Day 25, JOYFUL MYSTERIES, Tuesday October 6

Ave Maris Stella

1. Hail, bright star of ocean,

God's own Mother blest,

Ever sinless Virgin,

Gate of heavenly rest.

2. Taking that sweet Ave

Which from Gabriel came,

Peace confirm within us,

Changing Eva's name.

3. Break the captives' fetters,

Light on blindness pour,

All our ills expelling,

Every bliss implore.

4. Show thyself a Mother;

May the Word Divine,

Born for us thy Infant,

Hear our prayers through thine.

5. Virgin all excelling,

Mildest of the mild,

Freed from guilt, preserve us,

Pure and undefiled.

6. Keep our life all spotless,

Make our way secure,

Till we find in Jesus,

Joy forevermore.

7. Through the highest heaven

To the Almighty Three,

Father, Son and Spirit,

One same glory be. Amen.

Exorcism Prayer Against Satan and the Rebellious Angels

Only an ordained priest with permission of his bishop may conduct a formal exorcism, but any Catholic may say these prayers to root out demonic influence in our lives, the world and the Church. We are to pray them with confidence, humility and devotion.

Exorcism Against Satan and the Rebellious Angels

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF HIS HOLINESS, Pope LEO XIII, May 18th 1890 (translation)

*The Holy Father exhorts priests to make use of this exorcism as often as possible.

It is therefore worthy of propagation. The faithful also may say it as any approved prayer.

(Note: where the symbol (†) is found, in the prayer of exorcism, the sign of the cross is to be made.)

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL, THE ARCHANGEL

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

Let GOD arise and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His Face!

As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the Presence of GOD (Ps 67:1-2). Judge Thou, O Lord, them that wrong me: overthrow them that fight against me.

Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek after my soul. Let them be turned back and be confounded that devise evil against me. Let them become as dust before the wind: and let the Angel of the Lord straighten them. Let their way become dark and slippery: and let the Angel of the Lord pursue them.

For without cause they have hidden their net for me unto destruction: without cause they have upbraided my soul.

Let the snare which he knoweth not, come upon him: and let the net which he hath hidden, catch him: and into that very snare let him fall. But my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall be delighted in His Salvation (Ps 34:1, 4-9).

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.

O Most Glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the battle and in our wrestling against principalities and powers against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places (Ephes 6:12). Come to the aid of men, whom GOD created incorruptible, and to the Image of His own Likeness He made him (Wis 2:23); and from the tyranny of the devil He bought him at a great price (Cor 7:23).

Fight the battles of the Lord today with the Army of the Blessed Angels, as once thou didst fight against Lucifer, the leader of pride, and his apostate angels; and they prevailed not: neither was their place found anymore in Heaven. But that great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world. And he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Apoc 12:8-9).

Behold, the ancient enemy and murderer strongly raises his head! Transformed into an angel of light, with the entire horde of wicked spirits he goes about everywhere and takes possession of the earth, so that therein he may blot out the Name of GOD and of His Christ and steal away, afflict and ruin into everlasting destruction the souls destined for a Crown of Eternal Glory. On men depraved in mind and corrupt in heart the wicked dragon pours out like a most foul river, the poison of his villainy, a spirit of lying, impiety and blasphemy; and the deadly breath of lust and of all iniquities and vices. Her most crafty enemies have engulfed the Church, the Spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, with sorrows, they have drenched her with wormwood; on all her desirable things they have laid their wicked hands.

Where the See of the Blessed Peter and the Chair of Truth have been set up for the light of the Gentiles, there they have placed the throne of the abomination of their wickedness, so that, the Pastor having been struck, they may also be able to scatter the flock. Therefore, O thou unconquerable Leader, be present with the people of GOD and against the spiritual wickedness which are bursting in upon them; and bring them the victory.

The Holy Church venerates thee as its Guardian and Patron; and it glories in the fact that thou art its Defender against the wicked powers of earth and hell. To thee the Lord has assigned the souls of the redeemed to be placed in Heavenly bliss. Beseech the GOD of Peace to crush Satan under our feet, that he may no more be able to hold men captive and to harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that the mercies of the Lord may quickly come to our aid, that thou mayest seize the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan and that having bound him, thou mayest cast him into the bottomless pit, so that he may no more seduce the nations (Apoc 20:3).

Hence confiding in thy protection and guardianship, (priest only: by the sacred authority of our ministry), we confidently and securely begin the task in the Name of Jesus Christ our GOD and Lord, of driving away the attacks of diabolical deceit.

Behold the Cross of the Lord, flee away ye hostile forces.

All: The lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David hath conquered

May Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us.

All: Since we have hoped in Thee.

O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come unto Thee.

The Lord be with you,

All: And with thy spirit.

LET US PRAY:

O GOD and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we invoke Thy Holy Name, and we humbly implore Thy mercy, that by the intercession of the Mother of GOD Mary Immaculate Ever Virgin, of Blessed Michael the Archangel, of Blessed Joseph the Spouse of the same Blessed Virgin, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and of all the Saints, Thou wouldst deign to afford us help against Satan and all the other unclean spirits and against whatever wanders throughout the world to do harm to the human race and to ruin souls, through the same Christ Our Lord, Amen.

We exorcize thee, every unclean spirit, satanic power, infernal invader, wicked legion, assembly and sect; in the Name and by the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ (+); may thou be snatched away and driven from the Church of GOD and from the souls made to the Image and Likeness of GOD and redeemed by the Precious Blood of the Divine Lamb (+). Most cunning serpent, thou shalt no more dare to deceive the human race, persecute the Church, torment GOD's elect and sift them as wheat (+). The Most High GOD commands thee (+). He with whom in your great insolence, thou still claimest to be equal; He who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim 2:4).

GOD the Father commands thee (+), GOD the Son commands thee (+), GOD the Holy Ghost commands thee (+). The Majesty of Christ, the Eternal Word of GOD made flesh, commands thee (+); He Who to save our race outdone through thy envy, "humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death" (Phil 2:8). He who has built His Church on the firm rock and declared that the gates of hell shall never prevail against Her, because He will dwell with Her "all days even to the end of the world" (Mat 28:20). The Sacred Sign of the Cross commands thee (+), as does also the power of the Mysteries of the Christian Faith (+), the Glorious Mother of GOD, the Virgin Mary, commands thee (+); She who by Her humility and from the first moment of Her Immaculate Conception, crushed thy proud head. The faith of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and of the other Apostles command thee (+). The Blood of the Martyrs and the pious intercession of all the Saints command thee (+).

Thus, cursed dragon and thee diabolical legion, we adjure thee by the Living GOD (+), by the True GOD (+), by the Holy GOD (+), by the GOD "who so loved the world that He gave up His Only Son, that every soul believing in Him might not perish but have life everlasting" (John 17:1-3); stop deceiving human creatures and pouring out to them the poison of eternal damnation; stop harming the Church and ensnaring her liberty. BEGONE, Satan, inventor and master of all deceit, enemy of man's salvation. Give place to Christ in whom thou hast found none of your works; give place to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church acquired by Christ at the price of His Blood. Stoop beneath the powerful Hand of GOD; tremble and flee when we invoke the Holy and terrible Name of Jesus, this Name which cause hell to tremble, this Name to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of Heaven are humbly submissive, this Name which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly repeating: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the GOD of Armies!

O Lord, hear my prayer,

All: And let my cry come unto Thee

May the Lord be with thee,

All: And with thy spirit.

LET US PRAY:

GOD of Heaven, GOD of Earth, GOD of Angels, GOD of Archangels, GOD of Patriarchs, GOD of Prophets, GOD of Apostles, GOD of Martyrs, GOD of Confessors, GOD of Virgins, GOD Who has power to give life after death and rest after work, because there is no other GOD than Thee and there can be no other, for Thou art the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, of whose Reign there shall be no end. We humbly prostrate ourselves before Thy Glorious Majesty and we beseech Thee to deliver us by Thy Power from all the tyranny of the infernal spirits, from their snares, their lies and their furious wickedness; deign, O Lord, to grant us Thy powerful protection and to keep us safe and sound. We beseech Thee through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

From the snares of the devil,

All: Deliver us O Lord.

Grant that Thy Church may serve Thee in secure liberty,

All: We beseech Thee, hear us.

Deign to crush down the enemies of the Holy Church,

All: We beseech Thee, hear us.

(Holy Water is sprinkled in the place where we may be)

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May GOD rebuke him, we humbly pray and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Power of GOD, cast into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls, Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

St. Joseph, Pray for us.

Day 24, GLORIOUS MYSTERIES, October 5, Ss. Placid and Companions, Martyrs

October 5, 2015: Feast of St. Placid and Companions, Martyrs

From The Liturgical Year, Dom Gueranger

The following lessons, taken from the monastic breviary, give the account of Placid’s life, and relate the manner of his death. In 1588, the discovery of the martyrs’ relics at Messina confirmed the truth of their Acts. On this occasion, Pope Sixtus V extended the celebration of their feast, under the rite of a simple, to the universal Church.

Placid, a Roman by birth and son of Tertullus, belonged to the noble family of the Anicii. Offered to God while still a child, he was entrusted to St. Benedict, and made such progress in sanctity and in the monastic life, as to become one of his principal disciples. He was present when the holy father obtained from God by prayer a fountain of water in the solitude of Subiaco. While still a boy, being sent one day to draw water, he fell into the lake, but was miraculously saved by the monk Maurus, who at the command of the holy father ran dry-shod over the water. Later on he accompanied St. Benedict to Monte Casino. At the age of twenty-one, he was sent into Sicily, to defend, against certain covetous persons, the goods and lands which his father had given to Monte Cassino. On the way he performed so many great miracles, that he arrived at Messina with a reputation for sanctity. He built a monastery on his paternal estate, not far from the harbour, and gathered together thirty monks; being thus the first to introduce the monastic life into the island.

Nothing could be more placid or more humble than his behaviour; while he surpassed everyone in prudence, gravity, kindness, and tranquility of mind. He often spent whole nights in the contemplation of heavenly things, only sitting down for a short time when overpowered by the necessity of sleep. He was most zealous in observing silence; and when it was necessary to speak, the subjects of his conversation were the contempt of the world and the imitation of Christ. His fasts were most severe, and he abstained all the year round from flesh and every kind of milk-meat. In Lent he took only bread and water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays; the rest of the week he passed without any food. He never drank wine, and always wore a hairshirt. So numerous and so remarkable were the miracles he worked, that the sick came to him in crowds to be cured, not only from the neighbourhood, but also from Etruria and Africa. But Placid, in his great humility, worked all his miracles in the name of St. Benedict, attributing them to his merits. His holy example and the wonders he wrought caused the Christian faith to spread rapidly. In the fifth year after his arrival in Sicily, the Saracens made a sudden incursion, and seized upon Placid and his thirty monks while they were singing the night Office in the church. At the same time were taken Eutychius and Victorinus, Placid’s brothers, and his sister the virgin Flavia, who had all come from Rome to visit him; and also Donatus, Faustus, and the deacon Firmatus. Donatus was beheaded on the spot. The rest were taken before Manucha, the chief of the pirates; and as they firmly refused to adore his idols, they were beaten with rods, and cast, bound hand and foot, into prison, without food.  Every day they were beaten afresh, but God supported them. After many days, they were again led before the tyrant; and as they still stood firm in the faith, they were again repeatedly beaten, then stripped of their clothes, and hung, head downwards, over thick smoke to suffocate. They were left for dead, but the next day were found alive, and miraculously healed of their wounds.

The tyrant then addressed himself to the virgin Flavia apart. But finding he could gain nothing by threats or promises, he ordered her to be stripped, and hung by the feet from a high beam, insulting her meanwhile upon her nakedness. But the-virgin answered: Man and woman have the same author and Creator, God; hence neither my sex, nor this nakedness which I endure for love of him will be any disadvantage to me in his eyes, who for my sake chose not only to be stripped, but also to be nailed to a cross. Manucha enraged at this reply ordered her to be beaten, and tortured with the smoke, and then handed her over to be dishonoured. At the virgin’s prayer, God struck all who attempted to approach her, with sudden stiffness and pain in all their limbs. The tyrant next attacked Placid, the virgin’s brother, who tried to convince him of the vanity of his idols; Manucha there upon commanded his mouth and teeth to be broken with stones, and his tongue to be cut out by the root; but the martyr spoke as clearly and easily as before. The barbarian grew more furious at this miracle, and commanded that Placid, with his sister and brethren should be crushed under an enormous weight of anchors and millstones; but even this torture was powerless to hurt them. Finally, thirty-six of Placid’s family, with their leader, and several others, were beheaded on the shore near Messina, and gained the palm of martyrdom on the third of the Nones of October, in the year of salvation five hundred and thirty-nine. Gordian, a monk of that monastery, who had escaped by flight, found all their bodies entire after several days, and buried them with tears. Not long afterwards the barbarians, in punishment of their crime, were swallowed up by the avenging waves of the sea.

Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. As heretofore the blood of martyrs was the seed of Christians, it now produced a rich harvest of monks. Blessed be thou, O Placid, far beyond thy native Italy, and Sicily the scene of thy combat. Blessed be thou for the numberless ears of corn, for the _ abundant harvest sprung from the choice grain that fell to the earth on this day: faith bids us see in thy immolation the secret of the success granted to the monastic mission of Maurus. Thus, despite the great diversity and the unequal length of your paths in life, you are ever united in the heart of your master and father. At the appointed hour he did not hesitate before the holocaust our Lord required of him; wherefore, he now in heaven beholds the fulfilment of the hopes he had centered in his two beloved sons. 

Deign, O Placid, to continue thy interest in the extension of Christ’s reign upon earth, in the progress of the perfect life in the Church, in the diffusion throughout the world of the monastic family, whereof thou art the glory. Noviciates especially are confided to thee: remembering the blessed education thou wast privileged to receive, watch over the aspirants to the ‘better part’. To them above all is applied the Gospel saying: Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven,2 that kingdom of heaven, which consists in the anticipated possession of God here on earth, in the life of union attained by the way of the counsels. May they reproduce before the angels thy humble and sweet simplicity; and show their gratitude for the maternal solicitude of their holy Order by the same filial docility wherewith thou didst respond to the holy legislator’s special tenderness. May they, in spite of the world’s opposition, increase in numbers and in merit, for the honour of God! The trials of the present must prepare the monastic Order, and indeed the whole religious state, for the trials of the future. It is around the monks that the martyrs of the last days will gather, as around thee assembled the Christians of Messina, and thy two brothers, and the heroic Flavia, so truly worthy to be doubly thy sister. May the chosen flock increase, and be ever united; so as to be able to say with one voice to the persecutors both present and future: ‘Do what you mean to do; for we are all of one mind, one faith, one manner of life.’

Day 22, JOYFUL MYSTERIES, Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, October 3, 2015

October 3, Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux

~ On the Power of Prayer, from the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (Born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin, January 2, 1873 – September 30, 1897), or Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, O.C.D., was a French Discalced Carmelite nun. She is popularly known as "The Little Flower of Jesus" or simply, "The Little Flower". Thérèse has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Catholics and for others because of the "simplicity and practicality of her approach to the spiritual life". Pope Pius X called her "the greatest saint of modern times". 

Our Lord has said: "No man can come to Me except the Father Who hath sent Me, draw him," and later He tells us that whosoever seeks shall find, whosoever asks shall receive, that unto him that knocks it shall be opened, and He adds that whatever we ask the Father in His Name shall be given us. It was no doubt for this reason that, long before the birth of Our Lord, the Holy Spirit dictated these prophetic words: "Draw me—we will run!" By asking to be drawn, we desire an intimate union with the object of our love. If iron and fire were endowed with reason, and the iron could say: "Draw me!" would not that prove its desire to be identified with the fire to the point of sharing its substance? Well, this is precisely my prayer. I asked Jesus to draw me into the Fire of His love, and to unite me so closely to Himself that He may live and act in me. I feel that the more the fire of love consumes my heart, so much the more shall I say: "Draw me!" and the more also will souls who draw near me run swiftly in the sweet odour of the Beloved.

Yes, they will run—we shall all run together, for souls that are on fire can never be at rest. They may indeed, like St. Mary Magdalen, sit at the feet of Jesus, listening to His sweet and burning words, but, though they seem to give Him nothing, they give much more than Martha, who busied herself about many things. It is not Martha's work that Our Lord blames, but her over-solicitude; His Blessed Mother humbly occupied herself in the same kind of work when she prepared the meals for the Holy Family. All the Saints have understood this, especially those who have illumined the earth with the light of Christ's teaching. Was it not from prayer that St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa, and so many other friends of God drew that wonderful science which has enthralled the loftiest minds.

"Give me a lever and a fulcrum on which to lean it," said Archimedes, "and I will lift the world."

What he could not obtain because his request had only a material end, without reference to God, the Saints have obtained in all its fullness. They lean on God Almighty's power itself and their lever is the prayer that inflames with love's fire. With this lever they have raised the world—with this lever the Saints of the Church Militant still raise it, and will raise it to the end of time.

Day 21, GLORIOUS MYSTERIES, Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, October 2

October 2, Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels

~ Dom Gueranger, Liturgical Year

It is of faith, on the testimony of the Scriptures and of unanimous tradition, that God commits to His angels the guardianship of men, who are called to contemplate Him together with these blessed spirits in their common fatherland. Catholic theology teaches that this protection is extended to every member of the human race, without any distinction of just and sinners, infidels and baptized. To ward off dangers; to uphold man in his struggle against the demons; to awaken in him holy thoughts; to prevent him from sinning, and even, at times, to chastise him; to pray for him, and present his prayers to God: such is the office of the Guardian Angel.

So special is his mission, that one angel does not undertake the guardianship of several persons simultaneously; so diligent is his care, that he follows his ward from the first day to the last of his mortal existence, receiving the soul as it quits this life, and bearing it from the feet of the sovereign Judge to the place it has merited in heaven, or to its temporary sojourn in the place of expiation and purification. It is from the lowest of the nine choirs, the nearest to ourselves, that the Guardian Angels are, for the most part, selected.

God reserves to the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones the honour of forming His own immediate court. The Dominations, from the steps of His throne, preside over the government of the universe; the Virtues watch over the course of nature’s laws, the preservation of species, and the movements of the heavens; the Powers hold the spirits of wickedness in subjection. The human race in its entirety, as also its great social bodies, the nations and the churches, are confided to the Principalities; while the Archangels, who preside over smaller communities, seem also to have the office of transmitting to the Angels the commands of God, together with the love and light which come down even to us from the first and highest hierarchy. O the depths of the wisdom of God! Thus, then, the admirable distribution of offices among the choirs of heavenly spirits terminates in the function committed to the lowest rank, the guardianship of man, for whom the universe subsists.  The apostle, St. Paul, in like manner, says: ‘Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?” (2 Hebrews 1:14) 

God, magnificent as He is towards the whole human race, honours in a special manner the princes of His people, those who are most favoured by His grace, or who rule the earth in His name; the saints testify, that a supereminent perfection, or a higher mission in Church or State, ensures to the individual the assistance of a superior spirit, without the angel that was first deputed being necessarily removed from his charge. Moreover, with regard to the work of salvation, the Guardian Angel has no fear of being left alone at his post; at his request, and at God’s command, the troops of his blessed companions, who fill heaven and earth, are ever ready to lend him their aid. These noble spirits, acting under the eye of God whose love they desire to second by all possible means, have secret alliances between them, which sometimes induce between their clients, even on earth, unions the mystery whereof will be revealed in the light of eternity. ‘How profound a mystery,’ says Origen, ‘is the apportioning of souls to the angels destined for their guardians! It is a divine secret, part of the universal economy centred in the Man-God. Nor is it without ineffable order that the ministries of earth, the many departments of nature, are allotted to the heavenly Virtues; fountains and rivers, winds and forests, plants, living creatures of land and sea, whose various functions harmonize together by the angels directing them all to a common end.’ 

Again, on these words of Jeremias: How long shall the land mourn? Origen, supported by the authority of his translator St. Jerome, continues: ‘It is through each one of us that the earth rejoices or mourns; and not only the earth, but water, fire, air, all the elements; by which name we must here understand not insensible matter, but the angels who are set over all things on earth. There is an angel of the land, who, with his companions, mourns over our crimes. There is an angel of the waters to whom are applied the words of the psalm: The waters saw Thee, and they were afraid, and the depths were troubled; great was the noise of the waters; the clouds sent out a sound, for Thy arrows pass.’ How grand is nature viewed in this light! It is thus the ancients, more truthful as well as more poetical than our generation, always considered the universe. Their error lay in adoring these mysterious powers, to the detriment of the only God, under whom they stoop that bear up the world. ‘Air and earth and ocean, everything is full of angels,’ says St. Ambrose. ‘Eliseus, besieged by a whole army, felt no fear; for he beheld invisible cohorts assisting him.’  But let us return to our own specially-deputed 'angel, and meditate on this other testimony: ‘The noble guardian of each one of us sleeps not, nor can he be deceived. Close thy door, and make the darkness of night; but remember, thou art never alone; he has no need of daylight in order to see thy actions.’ And who is it that speaks thus? Not a father of the Church, but a pagan, the slave philosopher Epictetus.

In the midst of the excited multitude, as well as in the desert, not a human being that has not beside him an angel, the representative of universal Providence over wicked and good alike. O blessed spirits! You and we have the same fatherland, the same thought, the same love; why should the confused noises of a frivolous crowd disturb the heavenly life we may lead even now with you? Does the tumult of public places hinder you from holding your choirs there, or prevent the Most High from hearing your harmonies? We also, beholding by faith the face of our heavenly Father, which you ever delightedly contemplate, we wish to sing in every place the praises of our Lord and to unite at all times our adorations with yours. Thus, when our manners have become altogether angelic, the present life will be full of peace, and we shall be well prepared for eternity.

Day 19, JOYFUL MYSTERIES, Wednesday September 30

Second Joyful Mystery ~ Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elizabeth

~ St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Glories of Mary

My soul doth magnify the Lord:And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.Because He hath regarded the lowliness of His Handmaid:For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.For He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His Name.And His mercy is from generation unto generations,To them that fear Him. He hath showed might with His arm:He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the lowly.He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich He hath sent empty away.He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy;As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.

FORTUNATE does that family consider itself which is visited by a royal personage, both on account of the honour that redounds from such a visit, and the advantages that may be hoped to accrue from it. But still more fortunate should that soul consider itself 'which is visited by the Queen of the world, the most holy Virgin Mary, who cannot but fill with riches and graces those blessed souls whom she deigns to visit by her favours. The house of Obededom was blessed when visited by the ark of God: “And the Lord blessed his house." But with how much greater blessings are those persons enriched who receive a loving visit from this living ark of God, for such was the Divine Mother! ‘Happy is that house which the Mother of God visits, says Engelgrave. This was abundantly experienced by the house of Saint John the Baptist; for Mary had scarcely entered it when she heaped graces and heavenly benedictions on the whole family; and for this reason, the present feast of the Visitation is commonly called that of 'our Blessed Lady of Graces.'

After the Blessed Virgin had heard from the Archangel Gabriel, that her cousin Saint Elizabeth had been six months pregnant, she was internally enlightened by the Holy Ghost to know that the Incarnate Word, who had become her Son, was pleased then to manifest to the world the riches of His mercy in the first graces that He desired to impart to all that family. Therefore, without inter posing any delay, according to Saint Luke, " Mary rising up . . . went into the hill country with haste."  Basing from the quiet of contemplation to which she was always devoted, and quitting her beloved solitude, she immediately set out for the dwelling of Saint Elizabeth; and because " charity beareth all things;"  and cannot support delay, as Saint Ambrose remarks on this Gospel: ' The Holy Ghost knows not slow undertakings;'''

Blessed Mary undertook the journey without even reflecting on the arduousness of the journey; this tender Virgin, I say, immediately undertook it. On reaching the house she salutes her cousin: “And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth." Saint Ambrose here remarks, that Mary was ' the first to salute' Elizabeth.  The visit of Mary, however had no resemblance with those of worldlings, which, for the greater part, consist in ceremony and outward demonstrations, devoid of all sincerity; for it brought with it an accumulation of graces. The moment she entered that dwelling, on her first salutation, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, and Saint John was cleansed from original sin, and sanctified ; and therefore gave that mark of joy by leaping in his mother's womb ; wishing, thereby, to manifest the grace that he had received by the means of the Blessed Virgin, as Saint Elizabeth declared : " As soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." Thus, as Bernadine da Bustis remarks, in virtue of Mary's salutation, Saint John received the grace of the Divine Spirit which sanctified him: 'When the Blessed Virgin saluted Elizabeth, the voice of the salutation entering her ears, descended to the child, and by its virtue he received the Holy Ghost.'

And now, if all these first fruits of Redemption passed by Mary as the channel through which grace was communicated to the Baptist, the Holy Ghost to Elizabeth, the gift of prophecy to Zachary, and so many other blessings to the whole house, the first graces, which, to our knowledge, the Eternal Word had granted on earth after His Incarnation, it is quite correct to believe, that from thence forward God made Mary the universal channel, as she is called by Saint Bernard, through which all the other graces which our Lord is pleased to dispense to us should pass, as we have already declared in the fifth chapter of the first part of this work.' With reason, then, the Divine Mother is called the treasure, the treasurer, and the dispenser of Divine graces. She is thus called by Saint Peter Damian, ' the Treasure of Divine graces;' by Blessed Albert the Great, ' the Treasurer of Jesus Christ;' by Saint Bernardine, ' the Dispenser of graces;' by a learned Greek, quoted by Petavius, ' the Storehouse of all good things.' - So also by Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, who observes, that ' Mary is said to be thus full of grace; for in her all the treasures of grace were hidden.' Richard of St. Lawrence also says, that 'Mary is a treasure, because God has placed all gifts of graces in her as in a treasury; and from thence He bestows great stipends on his soldiers and labourers.' She is a treasury of mercies whence our Lord enriches His servants. Saint Bonaventure, speaking of the field in the Gospel, in which a treasure is hidden, and which should be purchased at however great a price, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field, which a man having found hid it ; and for joy thereof, goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field," says that 'our Queen Mary is this field in which Jesus Christ, the treasure of God the Father, is hid,' and with Jesus Christ the source and flowing fountain of all graces. Saint Bernard affirms, that our Lord 'has deposited the plenitude of every grace in Mary, that we may thus know that if we possess hope, grace, or anything salutary, that it is from her that it came.' Of this we are also assured by Mary herself, saying, "In me is all grace of the way and of the truth;" in me are all the graces of real blessings that you men can desire in life. Yes, sweet Mother, and our hope, we know full well, says Saint Peter Damien, ' that all the treasures of Divine mercies are in thy hands.' 

Day 18, GLORIOUS MYSTERIES, 29 September Feast: St. Michael the Archangel

29 September, Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel

From The Liturgical Year, Dom Gueranger

THE glorious Archangel appears to-day at the head of the heavenly army: There was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. Who, then, are these heavenly Powers, whose mysterious combat heads the first page of history? Their existence is attested by the traditions of all nations as well as by the authority of Holy Scripture.  If we consult the Church, she teaches us that in the beginning God created simultaneously two natures, the spiritual and the corporal, and afterwards man who is composed of both. The scale of nature descends by gradation from beings made to the likeness of God, to the very confines of nothingness; and by the same degrees the creature mounts upwards to his Creator. God is infinite being, infinite intelligence, and infinite love. The creature is forever finite: but man, endowed with a reasoning intellect, and the angel, with an intuitive grasp of truth, are ever, by a continual process of purification, widening the bounds of their imperfect nature, in order to reach, by increase of light, the perfection of greater love. God alone is simple with that unchangeable productive simplicity, which is absolute perfection excluding the possibility of progress; He is pure Act, in whom substance, power, and operation are one thing. The angel, though entirely independent of matter, is yet subject to the natural weakness necessary to a created being; he is not absolutely simple, for in him action is distinct from power, and power from essence. How much greater is the weakness of man’s composite nature, unable to carry on the operations of the intellect without the aid of the senses!

‘Compared with ours,’ says one of the most enlightened brethren of the angelic doctor, ‘How calm and how luminous is the knowledge of pure spirits! They are not doomed to the intricate discussions of our reason, which runs after the truth, composes and analyzes, and laboriously draws conclusions from propositions. They instantaneously apprehend the whole compass of primary truths. Their intuition is so prompt, so lively, so penetrating, that it is impossible for them to be surprised, as we are, into error. If they deceive themselves, it must be of their own will. The perfection of their will is equal to the perfection of their intellect. They know not what it is to be disturbed by the violence of appetites. Their love is without emotion; and their hatred of evil is as calm and as wisely tempered as their love. A will so free can know no perplexity as to its aims, no inconstancy in its resolutions. Whereas with us long and anxious meditation is necessary before we make a decision, it is the property of the angels to determine by a single act the object of their choice. God proposed to them, as He does to us, infinite beatitude in the vision of His own Essence; and to fit them for so great an end, He endowed them with grace at the same time as He gave them being. In one instant they said Yes or No; in one instant they freely and deliberately decided their own fate."

Let us not be envious. By nature the angel is superior to us; but, to which of the angels hath He said at any time, ‘Thou art My Son?” The only begotten Son of God did not take to Himself the angelic nature. When on earth, He acknowledged the temporary subordination of humanity to those pure spirits, and deigned to receive from them, even as do His brethren in the flesh, the announcements of the divine will, and help and strength. But ‘God hath not subjected unto angels the world to come,’ says the apostle.5 How can we understand this attraction of God towards what is feeblest? We can only worship it in humble, loving faith. It was Lucifer’s stumbling-block on the day of the great battle in heaven. But the faithful angels prostrated themselves in joyous adoration at the feet of the Infant-God foreshown to them enthroned on Mary’s knee, and then rose up to sing: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.’ O Christ, my Christ as St. Denis calls Thee, the Church today delightedly proclaims Thee the beauty of the holy angels. Thou, the God-Man, art the lofty height whence purity, light, and love flow down upon the triple hierarchy of the nine choirs. Thou art the supreme Hierarch, the centre of worlds, controller of the deifying mysteries at the eternal feast. Flaming Seraphim, glittering Cherubim, steadfast Thrones, court of honour to the Most High, and possessed of the noblest inheritance: according to the Areopagite, ye receive your justice, your splendour, and your burning love by direct communication from our Lord: and through you, all grace overflows from Him upon the holy city. Dominations, Virtues, and Powers; sovereign disposers, prime movers, and rulers of the universe: in whose name do ye govern the world? Doubtless in His whose inheritance it is; in the name of the King of glory, the Man-God, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord of hosts.

Angels, Archangels, and Principalities; heaven’s messengers, ambassadors, and overseers here below: are ye not also, as the apostle says, ministers of the salvation wrought on earth by Jesus, the heavenly High-Priest? We also, through this same Jesus, O most holy Trinity, glorify Thee, together with the three princely hierarchies, which surround Thy Majesty with their nine immaterial rings as with a many-circled rampart.  To tend to Thee, and to draw all things to Thee, is their common law. Purification, illumination, union: by these three ways in succession, or simultaneously, are these noble beings attracted to God, and by the same they attract those who strive to emulate them. Sublime spirits, it is with your gaze ever fixed on high that ye influence those below and around you. Draw plentifully, both for yourselves and for us, from the central fires of the Divinity; purify us from more than the involuntary infirmities of nature; enlighten us; kindle us with your heavenly flames. For the same reason that Satan hates us, ye love us: protect the race of the Word made Flesh against the common enemy. So guard us, that we may hereafter be worthy to occupy among you the places left meant by the victims of pride.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou – O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts – thrust into hell, Satan, and all the evil spirits who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.