God alone suffices

Today is the Feast of Saint Teresa of Ávila

“Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.”

On the Feast of Stephen

Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen,
when the snow lay roundabout, deep and crisp and even.

Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,
when a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling:
yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"

"Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain,
right against the forest fence, by St. Agnes fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither.
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither. "

Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together,
through rude wind´s wild lament and the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now and the wind blows stronger.
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer."

"Mark my footsteps, good my page, tread thou in them boldly.
Thou shalt find the winter´s rage freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master´s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted.
Heat was in the very sod, which the saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
ye who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.

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Walk in thy King's footsteps, Christian reader, and do not fear the winter's rage.

Litaniae Sanctorum

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God. that we, who in our affliction put our trust in Thy mercy, may ever be defended by Thy protection against all adversity.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, through all the ages of ages. Amen.

Saint Song

The Vision of Dabheoc

The following story is from St. Patrick's Purgatory, by Shane Leslie, published in 1917, and discarded by my parish library a few years ago. Please pardon my conceit of bolding and coloring the lines that particularly struck me.

Saint Dabheoc's feast day is probably today or on the 28th; not much information is available online.

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Now, how Patrick, the love-friend of Jesus, came in his wanderings to Derg and remained for forty days and forty nights on the island is well remembered in Ireland, and how the loneliness of God came upon him, and how, for all his trial and sorrow, he saw visions beyond the dreams of men.

Fewer have remembrance of Dabheoc, the gilly of heaven, who came on Patrick's footsteps and stayed to pray till his own death. With Dabheoc came others of a like mind and served him in the rough house of stone he had built. By the beauty of their living and by the power of their penance they had the most of the people won away from the Druids. But the fight between them was a fierce and quenchless one while it raged, for the old hill sorcery was hard on the Saints to conquer. For a while the terrible Druids had been seen moving in the mountains near by and their rites were still offered amid the trembling thickets, but Dabheoc feared them little, and held his own. Do what they might, he laid altar against blood-stone, and chant against rune, and prayer against curse, till in the end the old Druids wandered away, and the last of them died alone upon the hills.

So was the first battle of the Faith won, and as years slipt by only Dabheoc was left of those warrior monks, for some had died by the wild elements and others by their hard penances, and others very fearfully in the fire of the Druids.

There was a long band of young men who made their way over the mountains to join the rule. Though they found it hard to the body, it seemed sweet enough to the soul. But their number increased, and no little strength and prosperity was added to them. The younger brethren built wicker huts of strong woven twigs, and laid out an apple-garden and a herb garden. Above all the work of their hands was the great chapel of timber wood. They had raised it, every beam, by their own labour, and they had filled it with the untiring song of their lips. Day by day, like the bee-folk in the heather, they followed out their chosen rule and kept their lives sweet with activity. Some had turned to the digging of soil, and planted seeds and herbs, till they had won to themselves the wisdom of plants and the healing of leaves.

Others betook them to writing on parchments and painting the Gospels with colours they had picked off the rocks. In those days the making of books was long and troublesome, even to the wearing away of men's lives. First, there were the designs to be pencilled by the best craftsman in the monastery. And then the others would sit day upon day over one smooth page spreading the little rivers of red and yellow through and round the lettering, little rivers that wound about the pages, with bright purple banks curling and folding in and out, yet never breaking over the line or letting a purple sod drop into the yellow stream.

It was on the initial of Christ that they lavished the whole wealth of their brushes. Round the Sacred Letter with an unbroken exactitude they twined the glorious broidery, line upon line, curve out of curve, wreath into wreath. They gathered into the one page the colours of the sky and the beauty of the earth, the burnished mail of dragons, and the slender shapes of the mountain grass. If men wonder to this day at the love and endurance that wrought such books to perfection, it is because, they do not understand the mind of writers who would have deemed their whole lives too short, and the very blue of heaven and the red of their own blood unworthy stuff to emblazon the Name of the Eternal.

Year in and year out they fashioned their Gospels and sent them hanging around the necks of missionaries into the broad world beyond. In aftertime these same books and their metal coverings were found as far apart as the plains of Italy and the white floes of Iceland. A strange and lovely witness to those same children of Patrick, who mingle their sleep in the vineyards of the south and in the ice-beds of the north. Summer and winter, it was always harvest time to them, and the while they laboured, their brethren in the monasteries of Ireland fashioned the wherewithal of their reaping.

It was over such as these that Dabheoc ruled till he reached his old age, great and honoured among all the houses of Ireland. Calm were his last years, but, although he told it not, there was a dark grief in the well of his heart. He was troubled because he was soon to go out of the world, and yet he had never seen any vision of the world that was to come. He had spent his life, as the other saints of Ireland, in holy combat with his own soul. Many had he trained to bear the brown robe and the heavy cord. Many had already reached heaven in the light of his counselling. Still the vision that he yearned was lacking to his eyes. Often he had felt in his heart the Holy Powers that move in the world and above the world, but never once had any passed into the sight of his eyes. Visions had come upon the other brethren. Some had seen the faithful sitting in great joy, and others had seen the souls in Purgatory wrestling to their perfection. Even among the youngest of them was one who had seen the angel folk standing on the white hills at sunrise. But Dabheoc stretched out his hand in vain to gather the dream-fruit that hangs from the wall of another world. It was not for him, though he had kept vigil in his high mountain seat that lies this day between Derg and Erne. No whisper came to the weary ears of the watcher of the lakes. No sign entranced his eyes. His prayers, his fasts, his vigils, all seemed to break upon the bar of heaven like lost birds in a storm.

Sometimes a sore weariness would come upon him, and even a smoulder of anger rise in his heart, but not for long, so well had the Saint learnt to trample his own passions into the dust, and so rule the brethren. Beati qui non viderunt he would often say, yet oftener would he wish that he was not so blessed.

There came a day when Dabheoc sat in his wattled cell watching the gardened slope that led down to the water edge. A well-mounded rampart ran round the close. Now and again a heavy-robed figure passed across. The hush of Vespertide had fallen, and the quiet as of many tasks done. Dabheoc turned his eyes sadly over the old book satchels that were hanging on the wall. How many hours of his were stored away in them to the use of other men? How much of his sight had been woven into those pages?

When his eyes turned back to the doorway, he saw a Pilgrim standing there. He, too, carried a brown robe, but it was thickened with the dust of white roads and His feet lay bruised between their sandals. His body seemed weak with journeying and in need of refreshment. In His eyes alone there was no weariness, they were deep and beautiful and blue as the skies of Italy.

"Enter, friend, enter; this is a house of rest," said the Saint, " is it very far that thou hast come?"

"A long and a weary way, Dabheoc, ruler of the Culdees," replied a voice of great sweetness.

"Is it peace that thou bearest with thee, stranger, for mine eyes are too dim to read the faces of men?"

"My peace have I brought these many years to all that would have it," the sweet voice began again. "I have brought my peace for thee, Dabheoc, for all the fret that is on thy heart."

"I see that thou canst read the mind of a man's heart. Art thou ruler of a religious order?"

"Yes, of the greatest of the orders, the Order of the Wayfarers."

"What is thy quest, dear stranger?"

"I have come to find my friends."

"Who are thy friends?"

"My friends are all the Saints of Ireland who are born and are yet to be born."

"I do not understand what thou wouldst say, but I see that thou art older than any here though thou hast come as a Pilgrim, perchance thou hast memory of our holy Father Patrick?"

"Before Patrick was, I am." The voice of the Pilgrim spoke like a bell far off.

Then the old Saint felt that it was no ordinary man his old eyes were striving to see. His whole soul struggled out to meet the Stranger standing at the doorway. A feeling of peace and yet delirious joy was upon him. He could only see the two eyes that they looked upon him with love. It seemed then as if his poor spirit were fluttering over those pools of calm unmoved Divinity. Then the wondrous vision past from his eyes and he was looking dimly to the blue waters beyond.

He rose and went down to the water side as fast as his old age would let him. As he crossed the mound he inquired of each brother he met if they had seen which way the Pilgrim had passed, but no one had seen ought on the island that day. Not once, but several times, the old man passed up the island with tears of joy brimming from his eyes. There was no footprint to be seen, but on a bare rock he saw a little wisp of thorn and the red drops falling into the dust beside.

That summer Dabheoc died at Derg, with the vision still in his dark sight, and he was buried under the thorn tree by the other brethren.

Beautiful was the stone cross they carved above him, Dabheoc, the Saint of Derg, who had seen the Holy Wayfarer in the twilight of his years.

William of Mt. Virgine

O God, Who to smooth the way of salvation for our weakness hast given Thy Saints to be our example and protection: grant that we may so venerate the merits of thy blessed Abbot William, that we may obtain his prayers and follow in his footsteps. Through Christ our Lord.

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Three)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Take a few moments again to settle your heart. Set aside your sorrows and preoccupations as well as you can while you pray. Recall that despite the unsteadiness of our service to God, He does not waver in His love for us. He has made us to live likewise in generous and constant loving-kindness. Speak from your heart to your Creator:

O most holy Heart of Jesus,
fountain of every blessing,
I adore Thee, I love Thee
and with a lively sorrow for my sins,
I offer Thee this poor heart of mine.
Make me humble, patient, pure
and wholly obedient to Thy will.
Grant, good Jesus,
that I may live in Thee and for Thee.
Protect me in the midst of danger;
comfort me in my afflictions;
give me health of body,
assistance in my temporal needs,
Thy blessing on all that I do,
and the grace of a holy death.
Within Thy Heart I place my every care.
In every need let me come to Thee
with humble trust saying,
Heart of Jesus help me.

Saint Vincent Ferrer

"In order to subdue his passions, he fasted rigorously from his childhood every Wednesday and Friday. The passion of Christ was always the object of his most tender devotion. The blessed Virgin he ever honoured as his spiritual mother. Looking on the poor as the members of Christ, he treated them with the greatest affection and charity... To the exercises of prayer and penance he joined the study and meditation of the holy scriptures and the reading of the fathers... The arms which the saint employed against the devil were prayer, penance, and a perpetual watchfulness over every impulse of his passions. His heart was always fixed on God, and he made his studies, labour, and all his other actions a continued prayer."In adulthood, he progressed in self-denial: "... he never ate flesh, fasted every day except Sundays, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he lived on bread and water, which course he held for forty years: he lay on straw or small twigs. He spent a great part of the day in the confessional..."

In his last days, "under the pains of his distemper, he never opened his mouth about his sufferings only to thank almighty God for making him, by a share in the cross, to resemble his crucified Son: for he suffered the sharpest agonies not only with resignation and patience, but with exultation and joy. His prayer and union with God he never interrupted."

"He reduces the rules of perfection to the avoiding three things: First, the exterior distraction of superfluous employs. Secondly, all interior secret elation of heart. Thirdly, all immoderate attachment to created things. Also to the practicing of three things: First, the sincere desire of contempt and abjection. Secondly, the most affective devotion to Christ crucified. Thirdly, patience in bearing all things for the love of Christ".

[quotes from the life of the saint written by Ranzano, Bishop of Lucera]

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"Do you desire to study to your advantage? Let devotion accompany all your studies, and study less to make yourself learned than to become a saint. Consult God more than your books, and ask him, with humility, to make you understand what you read. Study fatigues and drains the mind and heart. Go from time to time to refresh them at the feet of Jesus Christ under his cross. Some moments of repose in his sacred wounds give fresh vigour and new lights. Interrupt your application by short but fervent and ejaculatory prayers; never begin or end your study but by prayer. Science is a gift of the Father of lights; do not therefore consider it as barely the work of your own mind or industry."

from A Treatise on a Spiritual Life, by St. Vincent Ferrer

Saint John of God

The Catholic Encyclopedia website briefly summarizes his life: "Portuguese shepherd, soldier, bookseller, finally found his niche caring for the health of the poor in Granada, became de facto founder of a religious order, d. 1550."

Another article on his life begins: "From the time he was eight to the day he died, John followed every impulse of his heart. The challenge for him was to rush to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit gave him, not his own human temptations. But unlike many who act impulsively, when John made a decision, no matter how quickly, he stuck with it, no matter what the hardship."

Over the years of his life, John progressed from worldliness to compassion to deliberate, steadfast service to God to laying down his life in an attempt to save another.

He is famous for emerging unscathed from a burning hospital after first rescuing patients, then salvaging supplies.

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As John was preserved from the flames, O Lord, do Thou in Thy mercy likewise preserve us from the heat of our disordered passions and the destructive impulses of others. As John's will was brought into conformity with Thy will, do Thou likewise lift our hearts to Thee and direct our lives towards Thee. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord Who with the Holy Spirit reigns in Heaven with Thee, almighty Father, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Saints Marcellinus and Peter

Saint Peter was an exorcist from Rome arrested during the Diocletian persecution. While in jail, he converted Arthemius, his jailer, and the jailer's wife and daughter. He took them to Marcellinus, a prominent priest of the city, who baptised them. All were condemned by the judge Serenus (or Severus).

The two saints were tortured, and taken to woods outside the city where they were forced to dig their own graves and then beheaded. The intent was that the Christian community would not be able to recover and venerate the bodies. But they were not forgotten. The executioner eventually converted, and led pious Christians to the bodies. And he told the martyrs' story to a young boy who became Pope St. Damasus [AD 304 - 384]. As Pope, St. Damasus had details of their martyrdom inscribed in an epitaph on their tomb. The Emperor Constantine I [AD 306 - 337] raised a basilica in their honour over their tombs, and there buried his own mother, St. Helen. During the reign of Charlemagne [AD 747 - 814] their fame spread and they were venerated throughout Italy and Gaul.

They are still remembered in the traditional Mass, together with other great martyrs of the early Church:

Nobis quoque peccatoribus famulis tuis, de multitudine miserationum tuarum sperantibus, partem aliquam, et societatem donare digneris, cum tuis sanctis Apostolis et Martyribus: cum Joanne, Stephano, Matthia, Barnaba, Ignatio, Alexandro, Marcellino, Petro, Felicitate, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucia, Agnete, Caecilia, Anastasia, et omnibus Sanctis tuis: intra quorum nos consortium, non aestimator meriti sed veniae, quaesumus, largitor admitte. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.

To us also, sinners, yet Thy servants, trusting in the greatness of Thy mercy, deign to grant some part and fellowship with Thy holy apostles and martyrs: with John, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia, and all Thy saints; into whose company we implore Thee to admit us, not weighing our merits, but freely granting us pardon. Through Christ our Lord.

May their memory be eternal and their reward be great.

(Sources include 1, 2, 3, 4)

Other martyrs are also remembered today. Saint Erasmus, a bishop of Syria, was killed about the same time and became widely revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. In an earlier persecution under Marcus Aurelius in AD 177, the Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne (Saint Pothinus, Saint Sanctus, Saint Marturus, Saint Attalus, and Saint Blandina, and others whose names are remembered by God) were falsely accused of cannibalism and other abominations, and brutalized and murdered in the arena. May they rest in peace and arise in glory.

Saints Felicity and Perpetua

Saints Felicity and Perpetua are invoked in the Nobis quoque peccatoribus of the traditional Mass and optionally in Eucharistic Prayer I of the new Mass. Their feast day is today in the old calendar and tomorrow in the new.

Saint Felicity was seven months pregnant and Saint Perpetua was still nursing her infant when they were arrested with three men on suspicion of conversion to Christianity. In the pagan Roman empire of their day (203 AD), as in some predominantly Muslim countries today, the presence of Christianity was barely tolerated and conversion was punishable by death.

Felicity was the slave of Perpetua, but the two are said to have been more like sisters than slave and mistress: in Christ there is neither slave nor freeman (Colossians 3:11, Galatians 3:28). A few days after their arrest, the five were baptised. Shortly after, they were moved from the private house where they were initially held to prison. There they were joined by their instructor Saturus, who was unwilling to abandon them in their time of suffering. (Saturus may have been the brother of Saturninus, one of the arrested catechumens).

Perpetua left a written record of her last days: the dark and crowding of the prison, her anxiety for her infant son, her pagan father's anxiety for her, and his desperate attempts to get her to recant and offer sacrifice for the emperor. She also recorded consoling visions sent to her by God. It is the earliest known writing from a Christian woman.

While in prison, Felicity delivered her baby, whom a Christian woman adopted, and one of the men, Secundulus, died. The rest were sentenced to be exposed to wild beasts. On March 7, AD 203, they were brought to the arena, and there died, encouraging each other to remain steadfast, exhorting a soldier who had shown them kindness to have faith, and warning the procurator that he faced judgment from God.

(The words of Saint Perpetua, together with a vision of Saint Saturus and the record of a witness to their martyrdom, are available in translation on several sites on the internet, for example here).

"And now, dear saints, Perpetua and Felicitas, intercede for us during this season of grace. Go with your palms in your hands, to the throne of God, and beseech Him to pour down His mercy upon us. It is true, the days of paganism are gone by; and there are no persecutors clamoring for our blood. You, and countless other martyrs have won victory for faith; and that faith is now ours; we are Christians. But there is a second paganism, which has taken deep root among us. It is the source of that corruption which now pervades every rank of society, and its own two sources are indifference, which chills the heart, and sensuality, which induces cowardice. Holy martyrs! pray for us that we may profit by the example of your virtues, and that the thoughts of your heroic devotedness may urge us to be courageous in the sacrifices which God claims at our hands. Pray, too, for the Churches which are now being established on that very spot of Africa, which was the scene of your glorious martyrdom: bless them, and obtain for them, by your powerful intercession, firmness of faith and purity of morals."

(From Volume 4 of The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Guéranger of happy memory).

The Holy Apostle Peter

"Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter [in Aramaic, Kepha, which means rock], and upon this rock [Kepha] I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven".
[Matthew 16:17-19]

Even today, some people have trouble believing our Lord's own words that He would build His church on St. Peter. Peter? Impulsive to the point of rashness [John 18:10], alternately weak[Matthew 26:72], prideful[Mark 9:33] and confused[Mark 9:4] Peter? Peter, who was rebuked so many times by our Lord[Matthew 16:23]?¹

The Lord chastises those whom he loves [Hebrews 12:6]. His loving corrections prepared St. Peter to shepherd His flock. It is often said that grace builds on nature. I think that is why our Lord chose St. Peter: the same characteristics that tended to get Simon Peter into trouble also allowed him to follow Christ whole-heartedly, and in time to preach the good news to a hostile world. Jesus did not build his Church on a timid man. (Or men. Most of the twelve died martyrs).

Peter trusted our Lord so thoroughly that perhaps even before he was Saint Peter, he was ready to walk on water at Jesus' command. After a few steps, he became frightened and began to sink. Our Lord chided him for his lack of faith, but I don't think anyone else is in a position to do so, unless he can stand with them on the water amid the waves and not sink.



Our Lord raises up the lowly [1 Samuel 2:8] and in the weakness of men manifests His strength [2 Corinthians 12:9]. He took a poor, uneducated fisherman from Galilee and over a period of years made him a holy man, a saint capable of miracles, the leader of the apostles after the Ascension.

St. Peter led the apostles in choosing a replacement for Judas Iscariot[Acts 1]. He was the first to speak to the multitude that gathered at the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost[Acts 2]. He was the first Apostle to perform a miracle in the name of the Lord[Acts 3]. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he preached the good news to all the nation, even to the Sadducees who opposed him[Acts 4]. St. Peter pronounced Divine judgment upon the deceitful Ananias and Sapphira[Acts 5]. He traveled through Judea, Galilee and Samaria building up the Church[Acts 9]. He baptized Cornelius, the first gentile convert[Acts 10] and made the inclusion of gentiles in the Church acceptable[11:1-18]. An angel delivered him from imprisonment by King Herod Agrippa[Acts 12]. After his escape, he sent word to James and the other brethren who remained in Jerusalem, eventually returning there himself. There he spoke the deciding word against requiring gentile converts to observe Mosaic law[Acts 15]. He did not stay in Jerusalem. In subsequent missionary work, he spent some years building up the church in Antioch, he visited Corinth, and eventually he came to Rome. During the reign of the Roman emperor Nero, St. Peter was captured and sentenced to crucifixion. He did not deem himself worthy to die in the same way as his master. At his request, he was crucified upside-down.

St. Peter wrote two epistles which are recognized as Divinely-inspired and are part of the New Testament.

In all his labors he obeyed our Lord's commands to him to "feed my sheep" [John 21:15-17]) and to "strengthen thy brethren" [Luke 22:32].

Both eastern and western Catholics honor St. Peter and St. Paul on the 29th of June every year. St. Peter is also remembered by traditional Roman Catholics today (the Chair of St. Peter) and on November 18th (the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul). Prior to 1960 we also honored him on August 1st (St. Peter's Chains). He had a feast day on the 18th of January which is now observed as the start of the Octave of Christian Unity.

¹ Some insist that our Lord must have been referring to Peter's faith, or to the words Peter just spoke, or even that He switches in mid-sentence from speaking about Peter to speaking about Himself (and then back to St. Peter again in the next couple sentences). All these interpretations strain against the obvious play on words in Matthew 16, as even some protestant scholars recognize, especially in the context of our Lord giving St. Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Even if our Lord had referred to Himself as the rock on which He would build His church, in the same breath using the same image for St. Peter would have only reinforced the message that St. Peter would truly be his chosen representative.

Some who wish to minimize the authority of St. Peter and his successors are fond of quoting St. Augustine's opinion later in life that it was Peter's confession of faith that was "the rock", not Peter himself. (Earlier in life St. Augustine said that St. Peter was the rock on which Christ built his Church. Peter means "rock"). But in that same quote, St. Augustine went on to say that Peter was the representative person for all the Church. Those who have separated themselves from Peter have separated themselves from the symbol of the unity of the mystical body of Christ.

Laus tibi, Domine, Rex æterne gloriæ.

The Holy Apostle Paul

I wonder what Rabbi Gamaliel thought of his student Saul (better known to us as St. Paul). Gamaliel was a moderating force in the Sanhedrin; he argued for lenient treatment of Christians.

Many believe that Saul was also a member of the Sanhedrin. He was certainly not a moderating force there: when the first Christian martyr died, Saul held the coats of the men doing the stoning and approved what they did.

Saul continued to persecute the Church, arresting some and scattering others. (St. Philip the Deacon is one who evaded Saul. He traveled first north to Samaria and then west to Gaza, making converts, notably Simon Magus and the Ethiopian eunuch).

Saul was on the road to Damascus to persecute the Church there, when our Lord intervened, blinding him, rebuking him, then sending Ananias, the bishop of Damascus, to heal and baptize him. In Damascus, Saul began speaking out on behalf of the Church instead of against it.

He soon withdrew to Arabia, perhaps to meditate on the Scriptures and on the revelation he had personally received, and to understand and prepare for the new life to which the Lord was calling him.

After three years he returned to Damascus, began preaching the gospel again, and was soon forced to flee by the offended Jews of that city. He went to Jerusalem to visit Saint Peter, and there was met with distrust, because of his history, until Saint Barnabas vouched for him. In Jerusalem he again preached the gospel, and again antagonized the local Jewish population (specifically the Hellenized Jews). They plotted his murder, so leaving Jerusalem he returned to his native Tarsus and is lost to history for the next few years.

While Paul was in Tarsus, the followers of Christ that had been dispersed by persecutions spoke to Jew and gentile, converting many. Saint Barnabas was sent to support the new Church in Antioch; he sought out Paul, and together the two of them built up the Church there. It was in Antioch that the followers of Christ were first named Christians.

Antioch became the base from which Saint Paul set out on the great journeys of evangelization recorded in Holy Scripture. The Catholic Encyclopedia divides his travels into "three great Apostolic expeditions of which Antioch was in each instance the starting-point and which invariably ended in a visit to Jerusalem."

When the Book of Acts ends, St. Paul is still in the midst of his labors. He is believed to have travelled as far west as Spain to preach the Good News.

He ended his days in Rome, around the mid-60s AD, during the persecution by Emperor Nero. The Cistercian Abbey of Tre Fontane is located on the site of his beheading.

Saint Paul is invoked and honored with St. Peter in the Confiteor, in the prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, in the Communicantes, in the Libera nos, and in the Leonine prayers recited after Low Mass. He is remembered every June 29th together with the first Pope, Saint Peter, who was also martyred in Rome.

Blessed John the Baptist

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

Saint John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets and was sanctified to God from before his birth. (Luke 1:15, Luke 1:41). Jesus said of him that "there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11), and that he was "a burning and a shining light" (John 5:35). St. John was an ascetic, earnest and fearless in preaching the need for people to repent of their sins. The selfless integrity of his personal life and the power of his preaching was such that he attracted crowds, and some wondered if he himself was the messiah for whom they waited.

John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. (Luke 3:16-18)

When St. John rebuked Herod the tetrarch for his sins, Herod cast him into prison and later beheaded him at the urging of Herodias, whom he had illicitly married, and her daughter.

Before St. John was conceived, his parents were already old and had little hope of having a child. But God heard their prayers and gave them a son. The angel Gabriel announced that his name would be John, which means "God is merciful". St. John prepared Israel to receive God's mercy by "preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins" (Luke 3:3).

If his baptism was a sign of repentance, then why did our Lord, who was not guilty of any sin, came to the Jordan river to be baptized by John? Some have pointed out that the Kings of the house of David were anointed by Levite priests. John the Baptist was a Levite of the priestly line of Aaron. In baptizing Jesus, he was anointing Him at the start of His public ministry. (The word "Messiah" means "Anointed One"). St. Thomas, in his Catena Aurea (Matthew, Mark) and Summa Theologica offers other explanations, including that Jesus was providing a model of humility for us, leading us to baptism, and asking no more of us than He did himself, and that in His baptism, He purified the waters, rather than being purified by them, in preparation for the greater baptism that was to follow. As our Lord came out of the waters, the whole Holy Trinity was manifested together, the Son in the flesh, and the Father in a voice from Heaven, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

Venerable Bede said that this event was a sign of the grace given to us in Baptism. In Baptism, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and by adoption are made sons of God.

John is the third saint addressed in the confiteor and first martyr mentioned in the Nobis quoque peccatoribus.

Both the birth and the death of the Forerunner are remembered by the Roman Catholic Church by two separate feast days:

• June 24 – Nativity of St. John the Baptist
• August 29 – Beheading of St. John the Baptist

Nearly all other saints are remembered only on the day that they fell asleep in the Lord. But St. John was holy all his life, so his birth is celebrated, too. Also, poetry links his birth, six months before our Lord's, to the shortening of days that begins in mid-summer and St. John's own words: "He must increase, I must decrease".

(Offered on the commemoration of the apparition of the Immaculate Virgin Mary at Lourdes. Blessed be God in His angels and His saints).

Blessed Michael the Archangel

 
The great guardian angel of the Church, St. Michael is the second saint mentioned in the Ordinary of the Mass (in the Confiteor). His name in Hebrew means "Who is like God?", the reply and war-cry of the good angels to Satan, who rebelled against God. St. John in his Apocalypse, chapter 12, recounts that St. Michael lead the good angels in battle against the devil and his followers and drove them from heaven.

In Daniel, chapter 12, Michael is called "the great prince who standeth for the children of Thy people." In chapter 10, another angel (probably St. Gabriel) says that St. Michael contends for Israel. He may have also appeared to Joshua before the fall of Jericho.

St. Michael is revered in both the Old and New Testament as the protector of the people of God. Wikipedia lists rabbinic traditions concerning St. Michael, including that he taught Moses, and disputed with the devil over the soul of Moses. Perhaps this relates to a statement in the Letter of St. Jude that St. Michael disputed with the devil about the body of Moses.

Both Christian and mystical Jewish tradition depicts St. Michael assisting the souls of the pious in their entry into the heavenly Jerusalem. He is sometimes depicted carrying a set of scales, because he escorts souls to judgment. For the same reason he is also (more rarely) depicted holding the book of life, or next to a body, holding a baby (the soul newly born to the next life).

Even more than as a patron in military conflicts, in the early Church, especially in Asia Minor, St. Michael was invoked as a healer. Curative springs were dedicated to him -- I wonder whether he was considered the angel mentioned in John 5:4?

So he is the special patron of sick people; also of policemen and paratroopers. Someone with a sense of humor decided that since he is depicted with a a set of scales, he should be the patron of grocers. He is the patron of various nations, cities and shrines. From being the patron of a sea-side shrine, he became the patron of mariners.

It might seem that all the prayers from all the people devoted to him would be too much for any creature to handle, but St. Michael is one of the bodiless Powers of Heaven, dwelling with God, not limited by time as we would be here on Earth. "With loving solicitude and princely bearing," he intercedes for us, and with our guardian angels at the end of our days, "he presents us to the Light Eternal and introduces us into the House of God's glory." [adopted from Dom Prosper Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Volume VIII]

Charity should flow in two directions. Here is a parish dedicated to St. Michael. Here is a lay Catholic organization dedicated to St. Michael. Various saints in their earthly life were devoted to St. Michael, including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. Joan of Arc.

Pope Leo XIII's Prayer to St. Michael

Pope Leo XIII approved this prayer to St. Michael in 1888. Some Catholics believe that this is the original version of the prayer to St. Michael said after low Masses, but this belief appears to be erroneous. Pope Leo mandated that the shorter, more familiar prayer be said after Masses in 1886. This prayer was composed for use outside of Mass:

O Glorious Prince of the heavenly host, St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the battle and in the terrible warfare that we are waging against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the evil spirits. Come to the aid of man, whom Almighty God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of Satan

Fight this day the battle of the Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in Heaven. That cruel, ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal perdition souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon pours out, as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity.

These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where the See of Holy Peter and the Chair of Truth has been set up as the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be.

Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious power of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly find mercy in the sight of the Lord; and vanquishing the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.

V. Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers.
R. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered the root of David.
V. Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.
R. As we have hoped in Thee.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as supplicants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin Immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious St. Michael the Archangel, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all the other unclean spirits who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of souls. Amen.

Saint Agatha , Virgin and Martyr

Today is the feast of Saint Agatha, who was martyred in 251 in Catania, Sicily. She died about a half-century before Saint Agnes and slightly precedes her in the Nobis quoque peccatoribus of the Traditional Mass. Even more than Saint Agnes, little is known with certitude about today's saint, beyond the fact of her martyrdom and her veneration by the early Church.

The story of the two saints is similar. Saint Agatha was a bit older, in her mid-teens or early 20s, with a reputation for great beauty. She attracted the attention of a Roman official in Sicily during the time of the Decian persecution. When she refused his advances, he delivered her to a pagan woman named Aphrodisia, who for a month tried to persuade Agatha to apostatize, with promises of a life of ease of she would yield and warnings of grievous torments if she would not. When Aphrodisia concluded that she would not be able to persuade Agatha, the Roman official (Quintianus) put her in prison, and tried to coerce her into submitting using the anti-Christian laws then in effect, and then tortured more viciously when she still refused, until finally she died in the midst of her torments. She is sometimes depicted in art with her breasts cut off.

By some accounts St. Peter appeared to her with an angel during her torments to heal and comfort her. St. Agatha in turn is said to have interceded for Christians in later centuries, a demonstration of the bond of charity that unites the body of Christ from generation to generation. Her merits and prayers are credited with quieting Mount Aetna when it threatened to erupt, and with saving Malta from invasion by Turkey.

In addition to being remembered in the Mass, Pope Pius XI honored her in 1934 by making her church in Rome a Stational church (Third Tuesday in Lent).


My fellow Christians, our annual celebration of a martyr’s feast has brought us together. Agatha achieved renown in the early Church for her noble victory. ...For her, Christ’s death was recent, his blood was still moist. Her robe is the mark of her faithful witness to Christ. ...Agatha, the name of our saint, means “good.” She was truly good, for she lived as a child of God. ...Agatha, her goodness coincides with her name and her way of life. She won a good name by her noble deeds, and by her name she points to the nobility of those deeds. Agatha, her mere name wins all men over to her company. She teaches them by her example to hasten with her to the true Good, God alone.
- from a homily on Saint Agatha by Saint Methodius of Sicily

Before All Other Saints

The Virgin

Mother! whose virgin bosom was uncrost
With the least shade of thought to sin allied;
Woman! above all women glorified,
Our tainted nature's solitary boast;
Purer than foam on central ocean tost;
Brighter than eastern skies at daybreak strewn
With fancied roses, than the unblemished moon
Before her wane begins on heaven's blue coast;
Thy Image falls to earth. Yet some, I ween,
Not unforgiven the suppliant knee might bend,
As to a visible Power, in which did blend
All that was mixed and reconciled in Thee
Of mother's love with maiden purity,
Of high with low, celestial with terrene!
- William Wordsworth, 1821

First among all the saints, the most honored of God's creatures, is Mary, the ever-virgin mother of our Savior. All generations call her blessed. From all women, God chose her to be the mother of His only-begotten Son. The Lord of all blessed her greatly and sanctified her, and by virtue of the graces bestowed on her, she remained free from all taint of sin throughout her earthly life.

In this He fulfilled the promise of Genesis 3:15, which is called called the protoevangelium, or "first gospel". In that verse, the Lord says to the serpent, the deceiver, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, while you strike at His heel." In always choosing to do good and reject evil, our Lady showed unwavering enmity toward the serpent. She showed that it is possible for human beings, by the grace of God, to be free from all bondage to sin. She showed us that it is in fact, possible, to follow our Lord's command to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

Pope John Paul II said that Mary, the new Eve, is "our Mother according to the Spirit". If we sincerely ask her for help, then as a good and loving mother, she is certain to aid us with her prayers, so that like her, we, too, may be the good and holy people we were made to be.

We have good reasons to believe that our Lord will listen to the prayers of His mother. One is that He performed His first public miracle in response to her intercession. Few of her words are recorded in the Gospels, all are weighted with significance. Her last recorded words are associated with that first miracle: "Do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5).

From the obscurity and poverty of her earthly life, at the end of her days, God lifted her to heaven, where “She stands at His right as a real Queen, with much boldness, clad in golden garments, attired in embroidery, according to the prophetic saying. Yea, she [stands at] the royal throne glittering as the glorious Queen of heaven and earth, and shining inside and outside with the lightings of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as the ever-illuminating Bride and Mother of the heavenly King of Glory, Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour . . . she stands at the right side of the Son, embroidered in the virtues and gifts of purity, of holiness, everything beautiful, chosen, innocent, as the holiest of saints, noblest of the cherubim, and incomparably more glorious than the seraphim and all the heavenly hosts, being thus, next to God, venerated, glorified, and praised above all beings in heaven and earth.”
—St. John of Damascus

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

ween = 'to think; suppose; imagine' or 'to expect; hope; intend'

Offered in honor of Our Lady on Septuagesima Sunday, AD 2010.

Octave of St. Agnes

" Now it came to pass, that while the parents of blessed Agnes were spending the night at her tomb, suddenly in the dead silence of night, a bright light shone forth, and they saw an array of virgins passing, all robed in cloth of gold ; and among them they saw also most blessed Agnes, robed like the rest, and at her right hand there stood a lamb whiter than snow. Her parents and all with them, seeing these things, were silent with wonder. But blessed Agnes said to her parents : Do not grieve for me as dead : but rejoice and be glad, because I have gained the mansions of light, as these have done before me, and am united to Him in heaven, whom while on earth I used to love with my whole soul. This said, she passed away.''

- St. Ambrose (AD 340-397)

(As quoted in the Messenger, Volume XXXVIII, page 414)

Saint Agnes (+ 304) is highly honored in traditional Roman calendar, having two feast days. The first was last week, on the 21st. The second is today. St. Agnes was martyred for her faith at a young age, a week before her 13th birthday. Her parents, and others with them, spent the evening of her birthday at her tomb, and there received the vision mentioned above, which is commemorated on this day.

Many other saints besides St. Ambrose have honored the purity and steadfast faith of St. Agnes. Pope Saint Damasus I, who was born about a year after the death of St. Agnes, became Pope at a time when it was no longer so dangerous to be a Christian. He wrote an epitaph for her which was carved in marble and used to mark her tomb, "but through the ages it was lost. Amazingly, it was at last rediscovered in 1728 inside [her] basilica, whole and complete: it had been used upside down, fortunately as a paving stone!" (Fr. Zuhlsdorf).

In the century following her death, Saint Martin of Tours(316-397), Saint Jerome(340-420) and Saint Augustine(354-430) sang her praises. In years after that, Saint Maximus of Turin (+470), Saint Radbod(+918), Saint Peter Damian (+1071), Saint Gertrude (+1334), Saint Birgitta (+1373) and Pope Saint Pius V(+1572) imitated the earlier saints' example of honoring St. Agnes, before following them into glory.

She is invoked with other martyrs in the Nobis quoque peccatoribus shortly before the Pater noster in the traditional Mass. I used to hear her name regularly even in the new Mass at our parish in the 1970's, but not any more. Despite being so honored, I hardly knew anything about St. Agnes until last week. In order to better honor the saints whom we venerate in the TLM, I hope to read and write a little about each one mentioned in the Ordinary.

"O Saint Agnes, thou who dost follow the Lamb in thy delicate beauty, who dost exult in being a captive in the bonds of His love, in having received the sweet pledge of His faithfulness, and in being brought into His secret chamber, obtain for me that I may be inflamed like Thee with love of Jesus, my Spouse."
- Saint Gertrude (+1334)

Saint Agnes - Virgin and Martyr

Today is the feast of Saint Agnes of Rome, Virgin and Martyr.

Saint Agnes was born to a noble family in Rome in A.D. 291. Her family, by the grace of God, instilled in her a deep and fearless Christian faith.

The prefect Sempronius wished Agnes to marry his son, and when Agnes refused, she was denounced as a Christian. This was a time of persecution, and she might have escaped punishment if she had been willing to sacrifice to pagan idols, but she refused, and boldly confessed her faith in Christ.

In reprisal, she was humiliated by being dragged naked through the streets to a brothel, where she was threatened with rape. She maintained her modesty as well as she could, covering herself with her hair, and refusing to surrender to the will of her tormentors.

Following an unsuccessful attempt to kill her by fire, she died by the sword. From that time, she has been deeply revered for her purity and constancy. She is often pictured with a lamb (a symbol of her unblemished purity), and a palm branch (symbol of her martyrdom).

Because of the influence of her family, St. Agnes' body was not thrown into the river, which was common practice for martyred Christians at the time. Instead, she was buried in the family cemetery. There, a few days later, Agnes' nurse's daughter Emerentiana, was caught praying. Emerentiana was not yet a Christian, but she was a catechumen, and she followed her friend into martyrdom, stoned to death for refusing the leave the tomb and for reprimanding the pagans for killing Agnes. "Baptized by blood", Emerentiana is honored as a saint.

Many other Christians since then have followed St. Emerentiana in remembering and honoring St. Agnes...

(Have to stop here -- leaving now for a traditional Latin Mass that commemorates St. Agnes. Praise God, pope, pastor and priest for making this Mass available today).

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

St. Agnes, pure in heart, intercede for us!

Litany of the Saints

Today is the Feast of St. Mark, author of the gospel and first patriarch of Alexandria.

The Feast of St. Mark was formerly a Rogation day, the "Major Rogation" instituted by Pope St. Gregory the Great as a day of reparation for the fall of Romans back into sin after the holy season of Lent and the celebration of Easter. The Rogation Days were eliminated as part of the "reform" of the Liturgical calendar following Vatican II; their observance is still permitted as a local custom. Like the Romans of the early middle ages, the modern Roman Church has received and squandered great graces. Perhaps the rogation days could be restored; we are in sore need of God's mercy.

The Rogation days typically included a procession through the parish and a recitation of the Litany of the Saints.

The Litany of the Saints

Lord, have mercy on us. (Lord have mercy on us.)
Christ, have mercy on us. (Christ have mercy on us.)
Lord, have mercy on us. (Lord, have mercy on us.)

Christ, hear us. (Christ, hear us.)
Christ, graciously hear us. (Christ, graciously hear us.)

God the Father of heaven, (have mercy on us.)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, (have mercy on us.)
God the Holy Ghost, (have mercy on us.)
Holy Trinity, one God, (have mercy on us.)

Holy Mary, (pray for us.)
Holy Mother of God, (pray for us.)
Holy Virgin of virgins, (pray for us.)

St. Michael, (pray for us.)
St. Gabriel, (pray for us.)
St. Raphael, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Angels and Archangels, (pray for us.)
All ye holy orders of blessed Spirits, (pray for us.)

St. John the Baptist, (pray for us.)
St. Joseph, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets, (pray for us.)

St. Peter, (pray for us.)
St. Paul, (pray for us.)
St. Andrew, (pray for us.)
St. James, (pray for us.)
St. John, (pray for us.)
St. Thomas, (pray for us.)
St. James, (pray for us.)
St. Philip, (pray for us.)
St. Bartholomew, (pray for us.)
St. Matthew, (pray for us.)
St. Simon, (pray for us.)
St. Thaddeus, (pray for us.)
St. Matthias, (pray for us.)
St. Barnabas, (pray for us.)
St. Luke, (pray for us.)
St. Mark, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Disciples of the Lord, (pray for us.)

All ye holy Innocents, (pray for us.)
St. Stephen, (pray for us.)
St. Lawrence, (pray for us.)
St. Vincent, (pray for us.)
SS. Fabian and Sebastian, (pray for us.)
SS. John and Paul, (pray for us.)
SS. Cosmas and Damian, (pray for us.)
SS. Gervase and Protase, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Martyrs, (pray for us.)

St. Sylvester, (pray for us.)
St. Gregory, (pray for us.)
St. Ambrose, (pray for us.)
St. Augustine, (pray for us.)
St. Jerome, (pray for us.)
St. Martin, (pray for us.)
St. Nicholas, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Bishops and Confessors, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Doctors, (pray for us.)

St. Anthony, (pray for us.)
St. Benedict, (pray for us.)
St. Bernard, (pray for us.)
St. Dominic, (pray for us.)
St. Francis, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Priests and Levites, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Monks and Hermits, (pray for us.)

St. Mary Magdalen, (pray for us.)
St. Agatha, (pray for us.)
St. Lucy, (pray for us.)
St. Agnes, (pray for us.)
St. Cecilia, (pray for us.)
St. Catherine, (pray for us.)
St. Anastasia, (pray for us.)
All ye holy Virgins and Widows, (pray for us.)

All ye holy Saints of God, (Make intercession for us.)
Be merciful, (Spare us, O Lord.)
Be merciful, (Graciously hear us, O Lord.)

From all evil, O Lord (deliver us.)
From all sin, (deliver us.)
From Thy wrath, (deliver us.)
From sudden and unlooked for death, (deliver us.)
From the snares of the devil, (deliver us.)
From anger, and hatred, and every evil will, (deliver us.)
From the spirit of fornication, (deliver us.)
From lightning and tempest, (deliver us.)
From the scourge of earthquakes, (deliver us.)
From plague, famine and war, (deliver us.)
From everlasting death, (deliver us.)
Through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, (deliver us.)
Through Thy Coming, (deliver us.)
Through Thy Birth, (deliver us.)
Through Thy Baptism and holy Fasting, (deliver us.)
Through Thy Cross and Passion, (deliver us.)
Through Thy Death and Burial, (deliver us.)
Through Thy holy Resurrection, (deliver us.)
Through Thine admirable Ascension, (deliver us.)
Through the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete. (deliver us.)
In the day of judgment (deliver us.)

We sinners, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst spare us, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst pardon us, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst bring us to true penance, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to govern and preserve Thy holy Church, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve our Apostolic Prelate, and all orders of the Church in holy religion, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to humble the enemies of holy Church, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant peace and unity to the whole Christian world, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst call back to the unity of the Church all who have strayed from her fold, and to guide all unbelievers into the light of the Gospel (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to confirm and preserve us in Thy holy service, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst render eternal blessings to all our benefactors, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst deliver our souls, and the souls of our brethren, relations, and benefactors, from eternal damnation, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe graciously to hear us, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)
Son of God, (we beseech Thee, hear us.)

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, (spare us, O Lord.)
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, (graciously hear us, O Lord.)
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, (have mercy on us.)

Christ, (hear us.)
Christ, (graciously hear us.)
Lord, have mercy, (Lord, have mercy.)
Christ, have mercy, (Christ, have mercy.)
Lord, have mercy, (Lord, have mercy.)

[Our Father inaudibly] ...And lead us not into temptation (but deliver us from evil.)

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

"I am sent to you to confute, not to embrace your heresy. The Catholic religion is the faith of all ages, I fear not death."

- St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, to the protestant soldiers who killed him

On this day 385 years ago, St. Fidelis received the crown of martyrdom, the foreseen culmination of a life of faithful service to our Lord in dangerous times. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XIII on the 24th of March, 1729, and canonized on the 29th of June, 1746 by Pope Benedict XIV.

Blessed counsellor and advocate for the poor, pray for us who have become spiritually poor.
Courageous refuter of heresy, pray that your Church may find again the zeal for truth it once possessed.
Zealous advocate of the Faith of all ages, please pray that your Church may once again freely pray the Mass of ages.
And may it please God that you, who have been honored by two popes named Benedict, will have your prayers answered through the good offices of a third.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, Who, with our Father in Heaven, reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ages of ages until the end of time. Amen.