February 7

Today is the Feast of Bd. Pius IX.

Prayers to Saint Peter and Paul

Prayers to Saints Peter and Paul

Saint Peter the Apostle

Thou art the Shepherd of the sheep, the Prince of the Apostles, unto thee were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

℣. Thou art Peter;

℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

Let us pray.

Raise us up, we beseech thee, O Lord, by the apostolic assistance of blessed Peter, thine Apostle: so that the weaker we are, the more mightily we may be helped by the power of his intercession: and that being perpetually defended by the same holy Apostle, we may neither yield to any iniquity, nor be overcome by any adversity. Through Christ our Lord.

O glorious Saint Peter, who, in return for thy lively and generous faith, thy profound and sincere humility, and thy burning love, wast honoured by Jesus Christ with singular privileges, and, in particular, with the leadership of the other Apostles and the primacy of the whole Church, of which thou wast made the foundation stone, do thou obtain for us the grace of a lively faith, that shall not fear to profess itself openly, in its entirety and in all of its manifestations, even to the shedding of blood, if occasion should demand it, and to the sacrifice of life itself in preference to surrender. Obtain for us likewise, a sincere loyalty to our holy mother, the Church; grant that we may ever remain most closely and sincerely united to the Roman Pontiff, who is the heir of thy faith and of thy authority, the one, true, visible Head of the Catholic Church, that mystic ark outside which there is no salvation. Grant, moreover, that we may follow, in all humility and meekness, her teaching and her counsels, and may be obedient to all her precepts, in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a peace that is sure and undisturbed, and to attain one day in heaven to everlasting happiness. Amen.

℣. Pray for us, Saint Peter the Apostle,

℟. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O God, who hast given unto thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose: grant that we may be delivered, through the help of his intercession, from the bonds of all our sins: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Saint Paul the Apostle

Thou art the Vessel of election, Saint Paul the Apostle, the Preacher of truth in the whole world.

℣. Pray for us, Saint Paul the Apostle,

℟. That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, who, of thy divine mercy, didst instruct thy blessed Apostle Paul what he should to that he might be filled with the Holy Ghost; by his admonitions directing us and his merits interceding for us, grant that we may serve thee in fear and trembling, and so be filled with the comfort of thy heavenly gifts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O glorious Saint Paul, who, from being a persecutor of the Christian name, didst become its most zealous Apostle, and who, to carry the knowledge of our Jesus, our divine Saviour, to the uttermost parts of the earth, didst joyfully suffer prison, scourgings, stonings, shipwreck and all manner of persecutions, and who didst finish thy course by shedding the last drop of thy blood: obtain for us the grace to accept, as favours bestowed by the mercy of God, the infirmities, sufferings and misfortunes of this life, that we may not grow slack in our service of God by reason of these vicissitudes of our exile, but that we may the rather show ourselves ever more devoted. Amen.

℣. Pray for us, Saint Paul the Apostle,

℟. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O God, who hast taught the multitude of the Gentiles by the preaching of blessed Paul the Apostle: grant unto us, we beseech thee, that we who keep his memory sacred, may feel the might of his intercession before thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer to St. Therese of the Child Jesus

For the Conversion of Russia

O loving and compassionate Saint, deign to comfort our Russian brethren, the victims of a long and cruel persecution of the Christian name; obtain for them perseverance in the faith, progress in the love of God and of their neighbor, and in confidence toward the most holy Mother of God; prepare for them holy priests who shall make reparation for the blasphemies and sacrileges committed against the holy Eucharist; grant that angelic purity, especially in the young, and every Christian virtue may once more flourish among them, to the end that this noble people, being delivered from all slavery and returning freely to the one fold entrusted by the loving Heart of the Risen Christ to Saint Peter and his successors, may at length taste the joy of glorifying the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in the fellowship of the holy Catholic Church.

Prayer to Obtain the Reunion of the Christians of the East

O Lord, who hast united the various nations in the confession of thy name, we pray thee for the Christian peoples of the East. Mindful of the high place they held of old in thy Church, we beg of thee to inspire them with an ardent desire to regain that place, in order to form, with us, one only fold under the guidance of one and the same Shepherd. Grant that their hearts may be docile to hear the voice of their holy Doctors, who are likewise our Fathers in the faith. Let a spirit of concord and charity, which is a sign of thy presence among the faithful, hasten the day when our prayers shall be united to theirs, so that every nation and every tongue may acknowledge and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.

To St. Bridget, Queen of Sweden, Widow

With trusting hearts we turn to thee, blessed Bridget, in these hostile and unbelieving days, to implore thine intercession in behalf of those who are separated from the Church of Jesus Christ. By that clear knowledge thou didst have of the bitter sufferings of our crucified Redeemer, the price of our salvation, we offer thee our supplications to obtain the grace of faith for those who are outside the one true fold, that so the sheep who are scattered may return to the one true shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saint Bridget, fearless in thy service of God, pray for us. Saint Bridget, fearless in thy service of God, pray for us. Saint Bridget, patient in the midst of suffering and humiliation, pray for us. Saint Bridget, wonderful in thy love for Jesus and Mary, pray for us.

Pater, Ave, Gloria.

Prayer to Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary of Pompeii

O merciful Queen of the Rosary of Pompeii, thou, the Seat of Wisdom, hast established a throne of fresh mercy in the land that once was pagan, in order to draw all nations to salvation by means of the chaplet of thy mystic roses: remember that thy divine Son hath left us this saying: “Other sheep I have that are not of this fold; them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.” Remember likewise that on Calvary thou didst become our co-Redemptrix, by virtue of the crucifixion of thy heart cooperating with thy Crucified Son in the salvation of the world; and from that day thou didst become the Restorer of the human race, the Refuge of sinners and the Mother of all mankind. Behold, dear Mother, how many souls are lost every hour! Behold, how countless millions of those who dwell in India, in China, and in barbarous regions do not yet know our Lord Jesus Christ! See, too, how many others are indeed Christians and are nevertheless far from the bosom of Mother Church which is Catholic, Apostolic and Roman!
O Mary, powerful mediator, advocate of the human race, full of love for us who are mortal, the life of our hearts, blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, graciously hear our prayers; let not the Precious Blood and the fruits of Redemption be lost for so many souls. From thy chosen shrine in Pompeii where thou dost nothing else save dispense heaven’s favours upon the afflicted, grant that a ray of thy heavenly light may shine forth to enlighten those many blinded understandings and to enkindle so many cold hearts. Intercede with thy divine Son and obtain grace for all the pagans, Jews, heretics and schismatics in the whole world to receive supernatural light and to enter with joy into the bosom of the true Church. Hear the confident prayer of the Supreme Pontiff, that all nations may be joined in the one faith, may know and love Jesus Christ, the blessed fruit of thy womb, who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Spirit world without end. And then all men shall love thee also, thou who art the salvation of the world, arbiter and dispenser of the treasures of God, and Queen of mercy in the valley of Pompeii. And, glorifying thee, the Queen of Victories, who by means of the Rosary, dost trample upon all heresies, they shall acknowledge that thou givest life to all the nations, since there must be a fulfilment of the prophecy in the Gospel: “All generations shall call me blessed”.

Prayers for Christian Unity

From the Raccolta.

O God, who guidest that which is gone astray, and gatherest that which is scattered, and keepest that which is gathered together; we beseech thee, mercifully pour forth upon the Christian people the grace of thy unity; that they may reject the spirit of dissension and unite themselves to the true Shepherd of thy Church, and may thus be enabled to serve thee worthily. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is that all men should be saved and that none should perish, look upon the souls that are deceived by the guile of Satan, in order that the hearts of them that have gone astray may put aside all the perverseness of heresy, and, being truly repentant, may return to the unity of thy truth. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord Jesus, merciful Saviour of the world, we humbly beseech thee by they most Sacred Heart, that all the straying sheep may turn unto thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls: Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

O Mary, Mother of mercy and Refuge of sinners, we beseech thee, be pleased to look with pitiful eyes upon poor heretics and schismatics. Thou who art the Seat of Wisdom, enlighten the minds that are miserably enfolded in the darkness of ignorance and sin, that they may clearly know that the Holy Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ, outside of which neither holiness nor salvation can be found. Call them to the unity of the one fold, granting them the grace to accept all the truths of our holy Faith, and to submit themselves to the Supreme Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth; that so, being united with us in the sweet chains of divine charity, there may soon be one only fold under the same one Shepherd; and may we all, O glorious Virgin, sing forever with exultation: Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, thou only hast destroyed all heresies in the whole world.

O Virgin immaculate, thou who by a singular privilege of grace wast preserved from original sin, look in pity upon our separated brethren, who are nevertheless thy children, and call them back to the center of unity. Not a few of them, although separated from the Church, have kept a certain veneration for thee; and do thou, generous as thou art, reward them for it, by obtaining for them the grace of conversion.

Thou was conqueror of the infernal serpent from the first instant of thy existence; renew even now, for it is now more necessary than ever before, thine ancient triumphs; glorify thy divine Son, bring back to him the sheep that have strayed from the one fold and place them once more under the guidance of the universal Shepherd who holds the place of thy Son on earth; let it be thy glory, O Virgin who destroyest all heresies, to restore unity and peace once more to all the Christian people.

A Devout Exercise for the Unity of the Church

From the Raccolta

Ant. That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me and I in thee, that thy also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,

℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, who didst say to thine Apostles: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto her that peace and unity which is agreeable to thy will: Who livest and reignest, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer Intentions for Each Day of the Octave

First Day: For the return of the ‘other sheep’ to the One Fold of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Second Day: For the return of the Eastern Orthodox Christians to communion with the Apostolic See.

Third Day: For the return of the Anglicans to the authority of the Vicar of Christ.

Fourth Day: For the return of all Protestants throughout the world to the unity of the Catholic Church.

Fifth Day: That Christians in America [or: throughout the world] may be one, in union with the Chair of Saint Peter.

Sixth Day: That lapsed Catholics will return to the Sacraments of the Church.

Seventh Day: That the Jewish people will be converted to the Catholic Faith.

Eighth Day: That missionary zeal will conquer the world for Christ.

Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

Today marks the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Although taken over by Ecumenists, the Octave is actually very Catholic in its origins - seeking the unity of all men in the one true Church of Jesus Christ.

In fact, even the timing of this event is steeped in Catholic Culture. The Octave begins on the feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Rome - the divinely appointed foundation of Christian Unity - and concludes on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul - the conversion of a fanatical enemy of Christ and His holy Church to the greatest Evangelist the world has ever known.

Saint Peter and Saint Paul, pray for us!

And there was much rejoicing ...

EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

Today, 14 September 2007, the long-waited Motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum" goes into effect. Here in Rome we will be offering a Solemn High Mass at 6:30 p.m. in thanksgiving for the liberalization of the Traditional Roman Mass, and to pray that, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, the many blessings foreseen and hoped for by the Holy Father will come to pass.

Thank you, Holy Father!

Long live the Pope!

Temporary Break

Updates will be kind of spotty for the next few weeks, until I am able to get regular internet access. I will resume posting as soon as possible. See you soon!

- Christopher

A bit of humour ...

... on the feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist.

The new bishop began visiting the churches of his diocese, and on this particular feast day, happened to be in a rather 'progressive' parish. Concelebrating Mass with the pastor and associates, he grew more and more infuriated as the liturgical abuses piled up. Nonetheless, he bit his tongue, not wanting to scandalize the parishioners. But when the liturgical dancers came out to 'interpret' the Gospel description of the Baptist's martyrdom, it proved to much. As Salome sashayed across the sanctuary, he leaned over to the pastor and whispered,

"If she asks for your head on a platter, she'll get it."

St. Augustine and the Culture Wars.

Pope Leo XIII cites Saint Augustine's prescient description of the 'two cities' in the Encyclical Humanum genus:

1. The race of man, after its miserable fall from God, the Creator and the Giver of heavenly gifts, "through the envy of the devil," separated into two diverse and opposite parts, of which the one steadfastly contends for truth and virtue, the other of those things which are contrary to virtue and to truth. The one is the kingdom of God on earth, namely, the true Church of Jesus Christ; and those who desire from their heart to be united with it, so as to gain salvation, must of necessity serve God and His only-begotten Son with their whole mind and with an entire will. The other is the kingdom of Satan, in whose possession and control are all whosoever follow the fatal example of their leader and of our first parents, those who refuse to obey the divine and eternal law, and who have many aims of their own in contempt of God, and many aims also against God.

2. This twofold kingdom St. Augustine keenly discerned and described after the manner of two cities, contrary in their laws because striving for contrary objects; and with a subtle brevity he expressed the efficient cause of each in these words: "Two loves formed two cities: the love of self, reaching even to contempt of God, an earthly city; and the love of God, reaching to contempt of self, a heavenly one."[De civ. Dei, 14, 28 (PL 41, 436)] At every period of time each has been in conflict with the other, with a variety and multiplicity of weapons and of warfare, although not always with equal ardor and assault. At this period, however, the partisans of evil seems to be combining together, and to be struggling with united vehemence, led on or assisted by that strongly organized and widespread association called the Freemasons. No longer making any secret of their purposes, they are now boldly rising up against God Himself. They are planning the destruction of holy Church publicly and openly, and this with the set purpose of utterly despoiling the nations of Christendom, if it were possible, of the blessings obtained for us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Lamenting these evils, We are constrained by the charity which urges Our heart to cry out often to God: "For lo, Thy enemies have made a noise; and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head. They have taken a malicious counsel against Thy people, and they have consulted against Thy saints. They have said, 'come, and let us destroy them, so that they be not a nation'."[Ps. 82:24]

3. At so urgent a crisis, when so fierce and so pressing an onslaught is made upon the Christian name, it is Our office to point out the danger, to mark who are the adversaries, and to the best of Our power to make head against their plans and devices, that those may not perish whose salvation is committed to Us, and that the kingdom of Jesus Christ entrusted to Our charge may not stand and remain whole, but may be enlarged by an ever-increasing growth throughout the world.

You can read the rest of Humanum genus at Papal Encyclicals Online.

Saint Jerome to Saint Augustine

"Honour to you! Honour to the man whom the raging winds have not been able to overthrow! ... Continue to be of good courage. The whole world celebrates your praises; the Catholics venerate and admire you as the restorer of the ancient faith. But what is a mark of still greater glory, all the heretics hate you. They honour me, too, with their hatred. Not being able to strike us with the sword, they kill us in desire."

Hieron. epist. cxli, al. lxxx.
cited in Gueranger.

Saint Joseph Calasanctius

"St. Joseph Calasanctius was born in Aragon in 1556. Having become a priest, it was revealed to him that he should teach the children of the poor. He founded the Order of the Poor Clerks Regular of the Pious Schools of the Mother of God. He was ever a devout pilgrim at the shrines of the martyrs, and daily visited the seven Churches of Rome, where he lived for fifty years. He died August 25, 1648" (NRM). As the founder of a religious order, he is honoured with a statue in St. Peter's Basilica.

His relics are in the Church of Saint Pantaleon.

In the ordinary form, today is the feast of Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine; her feast in the extraordinary calendar is May 4. St. Monica is most remembered for the ceaseless tears she poured out for her son, who for many years languished in an immoral life, and followed after the detestable heresy of Manichaeism. When she approached Saint Ambrose to beg for his prayers, he replied, 'Surely the son of so many tears cannot be lost'. Monica lived to see the conversion of both her son and her husband. Her relics are in the Church of St. Augustine in Rome, where I'll be headed this afternoon to offer extra prayers for my own mother.

26 August - Saint Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr

"St. Zephyrinus, a pope of the third century, after a lengthy reign in the course of which he earned the title of martyr by his suffering, died a holy death. He is said to have forbidden the use of wooden chalices in the celebration of the Mass, and to have prescribed that all the faithful should receive communion on Easter day. He defended the Church against heresies and especially of those who denied the Trinity." From the supplement to the New Roman Missal by Father F. X. Lasance, et al.

14th Successor of Saint Peter

Born: ?
Reigned: 199 - 217

“Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile”

Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve Apostles, is often identified with Nathaniel, to whom the quote above refers. The Gospels always associate him with the Apostle St. Philip, who led him to Christ.

As with most of the Apostles, very little is known definitively about his life. Nonetheless, there is a wealth of information from Church fathers and from tradition that forms the basis of later legends about the Saint. Eusebius, the great Church historian, relates that after the Ascension of our Lord, he evangelized the countries of the 'Indies'. Now, for the ancient world, this could mean anywhere from Arabia to India proper, but Butler, in his Lives of the Saints, argues that the reference to Brahmans points to a journey to the country of India. In fact, a later missionary, Saint Pantænus, is said to have been shown a copy of St. Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew, left by today's Apostle.

He is said to have met St. Philip in Phrygia, and then to have traveled throughout Asia Minor; this according to St. John Chrysostom, although the specific names of the places he visited have been lost.

Perhaps his most important journey was his last, to the ancient land of Armenia. With St. Thaddeus, he was the first evangelist of that country, which later, under the influence of Gregory the Illuminator, was to become the first Christian nation, perhaps a decade or more before the Edict of Milan made Christianity legal throughout the Roman Empire. Most of the medieval legends revolve around Bartholomew's time in Armenia.

According to the Golden Legend, (which is largely based on one of the early, apocryphal, Acts of the various Apostles), St. Bartholomew, having come to Armenia, entered the temple of a pagan god Ashtaroth, who was known for his healing powers. After the arrival of the Apostle, the demon was no longer able to do anything; the worshippers of this false god, consulting another demon, learned that Ashtaroth was bound with chains of fire by Bartholomew. The adherents of Ashtaroth asked for a description of Bartholomew, in the hopes of capturing him:

And the servants of the Greeks said to him: 'Tell us what he is like, that we may be able to find him'. And the demon answered and said: 'He has black hair, a shaggy head, a fair skin, two large eyes, beautiful nostrils, his ears hidden by the hair of his head, with a yellow beard, a few grey hairs, of middle height, and neither tall nor stunted, but middling, clothed with a white undercloak bordered with purple, and upon his shoulders a very white cloak; and his clothes have been worn twenty-six years, but neither are they dirty, nor have they waxed old. Seven times a day he bends the knee to the Lord, and seven times a night does he pray to God. His voice is like the sonnet of a strong trumpet; there go along with him angels of God, who allow him neither to be weary, nor to hunger, nor to thirst; his face, and his soul, and his heart are always glad and rejoicing; he foresees everything, he knows and speaks every tongue of every nation'.

Later, having cured a demoniac and then the daughter of the king, and having expounded the teachings of the faith, he cast the demons out of the temple, and baptized the king.

This in fact was the chief cause of his martyrdom. For when the king's elder brother, also a king, heard of his brother's conversion, he ordered the arrest of Bartholomew. When Bartholomew refused to worship the false gods, he was summarily executed.

There is some confusion about the method of execution. Some accounts indicate he was crucified or beheaded; the most enduring story, though, is that he was flayed alive. Artist, of course, love this subject. He is usually represented with a tanner's knife, often as an old man holding his own skin, as can be seen in the pictures in this post. With her traditional sense of dark humour, Holy Mother Church honours Bartholomew as the patron saint of tanners, leather workers, and shoemakers. He is, of course, one of the patron saints of Armenia, and is invoked against demonic possession and neurological diseases.

The majority of Saint Bartholomew's relics, after several long journeys, finally came to rest in Rome, in the Basilica of San Bartolomeo all'Isola, on the Tiber Island, which I visited today. Later, an arm of the Saint was sent to St. Edward the Confessor, the King of England, who bestowed it on the cathedral Church at Canterbury.

The Basilica of San Bartolomeo is a beautiful Church with a fascinating history. I'll try to put up another post on my visit there soon.

Today's Feasts

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
We also celebrate the feast of Sts. Timothy, Hippolytus and Symphorian, Martyrs.

In the Novus Ordo, today is the feast of the Queenship of Mary.

Saint Helena - Empress

August 18 is the feast of Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine, the first Christian emperor. For today’s feast we are visiting the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, on the Capitoline hill (where her relics are venerated), and the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The latter was constructed by Saint Helena on the grounds of her palace, to house the relics of the True Cross, which she had discovered during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land.