1 thou didst subject thyself for my salvation, choose thee this day in the presence of thy blessed Virgin Mother Mary, and of St. Joseph, thy most faithful Foster-Father, as my King and my Lord; and I firmly purpose to love and serve thee always, and to honour thee especially in this state in which thou, O Word Eternal, Immense, and Infinite, wert born a little babe for the love of me. Ah! be pleased, O most loving Babe, to bless this my respectful offering, and give me the grace to depend henceforth wholly upon thee, as thou in all things didst depend upon thy Virgin Mother and St. Joseph; so that I may be fit to be a servant in thy Holy Family on earth, and then be admitted to the citizenship with the angels and thy saints in heaven; and therefore do thou bless me, save me, and help me. Amen. Five times Glory be, &c., to the Heart of the Infant Jesus. Act of Offering to the Most Holy Mary. O Virgin and Mother, O sacred Temple of the Divinity, O marvel of Heaven and earth, my great Mother Mary, it is but just that, whilst thou hast brought forth for us an Infant God, we should adore in thee the most exalted dignity of the Mother of God, and should consecrate to so worthy a Mother all the homage of our whole being. I therefore offer myself and give myself up wholly unto thee this day, and desire with a resolute will to serve and love thine Holy Child Jesus, my Saviour and my God. I know that in doing so I shall give thee pleasure, and the homage which I pay to the Son will be also a homage paid unto the Mother. Accept, then, O most loving Mother, this my offering of love, which, that it may be still more acceptable to thee, I present to thee by the hands of the Infant Jesus. Ah! by those swathing bands in which thou didst wrap him in the manger, bind my will, so that I may never retract the offering which I have made of myself this day to thee, and to thy Holy Infant; place me under thy most holy mantle, guard me, help me, and defend me to the last moment of my life. Amen. Three Hail Marys to the Heart of the Most Holy Mary. Act of Offering to the Patriaroh St. Joseph. Most glorious Patriarch, chastest spouse of the great Mother of God, and reputed father of my Lord Jesus Christ, my loving St. Joseph; confiding in the greatness of thy holiness, and inflamed with the love which Jesus and Mary bore thee, I choose thee this day in their presence to be my especial protector, advocate, and patron; and I firmly purpose to keep this devotion to thee always burning within my heart. And since I know that thou wert appointed by the Eternal Father to be the Head of the Holy Family upon earth, I desire to be one of its devoted servants and friends, and I beg of thee to admit me into the number. I desire, unworthy sinner though I be, to render to thee also the homage which I pay to the Infant Jesus and to his Virgin Mother. I beseech thee also, O my most glorious Father St. Joseph, to obtain for me, through thy great merits, and by thy most powerful intercession, the grace to imitate in my life thy most holy conversation with Jesus and Mary; so that I too, like thyself, may enjoy the assistance of Jesus and of Mary at my death, and in their arms may breathe forth my soul, saying, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, I give you my heart and my soul. Amen. An Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory, to St. Joseph. Let us pray O God, who by the Holy Family of the Incarnate Word hast consecrated the whole earth, and hast in Jesus, Mary, and Joseph given to us the pattern of holy living; grant that we, who by this Blessed Three implore of thee the grace of holy living, may, together with the angels, come to praise thee in heaven, who livest in thy blissful and undivided Trinity of person, world without end. Amen. Prayers to the Most Holy Infant Jesus and TO OBTAIN HELP AND COMFORT IN TIMES OF DIFFICULTY. O most holy Infant Jesus, thou who knewest the affliction of thy reputed father St. Joseph, and how to console him at the appointed time, revealing to him by. the mouth of the archangel the mystery of thy divine incarnation in the womb of the most holy Mary; send to me, I beseech thee, in this time of my sore difficulty and affliction, the help and comfort of thy grace, so that I may find a remedy for the evils which weigh down my soul and body. This favour I likewise seek from thee, O my beloved St. Joseph, beseeching thee to obtain it from the Infant Jesus, by that great joy which thou didst feel at the angelic tidings, "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Five Glorys to the most holy and loving Heart of the Infant Jesus. An Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory, to the amiable heart of St. Joseph. Offerings to the Most Holy Infant, TO BE MADE THE 25TH DAY OF EVERY MONTH BY HEADS OF FAMILIES. my most adorable Infant Jesus, my King, my Father, and my Lord, I dedicate myself to thee this day in thine honour, giving up to thee my whole being, my soul, my body, my will, and the goods which thou hast given me, and, in short, all that belongs to me; I beseech thee to take the possession and absolute dominion of it all, as I desire no longer to live but in thee, nor to possess any thing in the world, except it be according to thy will, permission, and divine appointment, so that henceforth I must look upon myself simply as an instrument in thy hands, O most holy Infant Jesus, to do whatsoever thou desirest of me, with a simple heart. I beg these graces of thee, through the intercession of the most holy Virgin, thy Mother and my advocate, and of my protector St. Joseph. Amen. Litany of the Immaculate Conception, p. 339. Litany of the Infant Jesus, p. 324. HYMNS. Advent. Hark, an awful voice is sounding. Maker of the starry frame Thou who didst leave the Father's breast The Immaculate Conception. What mortal tongue can sing thy praise The day, the happy day is dawning O Maid, conceived without a stain Hymns and Carols for Christmas. Adeste Fideles. Stars of glory, shine more brightly. I love those precious Christmas words Dear little One, how sweet thou art 8. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Pa- and Menevia 26. St. Stephen 126, 191, &c. 264 145, 146 142 144 27. St. John Evangelist, Patron of Diocese of Sal ford. 28. Holy Innocents 29. St. Thomas, Patron of Dioceses of Northamp ton and Southwark The Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Dominic, the founder of the order of Friar-Preachers, having recourse to the Blessed Virgin in order to stem the flood of the Albigensian heresy, which was spreading itself like a plague over many countries, but especially over France, instituted, by special revelation from her, in the year 1206, and afterwards effectually promulgated, the devotion of the holy Rosary, which ever since has produced the most marvellous results in the Christian world. 66 De The devotion called the Rosary consists of fifteen "Pater nosters" and " Glorias," and one hundred and fifty "Ave Marias," divided into three parts; each containing five cades," or tens; a decade consisting of one Pater," ten Aves," and a "Gloria." To each of these Decades is assigned one of the principal mysteries of the life of our Saviour, or his blessed Mother, as matter of meditation, whereon the mind is to exercise itself whilst at prayer, and therefore it is prefixed to every Decade. The fifteen mysteries, as we have said, are divided into three parts, viz. five joyful, five sorrowful, and five glorious mysteries. Now the method consists in raising corresponding affections in the will during the recital of each Decade, such as the devotion of each one may suggest; for example, in the first part, sentiments of joy for the coming of our Redeemer; in the second, of compassion for the sufferings of our Lord, and contrition for our sins which were the occasion of them; in the third, of thanksgiving for the exaltation and glory of our Saviour and his blessed Mother, hoping, through the merits of his passion, and her intercession, to be made partakers of their glory. To assist the mind in this exercise, a short meditation and prayer is usually given to be used before and after each Decade. In order to say the Rosary well, we must not be satisfied with merely pronouncing the words of the prayers, or with a vague and general reflection on the mysteries; but endeavour to acquire the habit of reciting them with great attention and reverence, at the same time dwelling in a vivid manner upon the different mysteries. |