OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE NOVENA - EIGHTH DAY

OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE NOVENA - EIGHTH DAY

The Apparition 

The evening of the 19th of September, we went back down a little earlier than usual. When I arrived at my master’s farm, I was busy tying up my cows and tidying up in the stable, and had not yet finished when my mistress came up to me in tears and said:

         “Why, my child, why didn't you come and tell me what happened on the mountain?”

         Maximin, not having found his masters who were still at work, had come over to mine and recounted everything he had seen and heard. I replied:

         “I did want to tell you, but I wanted to get my work finished first.” A moment later, I walked over to the house and my mistress said to me:

         “Tell me what you have seen. De Bruite, the shepherd (that was the nick name of Pierre Selme, Maximin's master), has told me everything.”

         I began, and towards the middle of the account, my master arrived back from the fields. My mistress, who was in tears at hearing the complaints and threats of our sweet Mother, said:

Ah!  You were going to harvest the wheat tomorrow (Sunday).  Take great care. Come and hear what happened today to this child and Pierre Selme's shepherd-boy.  And turning to me, she said:

Repeat everything you have said.

I started again, and when I had finished, my master said:

 It was the Holy Virgin or else a great saint, who has come on behalf of the Good Lord, but it’s as if the Good Lord had come Himself. We must do what this Saint said. How are you going to manage to tell that to all Her people?”

 I replied:

You tell me how I must go about it, and I will do it.” Then, looking at his mother, wife, and brother, he added:

 I'll have to think about that. Then everyone went back to their business.

After supper, Maximin and his masters came over to see my masters and to recount what Maximin had told them, and decide what was to be done.

For, they said, “it seems to us that it was the Holy Virgin sent by the Good Lord.  The words which She spoke convince us of this. And she told them to pass it on to all of Her people. Perhaps these children will have to travel the world over to make it known that everyone must observe the commandments of the Good Lord, lest great misfortunes come upon us.

 After a moment's silence, my master said to Maximin and me:

 “Do you know what you must do, my children? Tomorrow, you must get up early and both of you go and see the priest and tell him everything you have seen and heard.  Tell him carefully how it all happened. He will tell you what you have to do.”

The 20th of September, the day after the Apparition, I left early in the morning with Maximin. When we reached the presbytery, I knocked at the door. The priest's housekeeper came and opened the door and asked us what we wanted. I said to her (in French, and I, who had never spoken French), “We would like to speak to Father Perrin.”

“And what have you got to say to him?” she asked.

We wish to tell him, Miss, that yesterday we went up to watch over our cows on Baisses Mountain and after dinner, etc...etc.” We recounted a good piece of the Most Holy Virgin’s words. Then the church-bell rang: it was the final call for Mass. Father Perrin, the parish priest of La Salette, who had heard us, flung open his door; he was in tears and was beating his chest. He said to us:

“My children, we are lost, God will punish us. Oh! Good Lord! It was the Holy Virgin who appeared to you!” 

And he left to say Holy Mass.  We looked at each other, Maximin, the housekeeper, and I. Then Maximin said to me: I’m off home to my father in Corps, and we parted company. As my masters had not told me to return to work immediately after speaking to Father Perrin, I saw no harm in going to Mass. And so I was in church. Mass begins and after the first reading from the Gospel, Father Perrin turns to the congregation and tries to recount to his parishioners, the story of the Apparition which had just taken place, the day before, on one of their mountains, and he urges them to stop working on Sundays.  His voice was broken with sobs, and all the congregation was greatly moved. After Holy Mass, I went back to my masters to work.  Mr. Peytard, who still today is the mayor of La Salette came to question me on the Apparition, and when he had made sure that I was speaking the truth, he went away convinced.

         I stayed on in the service of my masters until All Saint's Day. Then I was boarded with the nuns of Providence, in my home town of Corps.

 

The Most Holy Virgin was tall and well-proportioned.  She seemed so light that a mere breath could have stirred Her, yet She was motionless and perfectly balanced.  Her face was majestic, imposing, but not imposing in the manner of the Lords here below. She compelled a respectful fear. At the same time as Her Majesty compelled respect mingled with love, She drew me to Her.  Her gaze was soft and penetrating.  Her eyes seemed to speak to mine, but the conversation came out of a deep and vivid feeling of love for this ravishing beauty who was liquefying me.  The softness of Her gaze, Her air of incomprehensible goodness made me understand and feel that she was drawing me to Her and wanted to give Herself. It was an expression of love which cannot be expressed with the tongue of the flesh, nor with the letters of the alphabet.

       The clothing of the Most Holy Virgin was silver white and quite brilliant.  It was quite intangible. It was made up of light and glory, sparkling and dazzling.  There is no expression nor comparison to be found on earth.

The Holy Virgin was all beauty and all love; the sight of Her overwhelmed me.  In her finery as in Her person, everything radiated the majesty, the splendour, the magnificence of a Queen beyond compare.  She seemed as white, immaculate, crystallized, dazzling, heavenly, fresh and new as a Virgin. The word LOVE seemed to slip from Her pure and silvery lips. She appeared to me like a good Mother, full of kindness, amiability, of love for us, of compassion and mercy.

         The crown of roses which She had placed on Her head was so beautiful, so brilliant, that it defies imagination. The different coloured roses were not of this earth; it was a joining together of flowers which crowned the head of the Most Holy Virgin.  But the roses kept changing and replacing each other, and then, from the heart of each rose, there shone a beautiful entrancing light, which gave the roses a shimmering beauty. From the crown of roses there seemed to arise golden branches and a number of little flowers mingled with the shining ones. The whole thing formed a most beautiful diadem, which alone shone brighter than our earth's sun.

The Holy Virgin had a most pretty cross hanging round Her neck. This cross seemed golden, (I say golden rather than gold-plated, for I have sometimes seen objects which were golden with varying shades of gold, which had a much more beautiful effect on my eyes than simple gold-plate).  On this shining, beautiful cross, there was  Christ; it was Our Lord on the Cross. Near both ends of the cross there was a hammer, and at the other end, a pair of tongs. The Christ was skin-colored, but He shone dazzlingly; and the light shone forth from His holy body seemed like brightly shining darts which pierced my heart with the desire to melt inside Him. At times, the Christ appeared to be dead. His head was bent forward and His body seemed to give way, as if about to fall, had He not been held back by the nails which held him to the Cross.

I felt a deep compassion and would have liked to tell His unknown love to the whole world, and to let seep into mortal souls the most heartfelt love and gratitude towards a God who had no need whatsoever of us to be everything He is, was and always will be. And yet, O love that men cannot understand, He made Himself man, and wanted to die, yes, die, so as to better inscribe in our souls and in our memory, the passionate love He has for us! Oh, how wretched am I to find myself so poor in my expression of the love of our good Saviour for us!  But, in another way, how happy we are to be able to feel more deeply that which we cannot express!

         At other times, the Christ appeared to be alive. His head was erect, His eyes open, and He seemed to be on the cross of His own accord. At times too, He appeared to speak: He seemed to show that He was on the cross for our sake, out of love for us, to draw us to His love, and that He always has more love to give us, that His love in the beginning and in the year 33 is always that of today and will be for ever more.

         The Holy Virgin was crying nearly the whole time she was speaking to me. Her tears flowed gently, one by one, down to her knees, then, like sparks of light, they disappeared.  They were glittering and full of love.  I would have liked to comfort Her and stop Her tears. 

But it seemed to me that She needed the tears to show better Her love forgotten by men. I would have liked to 

throw myself into Her arms and say to Her:

        “My kind Mother, do not cry! I want to love you for all men on earth.” But she seemed to be saying to me:

 “There are so many who know me not!”

MEDITATION

O loving Mother, how vividly real do the secrets of thy maternal heart appear in thy merciful Apparition! How greatly they increase and strengthen my confidence in thee! O amiable Mother, how mercifully thou bearest the rebukes encountered in thy endeavors to bring back to God the hearts of thy erring children. One may remain deaf to the call of thy love and engaging goodness; but he will yield to thy tears. For the tears of a mother go straight to the heart and melt it. But, as regards those whose hardened hearts despise even thy tears, thou hast awful threats and terrible chastisements in store for them. Yet, even then, how much like those of a mother are thy reproofs and punishments! With one hand thou strikest, while with the other thou upholdest. Even when we go astray, thy watchful and maternal eyes follow us in the minutest details of life, to detect the slightest good sentiments of our hearts, in order to reward them. Who would not strive to inflame every heart with love and respect for thee?

Novena Prayer

In casting myself at thy feet, O loving Mother, to ask thee:

   (Here mention your request)

I cannot help remembering that thou earnest on the mountain of La Salette, first of all, to remind me of my Christian duties. Therefore, there is no surer way for me to have my petition granted than to return to the friendship of Jesus, by a sincere confession, and to endeavor with my whole strength to overcome my besetting sin. O Virgin Reconciler of sinners, obtain for me this most precious of all graces, for, with it, all the rest shall be added unto me. The numberless miracles obtained by those who invoke thee under the title of Our Lady of La Salette fill my heart with hope that my petition shall prove as fortunate as those addressed to thee, by so many other suppliants. Vouchsafe, O Mother, during each day of my novena, to instill into my heart some of the teaching of thy merciful Apparition. Amen.

Practice

Speak to one of your friends and acquaintances of Our Lady of La Salette.

Feast of the Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi

 

Feast of the Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi

While Saint Francis of Assisi, in September 1224, was rapt in meditation on Mount Alvernia, Almighty God as a mark of His special favor deigned to impress on his hands, feet, and side the likeness of the sacred wounds of Christ. Until the day of the saint’s death blood flowed from these wounds at intervals. Pope Sixtus V ordered this feast to be observed by the whole Church. Clement VIII suppressed it, because the Church only dedicates special solemnities to the mysteries of our redemption; particular favors granted to the saints by God directly concern their individual sanctification and are commemorated when the life of each saint is read in the Breviary on the day of his feast. The feast was restored, however, by Pope Paul V, and raised to a rank of a double by Pope Clement XIV. Its observance is a privilege overstepping the ordinary rules of the Liturgy, extended in honor of St. Francis and not only rare, but also unique. Christ was pleased to imprint upon his new apostle, the herald of the Great King, this stigmata as His final seal changing him to His own image and likeness and uniting him to Himself on the rood of the Cross.

INTROIT: Galatians 6:14  

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.

Psalm 141:1

With my voice I cried unto the Lord:  yea, even unto the Lord did I make my supplication.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

But God forbid that I should glory…

Mihi autem absit gloriari, nisi in cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi: per quem mihi mundus crucifixus est, et ego mundo.

Psalm 141: 1

Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi:  voce mea ad Dóminum deprecátus sum.

Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculórum.  Amen.

Mihi autem absit gloriári…

COLLECT

Lord Jesus Christ, Who, when the world was growing cold, didst renew the sacred marks of Thy passion in the flesh of the most blessed Francis, to inflame our hearts with the fire of Thy love, graciously grant that by his merits and prayers we may continually bear the cross and bring forth fruits worthy of penance. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.

EPISTLE: Galatians 6: 14-18

Lesson from the Epistle of blessed Paul the Apostle to the Galatians

Brethren, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ: by Whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature: and whosoever shall follow this rule, peace on them, and mercy, and upon the Isræl of God. From henceforth let no man be troublesome to me; for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body. The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.

GRADUAL:  Psalm 36: 30, 31

The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment.

V. The law of his God is in his heart: and his steps shall not be supplanted.

 ALLELUIA

Alleluia, alleluia. V. The poor and lowly Francis entereth Heaven abounding in riches; he is acclaimed with celestial hymns. Alleluia.

        

GOSPEL:    Matthew 16: 24-27

The continuation of the holy Gospel according to Matthew

At that time: Jesus said to His disciples, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for My sake, shall find it. For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels: and then will He render to every man according to his works.”

OFFERTORY 

My truth and My mercy shall be with him: and in My name shall his horn be exalted.

SECRET

Sanctify, O Lord, the gifts we offer Thee; and by the intercession of blessed Francis cleanse us from every stain of sin. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.

PREFACE   Common Preface

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: through Christ our Lord. Through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise:

SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria Tua. Hosanna in excelsis. + Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

COMMUNION: Luke 12: 42

A faithful and wise steward, whom the Lord set over His family: to give them their measure of wheat in due season.

POSTCOMMUNION

O God, Who didst in many ways demonstrate in blessed Francis, Thy confessor, the mysteries of the cross, grant us, we beseech Thee, ever to follow the examples of his devotion and to be fortified by constant meditation upon the same cross. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God.

EMBER WEDNESDAY

 

 

            Ember Days in September

              Michaelmas Embertide

                  The Liturgical Year

              Dom Guéranger, O.S.B 

 

For the fourth time in her year, holy Church comes claiming from her children the tribute of Penance, which, from the earliest ages of Christianity, was looked upon as a solemn consecration of the seasons. The historical details relative to the institution of the Ember-days, will be found on the Wednesdays of the third week of Advent and of the first week of Lent; and on those same two days, we have spoken of the intentions which Christians should have in the fulfilment of this demand made upon their yearly service.

     The beginnings of the Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters were sanctified by abstinence and fasting, and each of them, in turn, has witnessed heaven's blessing falling upon their respective three months; and, now, Autumn is harvesting the fruits, which divine mercy, appeased by the satisfactions made by sinful man, has vouchsafed to bring forth from the bosom of the earth, notwithstanding the curse that still hangs over her. The precious seed of wheat, on which man's life mainly depends, was confided to the soil in the season of the early frosts, and, with the first fine days, peeped above the ground; at the approach of glorious Easter, it carpeted our fields with its velvet of green, making them ready to share in the universal joy of Jesus' resurrection; then, turning into a lovely image of what our souls ought to have been in the season of Pentecost, its stem grew up under the action of the hot sun; the golden ear promised a hundred-fold to its master; the harvest made the reapers glad; and, now that September has come, it calls on man to fix his heart on that good God, who gave him all this store. Let him not think of saying, as that rich man of the Gospel did, after a plentiful harvest of fruits: My soul! thou hast much goods laid up for many years! take thy rest! eat! drink! make good cheer! And God said to that man: Thou fool! this night, do they require thy soul of thee! and whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? Surely, there is too much of the Christian among us, to allow us to be senseless in that way. If we would be truly rich with God, if we would draw down his blessing on the preservation, as well as on the production, of the fruits of the earth, let us, at the beginning of this last quarter of the year, have recourse to those penitential exercises, whose beneficial effects we have always experienced in the past. 

 

The Church gives us the commandment to do so, by obliging us, under penalty of grievous sin, to abstain and fast on these three days, unless we be lawfully dispensed. We have already spoken on the necessity of private penance, for the Christian who is at all desirous to make progress in the path of salvation. But, in this, as in all spiritual exercises, a private work of devotion has neither the merit nor the efficacy of one that is done in company with the Church, and in communion with her public act; for the Church, as Bride of Christ, has an exceptional worth and power in all she does; and these qualities are communicated by her, to works of penance done, in her name, in the unity of the social body. St. Leo the Great is very strong on this fundamental principle of Christian virtue; and we find him insisting on it, in the sermons he preached to the faithful of Rome, on occasion of this fast, of what was then called, the fast of the seventh month. Although, says he, it be lawful for each one of us to chastise his body, by self-imposed punishments, and restrain, with more or less severity, the concupiscences of the flesh, which war against the spirit, yet need is that, on certain days, there be celebrated a general fast by all. Devotion is all the more efficacious and holy, when, in works of piety, the whole Church is engaged in them, with one spirit and one soul. Everything, in fact, that is of a public character, is, to be preferred to what is private; and it is plain, that so much the greater is the interest at stake, when the earnestness of all is engaged upon it. As for individual efforts, let each one keep up his fervour in them; let each one, imploring the aid of divine  protection, take to his own self the heavenly armour, wherewith to resist the snares laid by the spirits of wickedness; but, the soldier of the Church, (the soldier that has the spirit of the Church, ecclesiasticus miles,) though he may act bravely in his own private combats, (specialibus  praeliis,) yet will he fight, more safely, and more successfully, when he shall confront the enemy in a public engagement; for in that public engagement, he has not only his own valour to trust to, but, under the leadership of a King who can never be conquered, he is in the battle fought by all his  fellow-soldiers, and, by being in their company and ranks, he has a fellowship of mutual aid.

     Another year, when preaching for the same occasion, this eloquent pontiff, and doctor of the Church, was even more energetic and lengthy, in putting these great truths before the people; would to God the words of such a Pope, as Leo the Great, could make themselves heard by our present generation, and induce us Christians to mistrust the individualistic tendencies of what is called the piety suited to the age we live in. Fortunately, the words of the Saint exist, and in all their ‘pontifical eloquence’; we invite our readers to peruse his sermons; all we have space for, is a short selection from his third Sermon on the Fast of the seventh month (our September Ember Days).

    God has sanctioned this privilege, that, what is celebrated in virtue of a public law, is more sacred than that which depends on a private regulation. The exercise of self-restraint which an individual Christian practices by his own will, is for the advantage of that single member; but, a fast, undertaken by the Church at large, includes every one in the general purification. God's people never is so powerful, as when the hearts of all the Faithful join together in the unity of holy obedience, and when, in the Christian camp, there is one and the same preparation made by all, and one and the same bulwark protects all… See, most dearly beloved, here is the solemn fast of the seventh month urging us to profit by this invincible unity… Let us raise up our hearts, withdraw from worldly occupations, and steal some time for furthering our eternal welfare... The plenary remission of sin is obtained, when the whole Church unites in the like prayer and the like confession; for, if the Lord promises, that when two or three shall, with a holy and pious unanimity, agree to ask Him anything whatsoever, it shall be granted to them, what is there, that can be refused to a people of many thousands, who are all alike engaged in observing one and the same practice of religion, and are, with one  common accord, praying with one and the same spirit? In the eyes of God, my dearly beloved, it is a great and precious sight, when all Christ's people are earnest at the same Offices; and when, without any distinction, men and women of every grade and order, are all working together with one heart. To depart from evil and do good that is the one and same determination of them all. They all give glory to God for the works he achieves in his servants. They all unite in returning hearty thanks to the loving Giver of all blessings. The hungry are fed; the naked are clad; the sick are visited; and no one seeketh his own profit, but that of others… By this grace of God, who worketh all in all, the fruit is common, and the merit is common; for the affection of all may be the same, although all are not equally rich; and those who have less to bestow can rejoice in the liberality of others. There is nothing inordinate in such a people as that; there are no variances; for all the members of the whole body are alike in the energy of the same piety. . .  The beauty of the whole becomes the excellence of each member. . .  Let us, then, embrace this blessed solidity of holy unity, and with the same resolution and the same good will, let us enter upon this solemn fast.

     Let us not, in our prayers and fasts, forget the new priests and other ministers of the Church, who, on Saturday next, are to receive the imposition of hands. The September ordination is not, usually, the most numerous of those given by the bishop during the year. The sublime function, to which the faithful owe their fathers and guides in the spiritual life, has, however, a special interest, at this period of the year, which, more than any other, is in keeping with the present state of the world, which is one of rapid decline towards ruin. Our year, too, is on the fall, as we say. The sun, which, we beheld rising at Christmas, as a giant who would burst the bonds of frost asunder, and restrain the tyranny of darkness, now, as though he had grown wearied, is drooping towards the horizon; each day, we see him gradually leaving that glorious zenith, where we admired his dazzling splendour, on the day of our Emmanuel's Ascension; his fire has lost its might; and though he still holds half the day as his, his disc is growing pale. All this foretells the approach of those long nights, when nature, stripped of all her loveliness by angry storms, seems as though she would bury her self, for ever, in the frozen shroud which is to bind her. So is it with our world. Illumined as it was by the light of Christ, and glowing with the fire of the Holy Ghost, it sees, in these our days, that charity is growing cold, and that the light and glow it had from the Sun of Justice, are on the wane. Each revolution takes from the Church some jewel or other, which does not come back to her when the storm is over; tempests are so frequent, that tumult is becoming the normal state of the times. Error predominates, and lays down the law. Iniquity abounds. It is our Lord himself who said: When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find, think ye, Faith on earth?

     Lift up, then, your heads, ye children of God! for your redemption is at hand. But, from now, until that time shall come, when heaven and earth are to be made new for the reign that is to be eternal, and shall bloom in the light of the Lamb, the Conqueror, days far worse than these, must dawn upon this world of ours, when the elect themselves would be deceived, if that were possible! How important is it not, in these miserable times, that the pastors of the flock of Christ be equal to their perilous and sublime vocation; let us then fast and pray; and how numerous soever may be the losses sustained in the Christian ranks, of those who once were faithful in the practices of penance, let us not lose courage. Few as we may be, let us group ourselves closely round the Church, and implore of Jesus, who is her Spouse, that He vouchsafe to multiply His gifts, in those whom He is calling to the now more than ever, dread honour of the Priesthood; that he infuse into them his divine prudence, whereby they may be able to disconcert the plans of the impious; His untiring zeal for the conversion of ungrateful souls; His perseverance even unto death, in maintaining, with out reticence or compromise, the plenitude of that truth, which He has destined for the world, and the unviolated custody of which, is to be, on the last day, the solemn testimony of the bride's fidelity.

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of La Salette -Seventh Day

 

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of La Salette

                      SEVENTH DAY

The Apparition

The most beautiful Lady crossed the stream, and after two more steps, without turning back towards us, who were following Her (for we were drawn to her by her brilliance and even more by her kindness which elated me, which seemed to melt my heart), she repeated to us:

AND SO, MY CHILDREN, YOU WILL PASS THIS ON TO ALL MY PEOPLE

Then, She walked on up to the place where I had gone to see our cows.  Her feet touched nothing but the tips of the grass and without bending them. Once on the top of the little mound, the beautiful Lady stopped, and I hurried to stand in front of Her to look at Her so, so closely, and try and see which path she was most inclined to take. For it was all over for me.  I had forgotten both my cows and the masters I worked for. I had linked myself forever and unconditionally toYes, I wanted never, never to leave Her. I followed Her with no other motive and fully disposed to serve Her for the rest of my life. In the presence of my Lady, I felt I had forgotten paradise. I thought of nothing more but to serve Her in every way possible; and I felt I could have done  everything she could have asked me to do, for it seemed to me that She had a great deal of power.  She looked at me with a tender kindness which drew me to Her. I could have thrown myself into Her arms with my eyes closed. She did not give me the time to do so. She rose imperceptibly from the ground to a height of around four feet or more; and, hanging thus in the air for a split second, my beautiful Lady looked up to Heaven, then down on the earth to her right and then her left, then She looked at me with Her eyes so soft, so kind and so good that I felt She was drawing me inside Her, and my 

heart seemed to open up to Hers.

And as my heart melted away, sweetly gladdened, the beautiful face of my good Lady disappeared little by little. It seemed to me that the light in motion was growing stronger, or rather condensing around the Most Holy Virgin, to prevent me from seeing her any longer.

And thus light took the place of the parts of Her body which were disappearing in front of my eyes; or rather it seemed to me that the body of my Lady was melting into light. Thus the sphere of light rose gently towards the right.  I cannot say whether the volume of light decreased as She rose, or whether the growing distance made me see less and less light as She rose. What I do know, is that I was a long time with my head raised up, staring at the light, even after the light, which kept getting further away and decreasing in volume, had finally disappeared. I take my eyes from the firmament, I look around me.

Who would imagine, O loving Mother, that man is so wicked and so careless about his own welfare, as to turn into a deadly poison for his soul what God, in His infinite mercy, intended for his salvation, and for his greatest happiness. And yet, this is exactly what we learn from one of thy maternal reproaches: They go to Mass, sayest thou, only to scoff at religion! Alas! How many Catholics are there, who keep entirely away from the church? And if they do go, their evil dispositions make them all the more guilty. How many poor sinners are there, who, instead of going to the sacred fountains of the Sacraments to quench the fire of their unruly passions, scornfully disdain these divine gifts and sacrilegiously profane them! Would to God that, with thy all powerful help, I should never defile my soul with a sacrilege! My confessions shall always be as sincere as I would have them when my last day comes. Henceforth my respectful behavior in assisting, at Mass, will prove my tender love and my profound esteem for this holy Sacrifice.

Practice

Attend Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion.

NOVENA PRAYER

In casting myself at thy feet, O loving Mother, to ask thee:

     (here mention your request)

I cannot help remembering that thou earnest on the mountain of La Salette, first of all, to remind me of my Christian duties. Therefore, there is no surer way for me to have my petition granted, than to return to the friendship of Jesus, by a sincere confession, and to endeavor with my whole strength to overcome my besetting sin. O Virgin Reconciler of sinners, obtain for me this most precious of all graces, for, with it all the rest shall be added unto me. The numberless miracles obtained by those who invoke thee under the title of Our Lady of La Salette, fill my heart with hope that my petition shall prove as fortunate as those addressed to thee, by so many other suppliants. Vouchsafe, O Mother, during each day of my novena, to instill into my heart some of the teaching of thy merciful Apparition. Amen.

SEVEN SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - MASS PROPERS

 

FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLORS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 

Within Octave Day of the Nativity Of Blessed Virgin Mary

Tuesday in the Sixteenth Week after Pentecost

Commemoration of Saint Nicomedes, Martyr

 Double/Second Class/White Vestments

   Missa “Stabant juxta crucem”

INTROIT:   John 19: 25

There stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother, and His mother’s sister Mary of Cleophas, and Salome, and Mary Magdalen.

John 19: 26, 27

“Woman, behold thy son,” said Jesus; to the disciple, however, “Behold thy mother.” v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Hail, holy Mother…

John 19: 26, 27

Stabant juxta crucem Jesu mater ejus, et soror matris María Cléophæ, et Salóme, et María Magdaléne.

“Múlier, ecce fílius tuus:” dixit Jesus; ad discípulum autem: “Ecce mater tua.” V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Stabant juxta crucem…

COLLECT

Grant us Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, to enjoy perpetual health of mind and body; and by the glorious intercession of blessed Mary ever Virgin, to be delivered from present sorrows and to enjoy everlasting gladness. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever.

 

Commemoration Collect of St. Nicodemus

Be present with Thy people, O Lord, that, receiving the reward of the merits of blessed Nicomedes, Thy martyr, it may ever be assisted by his patronage to obtain Thy mercy. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God.

EPISTLE: Judith 13: 22-25

The Lord hath blessed thee by His power, Who by thee hath brought our enemies to nought. Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth. Blessed be the Lord Who made Heaven and earth, because He hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men, who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord forever; for that thou hast not spared thy life by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy people, but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God.

GRADUAL

Sorrowful and tearful art thou, O Virgin Mary, standing by the cross of the Lord Jesus, thy Son and Redeemer. V. O Virgin Mother of God, He Whom the whole earth containeth not, the Author of life, made man, beareth this anguish of the cross. Alleluia, alleluia. V. Holy Mary, queen of heaven and mistress of the world, stood by the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, sorrowing.

SEQUENCE: Stabat Mater

At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword had pass’d.

Oh, how sad and sore distress’d Was that Mother, highly blest Of the sole-begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs; She beneath beholds the pangs of her dying glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep Whelm’d in miseries so deep Christ’s dear Mother to behold.

Can the human heart refrain From partaking in her pain, in that Mother’s pain untold?

Bruis’d, derided, curs’d, defil’d, She beheld her tender child: All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of His own nation, Saw Him hang in desolation, Till His spirit forth He sent.

O thou Mother! Font of love! Touch my spirit from above; Make my heart with thine accord.

Make me feel as thou hast felt; Make my soul to glow and melt With the love of Christ our Lord.

Holy Mother! Pierce me through; In my heart each wound renew Of my Savior crucified.

Let me share with thee His pain, Who for all my sins was slain, Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with thee, Mourning Him who mounr’d for me, All the days that I may life.

By the cross with thee to stay, There with thee to weep and pray, Is all I ask of thee to give.

Virgin of all virgins best, Listen to my fond request: Let me share thy grief divine.

Let me, to my latest breath, in my body bear the death Of that dying Son of thine.

Wounded with His every wound, steep my soul till it hath swoon’d In His very blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh, Lest in flames I burn and die, In His awful Judgment day.

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence, Be Thy Mother my defense, Be Thy cross my victory.

While my body here decays, May my soul Thy goodness praise, Safe in Paradise with Thee. Amen.

GOSPEL:    John 19: 25-27

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore had seen His mother and the disciple standing whom He loved, He saith to His mother: “Woman, behold thy son.” After that, He saith to the disciple: “Behold thy mother.” And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.

OFFERTORY

Remember, O Virgin Mother of God, when thou standest in the presence of the Lord, that thou speak good things for us and turn His wrath from us.

SECRET

We offer Thee prayers and sacrifices, O Lord Jesus Christ, humbly entreating that we, who commemorate in our prayers the piercing of the most dear soul of blessed Mary, Thy Mother, may, through the multiplied intercession of her and of her holy companions under the cross, by the merits of Thy death, receive our portion with the blessed. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever. R.Amen.

Commemoration Secret of St. Nicodemus

Graciously receive, O Lord, the gifts offered to Thee, and may the prayer of Thy blessed martyr Nicomedes commend them. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever.

PREFACE of the Blessed Virgin Mary

It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. That on the Festival of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we should praise, bless and proclaim Thee. For she conceived Thine only-begotten Son by the over-shadowing of the Holy Ghost; and losing not the glory of her virginity, gave forth to the world the everlasting light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through whom the angels praise Thy majesty, the Dominions worship it, and the powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly Hosts, and the blessed Seraphim join together in celebrating their joy. With these we pray Thee join our voices also, while we say with lowly praise:

SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria Tua. Hosanna in excelsis. + Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

COMMUNION

Happy the senses of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which without death earned the palm of martyrdom beneath the cross of our Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION

May the sacrifices of which we have partaken, O Lord Jesus Christ, devoutly celebrating the piercing of Thy virgin Mother’s soul, obtain for us with Thy clemency the effect of every salutary benefit. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God.

Commemoration Postcommunion of St. Nicodemus

May the sacraments we have received purify us, O Lord, and, by the intercession of blessed Nicomedes, Thy martyr, cause us to be absolved from all sin. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever.