had been sent by his father to the court of the Medici at Florence, there to be trained in the most refined manners of high society. Later on, he resided at the courts of Mantua and Madrid. Like other children he played, and sang, and danced; but we know that, already at Florence, he had taken a vow of perpetual virginity. At a very early age he discovered what corruption lay hidden, even in his own family, under much splendour and very polished manners. After the death of Aloysius, Rudolfo, the smart and handsome youth, had an uncle murdered that he might loot his money, and he himself perished at the hand of an assassin. Remember the picture of the renunciation!

Against the seduction of such surroundings the angelic youth had to take his stand; and that is why we can easily understand his motto: Recte et immobiliter; Straight on and inflexibly! He said, “I am an iron bar, which has been bent out of shape, and must be hammered straight.” Who could feel astonished if at times he struck too hard? He stood all alone, without a man to guide him. “May we imitate in his penance him, whom we have not followed in his innocence.”

II. Divine Love

“And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3).

Renunciation of the world by itself, though never a banal affair, is not necessarily a virtue, surely not a Christian virtue. The motive which inspired Aloysius, was love of God. His early vow of chastity, his love of prayer, his devotion to Christ crucified, were all inspired by the first and greatest commandment in the law; “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind” (Matthew 22:37, Gospel of the Mass). It was round Holy Communion that his whole life revolved: three days of the week were devoted to preparation and three to thanksgiving: and this preparation and this thanksgiving consisted of nothing but fervent acts of love. “Attention is love!” In Holy Communion he found the strength to persevere in the struggle for his vocation against his father’s opposition; whilst ever respectful of parental authority, he remained unalterably faithful to God’s call. After two years his father yielded. Aloysius fled from the world, not because he had no love for kith and kin, nor because he despised men; but because he loved God more, and wanted to do penance for men.

During six years he lived in religion, did his Superiors fail to moderate the ardent flames of love, which devoured a soul that wholly belonged to God, so that the body was consumed prematurely? It was the observance of the second commandment, which is like unto the first, that brought about the Saint’s premature death.

III. Love of His Neighbour

When the youthful marquis left for ever the family mansion at Castiglione, he was much missed by the poor people: he had always been a great friend to them all, teaching them by word and example, and always ready to distribute sweets and other good things. Who invented the tale that he had never looked at his mother’s features? Let us rather recall a detail of his life which shows him to have been quite a normal, and even lovable lad. For instance, when the Marchioness, his mother, had, in the absence of her husband, to attend a banquet, the youthful heir would act as her escort up to the very gates of the host’s castle. And after the function he would come again to accompany her home.

In the year 1591 there was an outbreak of famine and of plague at Rome, where Aloysius was studying theology. He immediately offered himself for the service of the plague striken. Whilst carrying a sick man to hospital he caught the infection himself. His shattered constitution was unable to resist the malady, and after lingering for three months he expired. His relative, Cardinal Scipio Gonzaga, who often came to visit him, is reported to have said, “Whenever I leave his bedside my mind is filled with holy thoughts and my mozetta soaked with tears. Of all Gonzagas Luigi is the happiest.” Eight days before his death he dictated the following letter to his mother, “I feel myself slowly being absorbed in the contemplation of the Divine Goodness, an ocean without shore or bottom. I feel called there to enjoy eternal rest after such a brief period of light labour.”

Prayer: Nourished with the Food of Angels, grant that we may live the life of Angels, and after the example of him whose feast we keep today, persevere ever in our thanksgiving, Through our Lord (Postcommunion, today’s Mass).

Prayer to Know One's Vocation

O my God, Thou who art the God of wisdom and of counsel, Thou who readest in my heart the sincere will to please Thee alone, and to govern myself with regard to my choice of a state of life, entirely in conformity with Thy most holy desire; grant me, by the intercession of the most blessed Virgin, my Mother, and of my holy patrons, especially of St. Joseph and St. Aloysius, the grace to know what state I ought to choose, and when to embrace it, so that in it I may be able to pursue and increase Thy glory, work out my salvation, and merit that heavenly reward which Thou hast promised to those who do Thy holy Will. Amen.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Ferial

Today's day 3 of the dear lab, I'm starting to get a hang of the lab. Anyway, coming to the reason as to why I'm posting, I read this today, which is so very beautiful, the word beautiful sometimes I feel, does not aptly describe what and how very and extremely beautiful it is, no one can describe, maybe, and so it shall now be in my vocabulary, "beautifulness" ... :)

From The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri:

Meditation III
The Heart of Jesus Christ panting to be Loved.

Jesus has no need of us; he is equally happy, equally rich, equally powerful with or without our love; and yet, as St. Thomas says (Opusc. 63, c.7.), he loves us so, that he desires our love as much as if man was his God, and his felicity depended on that of man. This filled holy Job with astonishment: What is man that Thou shouldst magnify him? Or why dost Thou set Thy heart upon him? (Quid est homo, quia magnificas eum? Aut quid apponis erga eum cor tuum? – Job vii. 17.)

What! Can God desire or ask with such eagerness for the love of a worm? It would have been a great favor if God had only permitted us to love him. If a vassal were to say to his king, “Sire, I love you,” he would be considered impertinent. But what would one say if the king were to tell his vassal, “I desire you to love me”? The princes of the earth do not humble themselves to this; but Jesus, who is the King of Heaven, is he who with so much earnestness demands our love: Love the Lod thy God with thy whole heart. (Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo. Matthew xxii. 37.) So pressingly does he ask for our heart: My Son, give Me thy heart. (Praebe, fili mi, cor tuum mihi. – Prov. Xxiii. 26.) And if he is driven from a soul, he does not depart, but he stands outside of the door of the heart, and he calls and knocks to be let in: I stand at the gate and knock. (Sto ad ostium et pulso – Apoc. Iii.20.) And he besseches her to open to him, calling her sister and spouse: Open to Me, My sister, My love. (Aperi mihi, soror mea. – Cant. v.2.) In short, he takes a delight in being loved by us, and is quite consoled when a soul says to him, and repeats often, “My God, my God, I love Thee.”

All this is the effect of the great love he bears us. He who loves necessarily desires to be loved. The heart requires the heart; love seeks love: “Why does God love, but that he might be loved himself,” said St. Bernard; and God himself first said, What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but that thou fear the Lord thy God … and love Him? – Deut. X.12. Therefore he tells us that he is that Shepherd who, having found the lost sheep, calls all the others to rejoice with him: Rejoice with Me, because I have found My sheep that was lost. – Luke xv. 6). He tells us that he is that Father who, when his lost son returns and throws himself at his feet, not only forgives him, but embraces him tenderly. He tells us that he that loves him not is condemned to death: He that loveth not abideth in death – 1 John iii.14, And, on the contrary, that he takes him that loves him and keeps possession of him: He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him. – 1 John iv.16.). Oh, will not such invitations, such entreaties, such threats, and such promises move us to love God, who so much desires to be loved by us?

To be continued ...

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

St. Juliana Falconieri

Today's the Feast day of St. Juliana Falconieri, I read about this dear saint, in my 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal:

The noble daughter of the illustrious family of Falconieri founded at Florence the Order of the Mantellati, attached to the Order of the Servites. (My little addition: this is a great great order! :) See this post, to see a Father of the Order of the Servites saying Mass on Easter Sunday in 1941. The Mass is Infinite! Beautiful!) She received Viaticum miraculously at the moment of her death in 1340. (What a beautiful death!)

Collect of Today's mass:
O God, Who didst vouchsafe wondrously to solace blessed Juliana, Thy Virgin, in her last sufferings with the precious Body of Thy Son: grant, we beseech Thee, that, by her intercession and merits, we too in our mortal agony may be refreshed and strengthened by the same Sacrament, and so be brought to our heavenly country. Through the same our Lord.

p/s: today's day 2 of Lab. I just bought my copy of Garcia Moreno on Sat and am now slowly poring through the book which now I can only do at night because I spend the whole day in the lab, but from what I've read so far, whooohooo, its a good good good book. :) Here's the review from the "Product Overview" from Angelus Press,

GARCIA MORENO
Can governments publicly profess the Catholic faith in modern times? Catholic governments were formerly commonplace during the Middle Ages when Christendom extended throughout Europe. But now such a possibility is scorned as being out of date and impractical. Instead the Freemasonic axiom of separation of Church and State has become universally accepted, despite the fact that this notion has been repeatedly condemned by the Catholic Church. In this book, the reader will see that it is possible to vanquish the Revolution and wrest nations from its mortal embrace: Garcia Moreno, held the Revolution at his feet, for fifteen years. What is needed today is a Christian Hercules, a Garcia Moreno, enbued with the armor of Christ, that is, the social truths of which the Church alone is the keeper. The true, the only Liberator is Jesus Christ, because He is the truth, and the truth alone can deliver the nations. Veritas liberabit vos. The Truth shall make you free. Alone among all the heads of state, in the wake of the French revolution and the collapse of societies it brought about, Garcia Moreno restored Christian government in Ecuador and merited the glorious name of Regenerator of the Fatherland; alone, despite calumniators and assassins, he gave the world a unique example of unshakable fortitude in the accomplishment of duty; alone, surrounded by tyrants who fought over the nations only to empty their purses, their minds and their hearts, he heaped immense and imperishable benefits upon his nation in the material, intellectual, moral and religious orders; alone, finally, a heroic martyr for Catholic civilization, he gave his blood for the noble cause he had defended. Thus he stands before us as the great political man of the 19th century, the type, so rarely seen, of the savior of nations. This is THE definitive biography of Garcia Moreno written by French priest Fr. Augustine Berthe in 1877 and translated into English by Lady Elizabeth Herbert of Lea in 1889 (a fascinating person in her own right: wife of the British Minister of War and Anglican convert to Catholicism). Softcover, 401 pp, 66 photos and drawings and a new preface by Fr. Paul Kimball.

Historia (realllllyyyy is) Magistra Vitae!

And here's another beautiful prayer by St. Ephrem:

O Queen of the universe and most bountiful sovereign! thou art the great advocate of sinners, the sure port of those who have suffered shipwreck, the resource of the world, the ransom of captives, the solace of the weak, the consolation of the afflicted, the refuge and salvation of every creature. O full of grace! enlighten my understanding, and loosen my tongue, that I may recount thy praises, and sing to thee the angelical salutation, which thou so justly deservest. Hail, thou who art the peace, the joy, the consolation of the whole world! Hail, paradise of delight, the assured asylum of all who are in danger, the source of grace, the mediatrix between God and man!

Ejaculatory Prayer: Refuge of sinners, take pity on me.

(As taken from the book, The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri)

Deo gratias et Mariae, for giving the world St. Alphonsus, for everything! :)

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

St. Ephrem!

Today is the Feast day of St. Ephrem, and today, I started out day 1 in the Lab. Please do pray for me, dear blog readers. :) God Bless! Deo gratias et Mariae! (for something) :)

Here's a beautiful prayer of St. Ephrem to our Dearest Lady, Our Mother: (That I found only yesterday in a most beautiful book)

Most pure and immaculate Virgin! divine Mary, Mother of God! thou art elevated in dignity above all the saints; thou art the hope of our fathers and the joy of the elect. Through thee, as the Mother of Jesus, we have been reconciled with God. O great Queen! have compassion on us, and grant us an asylum in the arms of thy mercy. We dedicate and consecrate ourselves to thy service; suffer not the devil to draw us with him into eternal flames.

Ejaculatory prayer: O Mary, Cause of Our Joy, Pray for us!

O Most Holy Virgin Mary, my hope, do thou assist me, and beseech Jesus to make me, by His grace, all that He wishes me to be.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Today is the Feast of the Dearest Sacred Heart of Jesus :) Here's a link to a post on: The Heart of Jesus in His Farewell Discourse. And here's more from the book, Alone with God.

Alone with God
By Father J. Heyrman, S.J.

FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
The Wounded Side (John 19: 32-38)

1. “God is Charity”, is the sublime definition of God, given by St. John (1 John 4:16). [Deus Caritas Est] And the Heart of Jesus crucified, pierced by the lance, is the most eloquent expression of that charity.

2. Petition: The grace of a more intimate understanding of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, which recalls to us the love, both human and divine, with which our Lord loves us.

I. The Accidental Deed of the Soldier

It was the custom, before removing the bodies from the cross, to break the legs of those that had been crucified. We shiver at the mere thought that Jesus should have suffered that barbarous treatment. The Father, without whose consent not one sparrow falls to the ground (Mt. 10:29), had determined otherwise. “You shall not break a bone of him” (Ex. 12:46): the precept concerned the paschal lamb sacrificed by Israel on the eve of their flight from Egypt, and also the true Paschal Lamb slain on Calvary.

The soldier’s act was not a mere accidental happening: in the Preface of the Mass of this day, the priest says, “We give thanks to Thee, O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, who didst will that Thine only-begotten Son hanging on the cross should be pierced by the soldier’s lance …”

The Father so willed it. What was the soldier’s intention? With a loud voice Jesus had said, “It is consummated. And bowing His head He gave up the ghost.” Pilate had sent soldiers to make certain that the condemned persons were dead, and to bury the bodies. “The soldiers therefore came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear opened His side: and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony … And after these things Joseph of Arimathea besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave leave” (John 19:32-38).

The relatives of one that had suffered the death penalty were entitled to ask for the dead body and to give it burial. But before surrendering the bodies, that there might not be the slightest doubt about the death of Jesus, the centurion ordered that the side and the heart of the Lord be pierced with a spear, truly a “coup de grace” in the sublimest sense of the word. Did the Roman act thus out of reverence for the Man to whom he had just borne witness, saying “Indeed, this was a just man”? (Luke 23: 47). Or did he wish to spare the friends and relatives of Jesus a cruel sight? No accident but a marvelous intervention of Divine Providence! St. John reads in it the fulfillment of a prophecy, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” Truly, all generations of men shall look with love and hope on the pierced Heart of the Saviour.

II. The “Open” Side

The earliest Fathers of the Church speak of the act of the soldier, not as inflicting a wound, but as making an opening in the Lord’s side, through which hidden treasures of grace could pour forth. They saw here the two chief fountains of grace, Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, symbolized by water and blood. “Latus aperuit,” says St. John, “he opened the side.” On those words St. Augustine bases the following considerations, “The word is carefully chosen: ‘he opened’, he did not pierce nor cut through; he ‘opened’ the gates of life, whence immediately flowed forth those Sacraments of the Church without which no one can receive the true life of the soul – water that purifies, blood which redeems and nourishes.” Just as Eve was taken out of the side of Adam, so the Church, the Mother of all the living, came from the side of the New Adam. The liturgy uses this ancient symbolism in the Preface of the Mass: “God,” it says, “willed this blow of the spear that the Heart thus opened, the sanctuary of divine bounty, should pour out on us an abundance of grace.”

Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, have mercy on us!

III. The Wound, Our Refuge

During the Middle Ages the mystics spoke of the wound as “the cleft in the rock” (Ct.2: 14), where the loving soul could seek refuge. In the Psalms the soul in danger finds shelter with the Most High, “He will overshadow thee with his shoulders, and under his wings thou shalt trust” (Ps. 90:4).

And now, when the Most High has become man, and as it were has opened His Heart to us, there is no place where the soul can feel so secure, and where it can be fashioned so perfectly unto His likeness. Thus thought Bernard, and Bonaventure, and Lutgard, and Gertrude, and Mechtilde; thus we pray in the Anima Christi, “In Thy Wound hide me”, and in the Preface, “that the Heart, which never ceases to burn with love may be for the devout a haven of rest, and for the penitent an ever open refuge of salvation.”

Sacred Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.

IV. The Wounded Heart

St. Bonaventure had remarked incidentally that “the Heart of Jesus had been wounded in order that, beyond the visible wound, we might discover the invisible wound of love in the Lord’s Heart.” This thought was uppermost in the mind of St. Margaret Mary. She beheld the Heart of Jesus, showing a deep wound, surrounded by a crown of thorns, and above the flames that arouse from it, a cross. And from the Lord’s lips she heard these words, “Behold this Heart, which has loved men so much … And from most of them I receive in return only ingratitude … But what grieves me most deeply is this, that those who behave thus are precisely those that are dedicated to My service.”

Henceforth the devotion to the Sacred Heart assumed a more human and a more soul-stirring aspect; having a personal and social appeal. In this form it received ecclesiastical approbation, and as Pope Pius XII wrote in his last Encyclical about the devotion to the Sacred Heart, “it took the world by storm”.

Who among us dare say that he has loved Jesus in return, as he ought? “Jesus has but few friends,” said St. Teresa of Avila, “and those that claim to be such must vow Him a friendship that is loyal, delicate, ready for every sacrifice.” Nothing will be more pleasing to Him, who died for all, than that we should pray and do penance for our fellow men.

Prayer: O God, who in the Heart of Thy Son, wounded for our sins, dost mercifully vouchsafe to bestow on us the riches of Thy love: Grant, we beseech Thee, that offering It the devout homage of our piety we may likewise offer It becoming reparation. Through our Lord … (Collect of today’s Mass).

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

A Note

Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com

I just installed a tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews.

Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you “look ahead,” before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

Should you decide that this is not for you, just click “Disable” in the upper right corner of the Snap Shots bubble and opt-out.

:) God Bless.

Je l'avise et Il m'avise!

The Eucharistic Miracle at Lanciano gave us the proof that Christ is really and transubstantially present in the Holy Eucharist.

Je l'avise et Il m'avise!

I look at Him and He looks at me!

The Most Holy Eucharist

Excerpts from [The Holy Eucharist by St. Alphonsus de Maria Ligouri], [Alone with God by Fr Heyrman S.J.], [20 Holy Hours by Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey SS.CC.] and [The Imitation of Christ by Blessed Thomas a Kempis]

Every religious house has a "domestic chapel", where the Blessed Sacrament is "reserved". This is an honour and a privilege, on which we should reflect these days: do we truly value Christ's presence so close to us, and do we remember it, and use it to make progress in the spiritual life? The Cure of Ars had noticed an elderly man who often knelt at the back of the church, and kept his eyes fixed on the tabernacle. The Saint once asked him what he was doing, and the old man answered, "Je l'avise et Il m'avise, I look at Him and He looks at me." Simple words, flowing from a humble heart: but Christ loves to converse with the humble ...

The Eucharist as a Sacrificial Banquet, A Mystery of Love and Intimacy:

Love longs for the presence of the beloved, and for union with him. Divine love satisfies this longing in a divine manner.

And therefore Jesus deigned "to close His earthly pilgrimage with this most wonderful dispensation" (Sui moras incolatus, Miro clausit ordine) through the institution of the Blessed Sacrament He would remain in our midst till the end of time. Indeed it is a sacramental presence veiled and hidden: but both in Holy Communion and in the tabernacle, He is really and truly with us. We can go and prostrate ourselves before Him, we can greet Him; His quiet presence supports and feeds our prayer.

But what Jesus intended through the institution of the Holy Eucharist touches our inmost being even more closely. The Council of Trent says, "Not only did the Lord intend to give to His Bride, the Church, a visible sacrifice, as is demanded by our human nature; He also gave her His sacred Body to be the spiritual food of our souls, that we might become partakers of His very life." "He that eateth me, the same also shall live by me." "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him" (John 6: 57,58). Is it possible to devise a more intimate way of being united? It is like mutual compenetration, brought about by the partaking of materiel food: but here materiel signs point to the most sublime spiritual reality: the wisdom of God, and His infinite power in the service of His boundless love.

When Jesus trod the roads of Galilee, power went out from His mortal Body, which healed all those that merely touched the hem of His garment: and we, whenever we eat His flesh we are privileged to have the most intimate contact with His glorified Body. O Lord, heal all our ailments!

In His discourse at Capharnaum Jesus laid stress on the intimate union of the soul with Him through the eating of His Flesh and the drinking of His Blood. From this St. Paul concludes to the oneness of all those that believe in Christ, "The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? For we, being many, are one bread, one body all that partake of one bread" (1 Cor. 10:16,17).

Sitting at the same table, and partaking of the same food, betokens and fosters harmony and friendship. The Fathers of the Church, especially St. Augustine, regard the Eucharist as the Sacrament of unity, symbolising the unity of the Church, and moulding it into the one mystical Body of Christ. "O Mystery of piety, O sign of unity, O bond of love!"

This makes us grasp how appropriately the Bride of Christ, our Holy Mother the Church, prepares her children for Holy Communion by exhorting them to fraternal charity, and by the kiss of peace. "That they may be one, as we also are one; I in them, and thou in me; that they may be perfect in one" (John 17: 22,23).

“You envy,” said St. John Chrysostom, “the opportunity of the woman who touched the vestments of Jesus, of the sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears, of the women of Galilee who had the happiness of following Him in His pilgrimages, of the Apostles and disciples who conversed with Him familiarly, of the people of the time who listened to the words of grace and salvation which came forth from His lips. You call happy those who saw Him … But, come to the altar and you will see Him, you will touch Him, you will give to Him holy kisses, you will wash Him with your tears, you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy.”

Thus Jesus is truly with us. “Jesus is there!” The holy Cure of Ars could not finish repeating these three words without shedding tears. And St. Peter Julian Eymard exclaimed with joyful fervour, “There Jesus is! Therefore all of us should go visit Him!”

Mary and the Holy Eucharist

"True Body, Born of Mary Ever Virgin"

Jesus said: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:51). In the virginal womb of Mary the "Bread of Angels" (Panis Angelorum) assumed the form in which it would become "the food of mortal man". Even before she had become the Mother of God, the angel had greeted her "full of grace". This fullness received a further increase when. as the first living tabernacle of God among men, she carried within herself the very fountain of all graces. "He that is mighty hath done great things to her:" for she is the true Mother of the true Body, that is born of her. On the feast of Corpus Christi the Church most appropriately concludes all her hymns with the same words as on the feasts of Our Lady:

O Jesus, born of Virgin bright, Immortal glory be to Thee, Praises to the Father infinite, And Holy Ghost eternally.

Mary Offers Christ on Calvary

Mary's womb was the first altar on which the Son of God, made man, offered Himself to the Father. "Wherefore, when He (Christ, the High Priest) cometh into the world, he saith Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not: but a body thou hast fitted to me. Holocausts for sin did not please thee; then said I, Behold, I come. In the head of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will, O God" (Heb. 10: 5-7).

When the appointed hour had come, the sacrifice of Calvary was consummated: Mary stood by the cross, and at that supreme moment she joined her Fiat to the "consummatum est", of her Son. It is true that nothing was lacking to the sacrifice of Jesus, but the Lord willed that His Holy Mother, who was to be the Mother of all the living, should participate in His oblation in a unique and universal, even though subordinate, manner.

No one could participate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice as did Mary: therefore we say in the Canon of the Mass, "In communion with, and honouring the memory of, especially the glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ ..." Mary's role in the work of our redemption is a subordinate one nevertheless by God's will a necessary, and therefore a universal one. When giving us His Son, God gave us all things: in a certain sense we may say that, by giving us her Son, Mary gave us all things.

The moment Mary had given her assent to the angel's message, the Word of God was made flesh; with her assent the Lamb was nailed to the cross; in a unique and most sublime manner, she has offered her Son to the Father for the redemption of mankind.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
Born for us on earth below,
He, as man with man conversing,
Stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
Then He closed in solemn order
Wondrously His life of woe. Sui moras incolatus, Miro clausit ordine
Pange Lingua by St. Thomas Aquinas

Mary in the Infant Church

Our Lady was "not present" when Jesus instituted the Blessed Sacrament, and ordained the Apostles to be His priests and "dispensers of the Divine Mysteries". Holy Writ explicitly mentions her presence when the Paraclete came down on the Apostles: indeed she, the new Eve and Mother of all the living, could not be absent at the moment when the Church was born, which is her Son's Mystical Body. When the brethren at Jerusalem gathered to celebrate the Eucharist, "breaking bread in commemoration of Him," the Mother of the Lord was surely with them. Though she was full of grace, and had been favoured by God in such a wonderful manner, still she remained the humble "handmaid of the Lord", and took her place among the faithful. For her, as for all the other believers, the Apostles "broke the Bread". To her also Holy Communion became the food of her soul to comfort and strengthen her till the end of her pilgrimage, and also the intimate experience of the "Communion of Saints".

Hail, true Body, born of Mary, ever Virgin,
Truly suffering, immolated on the cross for man.
Blood and water forth there flowed
From the wounded side.
In the moment of our death
Be Thou a foretaste of heaven.
O sweet Jesus! O good Jesus!
O Jesus, Son of Mary!
Ave Verum

The Eucharist as Centre of Our Life

Whenever we visit the Blessed Sacrament, we go and draw at the fountain of all graces, we cooperate with grace, and we make it bear fruit. "For every devout soul may approach without fear, every day and hour, to a spiritual communion with Christ ... As often as he devoutly dwells on the mystery of Christ's Incarnation and Passion, he communicates mystically, and is invisibly strengthened and inflamed to love" (4 Imitation of Christ, 10:6).

Prayer: Grant, O Lord, that we, who have been fed with the Bread of Angels, may imitate the purity of angels in our conduct, and like him, whom we honour today never cease to give thanks to Thee. Through our Lord (Postcommunion of Mass of St. Aloysius).

The Eucharist Cleanses Our Soul (A Preservation Against Sin)

Every increase of grace implies further safeguard against sin. When the body receives appropriate food, it is immune against illness and protected against contagion. Often the Church prays, "Mundet et muniat nos, quaesumus, Domine, divini Sacramenti munus oblatum: May the offering of this Divine Sacrifice purify and protect us, we pray Thee, O Lord."

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from Thee.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
And bid me come to Thee.
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee,
Forever and ever. Amen.

O Salutaris Hostia!

O Salutaris hostia, Quae caeli pandis ostium,Bella premunt hostilia,Na robur, fer auxilium.Uni trinoque Domino,Sit sempiterna gloria:Qui vitam sine termino,Nobis donet in patria.Amen.

O Saving Victim! opening wideThe gate of Heaven to man below!Our foes press on from every side;Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.To thy great Name be endless praise,Immortal Godhead! One in three!O grant us endless length of daysIn our true native land with Thee!Amen.

The above hymn is sung during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament when the priest opens the tabernacle and incenses the Blessed Sacrament.

Conclusion

We adore Thee, Eucharistic God and we Bless Thee, Redeemer of the world. We love Thee, Jesus, in the sublime beauty of Thy agonizing Heart. Thou alone art great! Thou alone art Holy, O God, in the humiliation of the divine Host! Thou alone are the most High, hidden in the unbloody sacrifice of this altar!

Glory be to Thee, Lord God, King of Heaven, but willing to live in the Gethsemane of a humble Tabernacle. Glor be to Thee, Eucharistic Jesus, in the celestial heights, the abode of Angels. Praise to Thee on earth, the abode of men!

O Lord, in the name of all Thy brothers and sisters, and especially in the name of all those who suffer with love and faith, kneeling before Thee, we adore the tears, the solitude, the anguish, the weariness, all the bitterness, all the agony of Thy Sacred Heart. We believe, Jesus, that Thou art the Christ, the God-Man of redeeming sorrows.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

The Archbishop Speaks

(via SSPXAsia.com - The Archbishop Speaks)

on the Feast of Corpus Christi, 17 June 1976 at Ecône, Switzerland

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

My dear brethren,

If there is a feast which ought to be dear to our hearts, to the heart of the priest, to the heart of the seminarian, to the hearts of the Catholic Faithful, it is indeed the Feast of the Most Blessed Sacrament. What in our holy religion is more grand, more beautiful, more divine than the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist? What could Our Lord Jesus Christ have done to manifest His charity, His love for us more efficaciously, more obviously, than by leaving us under the appearances of bread and wine His Body, His Blood, His Soul and His Divinity? These things we have just sung in the Epistle, in the Gradual, in the Alleluia, in the Gospel. We have affirmed our faith in the Holy Eucharist—this faith which today is turned to doubt, this faith which is turned to doubt by the attitude, by the lack of respect that men have for the Most Holy Eucharist, for Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself present under the appearances of bread and wine. We then should affirm more than ever our faith in the Most Holy Eucharist.

That is why we are happy to gather here today, around Jesus in the Eucharist, and to manifest to Him our faith in His Divinity, and our adoration. It is for this that already for centuries and centuries in the Church this custom, this tradition has existed, of adoring Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist publicly—in the villages, in the cities, in the small cities as in the great ones—in the religious houses and in monasteries. Everywhere the Eucharist is honored; everywhere on this day of the Feast of the Most Blessed Sacrament, or of Corpus Christi, the Most Blessed Sacrament is honored in a public manner. The Council of Trent declared that we must honor Our Lord Jesus Christ publicly so that those who see, and who observe the faith of Catholics in the Most Holy Eucharist, might be attracted as well by this homage rendered to Our Lord Jesus Christ, and that finally they might believe in the Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ present in this great Sacrament. And the Council of Trent added, Let those who refuse to admit the Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ be struck, struck by a punishment of God—by the blinding of their hearts—if they refuse to honor Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is what the Council of Trent said, to encourage this custom and this tradition, already ancient, of honoring Our Lord Jesus Christ publicly in the streets of our cities, in the countryside, as we are doing here today. That is why in a little while we shall make the procession, with all our faith, repeating to Our Lord Jesus Christ, Yes, we believe, O Jesus, that You are present in the holy Sacrament. We believe it today twice, three times, four times as strongly, for all those who no longer believe, for those who despise You in Your Sacrament, for all those who commit sacrileges. We shall perform this act of faith, asking Our Lord Jesus Christ to increase our faith.

It is this that is the foundation and the proof of our holy Catholic Religion, as the Scripture says so well. Could there be a religion in which God were nearer to man, than in the Catholic Religion? It is because it is the true religion; because God does not believe that He is humiliating Himself in coming to us, and in giving Himself to us in His Flesh and in His Blood. God does not humiliate Himself, He remains God. It is we who must manifest our respect, our adoration, for God. It is not because God acts in simplicity, in love, in charity towards us that we should despise Him. On the contrary, we should thank Him for this immense charity, this infinite love, this divine love of remaining among us!

Think, my dear brethren, try to recall the stages of your life in which you have felt this presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Ah, I am sure that the day of your First Communion-remember this moment, this blessed moment of your First Communion!—you thanked God for being able to receive His Body and His Blood. How well you were prepared by your parents, by the priests, who loved you, and who led you to the holy altar with an infinite respect for your hearts, for your souls, which were about to approach, which were about to become temples of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ! And since that day, how many times you have approached the holy altar to ask special graces which you needed—for yourselves, for your families, for the sick, perhaps for members of your family who were abandoning Our Lord Jesus Christ. Then you have made a more fervent communion, you asked Our Lord, Save them, these souls, do not abandon them. Do this by love for them; manifest Your mercy. And then no doubt when there was a celebration in your family, or a birthday, or a celebration which involved one of your children, you again felt sentiments of love and of gratitude towards Our Lord Jesus Christ—and not only in these special circumstances, but throughout your life.

Imagine a Christian life without the Eucharist! What would we be, without Our Lord Jesus Christ, without this extraordinary gift that God has given us? How we would be orphans, how we would feel alone, as if abandoned by God! But with the Eucharist, when we need to speak to Him, to see Him, to tell Him that we love Him, when we need special help, we can enter our churches, kneel down before Our Lord Jesus Christ, perhaps alone—alone before the Blessed Sacrament, and ask God: Come, come to my aid, succor me, I have a problem, a cross to bear; come to the aid of my family, come to the aid of my children. . . and then you left, you went out of the church comforted.

And you felt these same things, I am sure, after each Sunday Mass. How beautiful it is, the Sunday Mass, with all the faithful gathered around Our Lord Jesus Christ, participating in His Passion, participating also in His Body and in His Blood, returning to their homes with peace in their souls, joy in their hearts, strength in their souls, and ready to suffer if they must with Our Lord Jesus Christ, to bear their trials better. How often it is our job as priests to assist the dying. How often it is our job to carry Communion to the sick. What a joy for these souls who were suffering to receive their God from the hand of a priest who came to bring them Communion! What a comfort, what a source of courage for them!

Our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished in this Sacrament an extraordinary miracle of His love, and consequently we too ought to manifest our love for Him. The Sacrament of the Eucharist is truly the Sacrament of charity. Jesus could not have done more for us. It is the Sacrament of our Faith, first of all, the mysterium fidei — mysterium fidei — it is the mystery of our Faith—I would say the test, the test of our Faith. It is thus that true Catholics, that true Christians are recognized—if they have a profound, a real, an efficacious faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist. It is thus that the Faith of Christians is recognized. Consequently this Sacrament is truly the mystery of our faith.

It is also the mystery of our hope. Our Lord Himself says so: "If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you shall have eternal life in you. If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you shall have this eternal life, and one day I shall raise you up." He will be our resurrection. The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ present in our own poor bodies is a gauge of our resurrection. It is already eternal life that we possess within us. This eternal life will no longer leave us, even at the hour of our death. There will remain in our souls this germ of the resurrection of our bodies for eternity, because we shall have received Holy Communion, because we shall have been united to Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It is Our Lord Himself who says so, and this Gospel has been chosen by the Church specifically for the Mass of the Dead. Et ego resuscitabo eum in novissimo die. "And I shall raise you up on the last day."

Mystery of faith, mystery of our hope, mystery of charity. This is what I have just explained to you, but I should like to insist a little more on this efficacity of the charity produced by the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and which we so need. Even among ourselves, among us who believe—who have the Faith— who wish to remain Catholic and Roman until the last hour of our lives. We especially ought to live in charity. This Sacrament is the sign, the symbol of charity, by the charity of Our Lord.

But why did Our Lord choose these elements of bread and wine? You know, for it is a comparison which is often made, but which always needs to be recalled to mind. The bread is the fruit of grains which are milled together, crushed, and united to make bread. These grains must be united in such a manner that they form but one loaf of bread. The Eucharist, the Eucharistic bread, is precisely this image of the union of all the faithful, in this species of bread which our eyes behold, and which is the fruit of this union of grains of wheat. It is the same for the wine. One must also unite all the grapes of the vine to produce wine. It is in this union that wine is made, that wine is produced. And so Our Lord wished to choose these elements precisely to show us that we ought to be united, united also so as to transform ourselves in Our Lord Jesus Christ.

If we have not charity in us, if we are not united among ourselves, Our Lord Jesus Christ will not be able to act efficaciously in us, it is not possible. Our Lord Jesus Christ cannot enter a soul that has no charity. And how painful it is sometimes to think that some persons who nourish themselves daily on the Eucharist are not yet entirely dominated by this virtue of charity. They have to criticize, to cause divisions, to make rash judgments, to manifest their antipathy towards persons for whom they ought to manifest only friendship.

Well, let us make a resolution today on this Feast of the Blessed Sacrament—we who wish to keep this tradition, who wish to keep this faith in the Holy Eucharist—to keep as well the fruits of the Holy Eucharist. It does not suffice to keep the faith in it, it does not suffice to say that we are attached to the tradition of faith and hope in the Eucharist, but it is necessary too that we feel, that we have in ourselves all the fruits, these fruits of charity, which are so good, which manifest in such an obvious manner the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in our souls.

And this I say especially to you, my dear future priests, who are going to be ordained in a few days, and to you, dear seminarians who are present: this charity you need. It must manifest itself in you. How could the faithful who will have recourse to your ministry really think that you are priests, that you are those whom God has chosen to consecrate the Holy Eucharist, so that He is present on the altar in His Body and in His Blood, the greatest manifestation of charity . . . how could they conceive that those who are the instruments of charity of God would not manifest this same charity towards the faithful and towards those Christians who come to receive it? And that by your patience, by your condescendence, by your love, by your humility, by your simplicity. You will listen to those who will come to see you, your heart will be full of mercy for them.

You will love to hear confessions. The ministry of confession is one of the most beautiful manifestations of the charity of the priest. An if you remain for hours in the confessional, is this not what the holy Cure of Ars and all holy priests have done, who spent their lives in the confessional? Extraordinary manifestation of their charity, of this charity which is found in the Holy Eucharist. These things you will do, I am certain, my dear brethren, my dear seminarians, because that is what all the faithful who hope in Ecône expect from you. That is what the priest is— the holy priest is a priest who is charitable above all, who has his heart wide open to all those who come to consult him, to all those who seek consolation from him, and courage and firmness of faith. You then will be such priests as these, filled with this charity of Our Lord, and you will ask this particularly of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

We cannot think of the Eucharist without thinking of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, for if the Virgin Mary had not pronounced her Fiat, we would not have the Holy Eucharist either. It is because she pronounced her Fiat that today we have the joy, the happiness of possessing Our Lord Jesus Christ in our tabernacles, on our altars. Let us then ask the Most Blessed Virgin Mary to give us this charity which she knew so well, which she saw in her Son, Jesus.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

-------

Even though this is addressed to priests and seminarians, it is still very good sermon about the Eucharist and our daily lives :) ... a sort of "prelude" to the next post ...

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Feast of Corpus Christi

Lauda Sion
By St. Thomas Aquinas

From the Sequence of the Mass of the Feast of Corpus Christi

Sion, lift thy voice and sing:
Praise thy Saviour and thy King,
Praise with hymns thy Shepherd true.

All thou canst, do thou endeavor,
Yet thy praise can equal never
Such as merits thy great King.

See today before us laid
The living and life-giving Bread!
Theme for praise and joy profound!

The same which at the sacred board
Was, by our incarnate Lord,
Giv’n to His Apostles round.

Let the praise be loud and high;
Sweet and tranquil be the joy
Felt today in every breast

On this festival divine
Which records the origin
Of the glorious Eucharist.

On this table of the King,
Our new Paschal offering
Brings to end the olden rite.

Here, for empty shadows fled,
Is reality instead;
Here, instead of darkness, light.

His own act, at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
In His memory divine.

Wherefore now, with adoration,
We, the Host of our salvation
Consecrate from bread and wine.

Hear what Holy Church maintaineth,
That the bread its substance changeth
Into Flesh, the wine to Blood.

Doth it pass thy comprehending?
Faith, the law of sight transcending
Leaps to things not understood.

Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things, to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things, are all we see.

Flesh from bread, and Blood from wine,
Yet is Christ in either sign
All entire, confessed to be.

They, who of Him here partake,
Sever not, nor rend, nor break:
But entire, their Lord receive.

Whether one or thousands eat,
All receive the self-same meat,
Nor the less for others leave.

Both the wicked and the good
Eat of this celestial Food:
But with ends how opposite!

Here it is life: and there it is death:
The same, yet issuing to each
In a difference infinite.

Nor a single doubt retain,
When they break the Host in twain,
But that in each part remains
What was in the whole before;

Since the simple sign alone
Suffers change in state or form,
The signified remaining one
And the same for evermore.

Lo! Upon the altar lies,
Hidden deep from human eyes,
Bread of Angels from the skies,
Made the food of mortal man.

Children’s meat to dogs denied.
In old types presignified:
In he manna heaven-supplied,
In Isaac, and the Paschal lamb.

Jesu! Shepherd of the sheep!
Thou Thy flock in safety keep.
Living Bread! Thy life supply:
Strengthen us, or else we die:
Fill us with celestial grace!

Thou, Who feedest us below!
Source of all we have or know!
Grant that with Thy Saints above,
Sitting at the feast of love,
We may see Thee face to face.
Amen. Alleluia!

Affections of Love towards the Heart of Jesus
This was written by St. Alphonsus, but remained unpublished till 1875.

O amiable Heart of my Saviour! Thou art the seat of all virtues, the source of all graces, the burning furnace in which are inflamed all holy souls. Thou art the object of all God’s love; thou art the refuge of the afflicted, and the abode of the souls that love thee, O Heart worthy of reigning over all hearts, and of possessing the affection of all hearts! O Heart that was wounded for me on the Cross by the lance of my sins, and that remained afterwards continually wounded for me on the altar in the Blessed Sacrament, but not by any other lance than that of the love that thou entertainest for me! O loving Heart, that loves men with so much tenderness, and that is so little loved by men! Do thou apply a remedy to so great an ingratitude, inflame thou our hearts with a true love for thee. Ah! Why can I not go all over the world to make known the graces, the sweetness, the treasures that thou dispensest to those who truly love Thee? Accept the desire that I have of seeing all hearts burning with love for thee. O Divine Heart! Be Thou my consolation in trials, my repose in labours, my solace in anxieties, my haven in tempests. I consecrate Thee my body and my soul, my heart and my life, together with all that I am. I unite to Thine all my thoughts, all my affections, all my desires. O Eternal Father! I offer Thee the pure affections of the Heart of Jesus. If Thou dost reject mine, Thou canst not reject those of Thy Son, who is sanctity itself; may they supply what is wanting in me, and may they render me pleasing in Thy eyes!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Evolution OUT! - Part II: A Historical Perspective

Today's the Feast of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr, Apostle of Germany.

Tomorrow's the Feast of St. Norbert, Bishop and Confessor, Founder of the Premonstratensian Canons, more on the Premonstratensians Canons here.

+ J.M.J.A.T.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Evolution Out! Part I: Introduction

Please read the introduction for the official disclaimer and also for an overall introduction to this series of posts. :)

Evolution Out! Part II: A Historical Perspective

Here's Part II of a small series of blogposts that I started sometime before the previous school term started. Now, with a little bit of extra time in my hands, I've decided to post Part II. The past semester was filled with only science modules - something that terrified (lol, it really did, especially biostats) me at the beginning of the semester, but after coming out of it unscathed and somewhat "rejuvenated", (Deo volente! and Deo gratias et Mariae!), I'm now ready to write this, with all that I thought about this topic and with little anecdotes (here and there) that come from the little and insignificant experiences of a life science major. [please refer to point no. 3 in the "reasons" section in Part I]

As an introductory topic for Part II (today's post will focus on this. this post will continue on for the next few days if time permits), I'd like to offer you a historical perspective of this great evolution debacle by putting up a chapter from The Evolution Hoax Exposed; Former Title: Why Colleges Breed Communists by A.N. Field, published by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. Rockford, Illinois 61105, which, in my opinion, gives a very interesting and very thoughtful historical perspective and insight on this topic. [I checked the book - there's no copyright infringement in any way.]

Here's the excerpt:

The Evolution Hoax Exposed (Former Title: Why Colleges Breed Communists)

A.N. Field

Chapter II: The Skeleton in the Cupboard
[Transformist ideas ancient – French Revolution and evolution – Darwin’s theory – Glosses over lack of proof – Huxley more candid – Darwin’s private admission – Later admissions – All evolution theories collapse – No new species producible – Breeding experiments fail]

With oaks to be seen sprouting from acorns, grubs turning into butterflies, and chickens pecking their way out of eggs, it is not surprising that human fancy from an early date toyed with the notion of one kind of living thing being transformed into some other kind. This idea has been the stock-in-trade of folk-lore and fairy tales in all ages and all lands. It was the achievement (!) of Charles Darwin to make it the foundation of modern biological science.

At the end of the eighteen century there occurred that great event known as the French Revolution, described in various quarters as a landmark in the liberation of the human spirit (!). Incidentally, the student may learn from Alison’s History of Europe how in the course of this episode the mob in the streets of Paris roasted and ate the bodies of the massacred Swiss Guard of the royal palace on August 10, 1792, and how fifteen months later the multitude assembled in the Cathedral of Notre Dame (of all places!!!) to worship the “Goddess of Reason”, personified by an actress, also well known to the public in another capacity, placed naked (!in church!) by Government decree upon the altar of the French Westminister Abbey (!). State and people having alike discarded Christianity as outworn superstition, attention was directed in scientific circles to discovering how the world had come into being without intervention of the Almighty.

Modern evolutionist theory dates from the writings of two French scientists of this period, the Comte de Buffon and M. Lamarck, the latter of whom propounded a theory of evolution by inheritance or acquired characters. Evolutionist ideas were also advanced in England by a medical man and author of Derby, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, correspondent and admirer of Jean Jacques Rousseau, chief philosopher of the French revolutionary era. Ideas of evolution began to float about, and in 1813, Dr. W.C. Wells aired the subject before the Royal Society in London.

Scientists in the first half of the nineteen century were by no means all believers in Evolution. The Creationists were in a great majority, and the Evolutionists lacked a plausible theory of how evolution had occurred. This was all altered on the appearance of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1859.

Darwin’s theory was that all species had evolved from primal protoplasm by Natural Selection, or survival of the fittest in the struggle for existence. As lambs still continued to appear with tails, despite the fact that their parents had had theirs cut off for generations back, Lamarck’s idea of evolution by inheritance of acquired characters had failed to convince. Darwin not only provided a more attractive theory but he elaborated it in a big book. He directed attention to the way breeders of domestic animals and plants got new varieties by selective breeding. He quoted instances of small variations occurring in all directions in living things. He argued that the rate of multiplication of living things produced an intense struggle for existence exterminating those with unfavourable variations and permitting those with favourable variations to flourish and increase.

The idea of evolution as thus propounded met with immediate and astounding success. Not all scientists accepted it by any means, but it caught on and disbelievers were soon shouted down. In his presidential address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1937 Sir Edward Poulton said the records showed that Dr. Wright back in 1881 was the last person to express disbelief in evolution at this British scientists’ parliament. The article on evolution in the current (1929) edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica affirms evolution to be an established fact supported by “overwhelming” evidence. In current newspaper and magazine literature evolution is similarly treated as a fact beyond dispute and in colleges and schools is usually rammed down the pupils’ throats as incontrovertible truth.

Nevertheless, there is a small, slight hiatus in the argument. There is, unfortunately for evolutionists, not a shred of evidence of any living thing every evolving into some different kind of living thing capable of breeding but infertile with parent stock. All that breeding experiments have produced is mere varieties fertile with their parent stock, or else sterile hybrids, incapable of breeding, such as the mule produced by a cross between horse and donkey. All living things go on obstinately producing young after their own kind and no other kind. Evolution has to show that living things can break through their natural breeding limits. And this is just what evolution has been quite unable to show.

This small defect in an otherwise pleasing theory Darwin glossed over in his books. Nevertheless, Darwin admitted in the introduction to his Origin of Species that evolution as a scientific theory “would be unsatisfactory, until it could be shown how the innumerable species inhabiting this world have been modified.” Before he got to the end of his 700 pages Darwin ignored this requirement, for, without meeting it, he declared himself in his concluding chapter “thoroughly convinced” of evolution.

Huxley, who from the outset constituted himself the chief propagandist of Darwinism, was more logical. He made no bones about the total absence of any actual proof of evolution. In fact, he greatly annoyed Darwin by harping on the point, as anyone who cares to peruse the five volumes of Darwin’s letters and the two volumes of Huxley’s may discover for himself. “My God,” (!) wrote Darwin to Huxley in 1862, “is not the case difficult enough without its being, as I must think, falsely made more difficult. I believe it is all my own fault – my own d—d candour …” (More Letters of Charles Darwin, I, 230).

This outburst was in consequence of Huxley having pointed out in his lectures and books that so far it had not been possible by selective breeding to produce a form capable of breeding but infertile with the parent stock. Huxley, in admitting this lack of evidence, said in his Edinburgh lectures in 1861 that if it could be shown that such failure was “the necessary and inevitable result of all experiments” he would hold Mr. Darwin’s hypothesis to be “utterly shattered.” (Man’s Place in Nature, Everyman edition, p.256). He added, however, that he looked for early proof to be forthcoming. In a letter to Darwin, Huxley said he told his students that he was satisfied that twenty years’ scientific breeding experiments with pigeons would provide the necessary proof (Huxley’s Life and Letters, I, 195-6).

Although so heatedly rebuking Huxley in 1862, Darwin himself eight months later, privately admitted in a letter to Dr. Bentham the total absence of any proof of evolution. This is what he wrote under date of May 22, 1863: “In fact belief in Natural Selection must at present be grounded entirely on general considerations … When we descend to details, we can prove that no one species has changed (i.e., we cannot prove that a single species has changed); nor can we prove that the supposed changes are beneficial, which is the groundwork of the theory. Nor can we explain why some species have changed and others have not” (Darwin’s Life and Letters, iii, 25).

Darwin died in 1882. Huxley died in 1895. Four years before he died Huxley wrote to Professor Romanes that evolution still stood without the evidence on which he had insisted thirty years before. He had always insisted, he said, on “the logical incompleteness of the theory so long as it was not backed by experimental proof” (Huxley’s Life and Letters, ii, 291).

We now pass onwards another thirty years; and we find the noted English evolutionist, Professor Sir William Bateson, acknowledging exactly the same total absence of any proof of evolution. This is what he said to the congress of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Toronto in 1921: -

“When students of other sciences ask us what is now currently believed about the origin of species we have no clear answer to give … The conclusion in which we were brought up, that species are a product of summation of variations, ignored the chief attribute of species that the product of their crosses is frequently sterile in great or less degree. Huxley very early in the debate pointed out this grave defect in the evidence, but before breeding researches had been made on a large scale no one felt the objection to be serious. Extended work might be trusted to supply the deficiency. It has not done so, and the significance of the negative evidence can no longer be denied” (Nature, Ap. 29, 1922).

Six years later another prominent evolutionist, Professor J.B.S. Haldane, in his book Possible Worlds (p. 38) said in 1927: “The barrier of inter-specific sterility is the most serious argument against Darwin’s Organic Evolution.” It is equally a barrier against any other kind of organic evolution.

In 1931 we find the great Professor H.F. Osborn, of the United States, described by Britain’s Royal Society as the greatest palaeontologist of the day, making the following remarkable statement to a congress of the British Association: -

“We are more at a loss than ever to understand the causes of evolution. One after another the Buffonian, Lamarckian, Darwinian, Weissmannian, and De Vriesan theories of causation have collapsed … All that we can say at present is that Nature does not waste time or effort with chance or fortuity or experiment, but that she proceeds directly and creatively to her marvelous adaptive ends of biomechanism” (Nature, September 28, 1931).

This is an admission by one of the high priests of science that all theories of evolution have collapsed. Buffon propounded a general theory of evolution; Lamarck, tutor to Buffon’s children, followed with an idea of evolution by inheritance of acquired characters; Darwin advanced the idea of gradual small changes by natural selection; Weissman put all the emphasis on the germ plasm; and De Vries put forward the idea of evolution by mutations or sudden large variations.

Two years later on again Professor James Ritchie, the great zoologist of Edinburgh University, wrote in Nature of September 30, 1933: “The problem of the origin of species seems to be as far from solution as ever.” In September, 1939, Professor Ritchie delivered the presidential address to the zoological section of the British Association and had nothing further to report. “The existence of life,” he said. “must be considered as an elementary fact which cannot be explained,” and, admitting life, the biologist “may build up a whole body of biological theory … logical in the logic of probability …” (Nature, September 23, 1939). Everything was down to mere shadowy “probability”.

The above series of pronouncements by front-rank biologists covers the entire period of eighty years since the first proclaiming of the Darwinian gospel. There is no more vestige of proof of evolution today than there was in those early days when Darwin privately, and Huxley openly, admitted its total absence.

Claims are made from time to time of the production by experiment of new species of living things, but they rapidly drop out of sight and the above series of statements at scientific headquarters is sufficient evidence that no such claim has survived examination. This evidence is vital to the evolution theory, and if it were forthcoming we may be quite sure it would be proclaimed from the house-tops for all the world to hear.

If this evidence is lacking it is not for want of seeking it. For example, a whole literature, so extensive that a bibliography of it was recently published, has grown up about the breeding experiments with the pumice fly Drosophila melanogaster. Mr. Douglas Dewar, a Fellow of the Zoological Society and one of the few British biologists rejecting evolution, in his Challenge to Evolutionists (pp. 20-21) relates how in 1910 Morgan and his collaborators hit upon the idea of experimenting with this quick-breeding fly.

This obliging little creature produces 25 generations a year at ordinary temperatures and more at higher temperatures. Over 800 generations of it have been bred with the object of transforming into something that is not a Drosophila melanogaster. It would take 20,000 years to get as many generations of human beings. Every device has been applied to this fly to make it vary its breeding. In 1927 it was discovered that by exposing it to X-rays the rate at which mutations, or marked variations, occurred could be increased by 15,000 per cent.

These breeding experiments are stated to have resulted in the production of some 400 varieties of this fly, some of them monstrosities, and some differing more form the parent form than the other wild species of Drosophila differ from one another. Nevertheless, all these varieties (unless they are too imperfect to breed at all) are stated to breed freely with the parent stock, whereas the different wild species of Drosophila on the rare occasions when they can be induced to cross, either yield no offspring at all or sterile hybrids. Immutability of species, like a mysterious angel with flaming sword, stands barring the way to the evolutionist Garden of Eden.

Summed up, the position is that there is no evidence of any interbreeding community of living things being able to change its breeding and become transformed into some different kind of thing infertile with the original stock. Evolution asserts that all species came into being in this way. And evolution is wholly unable to provide any vestige of proof of its assertion. Belief in evolution today must thus rest on “general considerations,” just as Darwin privately confessed was the case away back in 1863. In our next three chapters we shall discover how these general considerations – the cloud capp’d towers and gorgeous palaces of evolution – melt away like the baseless fabric of a vision when peered at too curiously.

To be continued ... (not from the aforementioned book but with materiel from other books and websites)

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Trinity Sunday + June (Month of the Sacred Heart)

The Most Blessed Trinity, The One Undivided Triune God

Cor Jesu, lancea perforatum, Miserere nobis!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Gratias tibi sit, Deus, gratias tibi vera et una Trinitas, una et summa Deitas, sancta et una Unitas.

The Antiphon at the Magnificat

O Altitudo divitiarum sapientiae et scientiae Dei: quam incomprehensibilia sunt judicia ejus, et investigabiles viae ejus!

Chapter during Vespers

And now, we start saying the Angelus again. :) At 6-12-6.

Alone with God
By Father J. Heyrman, S.J.

THE MOST SUBLIME MYSTERY
The Feast of the Blessed Trinity

1. With the descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles the revelation of the Three Divine Persons is complete. Therefore on the first Sunday after Pentecost the Church celebrates the feast of the Blessed Trinity: one God in three persons, this is the most sublime mystery of our faith. The sole aim of Christian worship is to pay homage to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

2. Petition: That, animated with stronger faith, firmer hope and more ardent love, we may everyday pay more worthy homage to the Father, whose sons we are called and truly are; to the Son, who is our Redeemer, and who deigns to call us His brethren; and to the Holy Ghost, who is “our soul’s most welcome guest”. (dulcis hospes animae)

I. The Most Sublime Mystery, “Source of Our Salvation”

In the fullness of time the Son came from the Father, to assume our nature and to “dwell amongst us”, and to speak to us as man to man. He revealed to us the Name of the Father; through His death and resurrection He reconciled us with the Father. And when, risen from the grave and glorified, he had returned to the Father, together with the Father He sent us the Holy Ghost, who abides with us in order that in and through the Church He may till the end of time complete the work of our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, “the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10), however unfathomable by the human mind, have been made known to us “now through a glass in a dark manner” (1 Cor. 13:12).

The purpose of this day’s feast is to thank, praise and honour the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost for all the benefits we have received. Praise, homage and thanks: these words are always on the lips of our holy Mother the Church, whenever and wherever on earth she prays, blesses, sings or offers sacrifice.

No other mystery is so bewildering, so impenetrable to the human mind, and so infinitely beyond our understanding; and yet, at the same time, so truly and intimately pervading the very depths of our being and influencing our life. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we were re-born in Baptism and started a new supernatural life. In the name of the Blessed Trinity all the Sacraments are administered, every blessing given, and every prayer begins and ends.

Throughout eternity, with transports of joy, we shall sing those words, which so often recur in the canonical hours of this feast, O beata Trinitas, O Blessed Trinity.

II. From the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Ghost

“From the Father,” whom no man hath seen, all things have their being. He is the Spring of the mysterious immanent fertility of the Deity Itself. He is “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”, before whom St Paul “bows the knees”, - an extraordinary expression in the mouth of a Jew, as Jews used to pray standing. To us He is the omnipotent Creator, the Giver of all good things, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” Nearly every prayer in the liturgy is addressed to the Father. At the end of time Christ Himself will deliver up the kingdom to Him. “Afterwards the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God the Father” (1 Cor. 15:24).

“Through the Son,” through the Word, the Father has created all things, “and re-established all things in him that are in heaven and on earth” (Eph. 1:10). Through His Son, the Father has revealed Himself. “He that seeth me, seeth the Father” (Jn. 14:9). Through Him we know the Holy Ghost; by Him we have been saved, through Him and in Him we have been made God’s adopted children. He is our Mediator; through Him the Father draws us unto Himself; through Him we have access to the Father; through Him all our prayers ascend to the Father.

“In the Holy Ghost” all things are consummated: first of all the mysterious immanent fertility is brought to completion in Him. And so is all the external activity of the Divinity – creation, redemption, sanctification. Whatever the Father has ordained from all eternity has been fulfilled through the Son, and will be consummated “in the Holy Ghost”. “He shall abide with you” (Jn. 14:17), “and teach you all truth” (Jn. 16:13). “He himself giveth testimony that we are the sons of God, and if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8: 16,17). And He will give us, even to our bodies, the reward of eternal glory. The prayers of the liturgy, addressed to the Father through the Son, and with “in the unity of the Holy Ghost”.

III. On Earth and in Heaven.

On earth it is our privilege, by the profession of the true faith, to acknowledge the Majesty of the eternal Triune God. This is knowledge through faith, which St. John of the Cross calls “a veiled, loving knowledge”. It is only partial knowledge but, according to St. Thomas, even a very imperfect apprehension of the most sublime things is worth far more than the perfect understanding of common things. “In heaven,” says Ruysbroeck the mystic, “we shall possess and enjoy the true oneness and clearly discern the Unity in the Trinity. May we receive this favour from the divine Love, who never turns away a beggar.”
Prayer: Blessed be the Holy Trinity, and undivided Unity: we will give glory to Him, because He hath shown His mercy to us (Intriot, today’s Mass).

And here's a beautiful (very beautiful) hymn composed by St. Alphonsus Ligouri :) called:

we sang this at Most Holy Mass today :)

O God of Loveliness

O Bello Dio del Paradiso

St. Alphonsus Ligouri, d. 1787

Tr. Fr. E. Vaughan, C.SS.R.

O God of loveliness, O Lord of heav'n above,

How worthy to possess My heart's devoted love!

So sweet Thy countenance, So gracious to behold;

That one, one only glance, To me were bliss untold.

Thou art blest Three in One, Yet undivided still;

Thou art that One alone Whose love my heart can fill.

The heav'ns and earth below Were fashioned by Thy word;

How amiable art Thou my ever dearest Lord.

O Loveliness supreme And Beauty infinite;

O everflowing Stream And Ocean of delight;

O Life by which I live, My truest life above;

To Thee alone I give My undivided love.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum (ter)