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The Roman Martyrology
Upon the 11 th day of April, were born into the better life:
At Rome, [in the year 461,] the holy Confessor, Pope Leo I, who on account of his eminent worthiness is called the Great. In his times was held the holy Council of Chalcedon, wherein, through his legates, he condemned Eutyches, and whereof by his authority he confirmed the decrees. He ordained many things, wrote excellently, deserved well of the holy Church of God, as a good shepherd over all the Lord's flock, and fell asleep in peace.
At Pergamos, in Asia, holy Antipas, "the faithful witness," of whom holy John doth make mention in his Revelation. Under the Emperor Domitian he was thrust into the inside of a brazen bull heated red hot, and so finished his testimony.
At Salona, in Dalmatia, the holy martyrs Domnion, Bishop [of that city, who was converted by St Peter and sent thither,] and eight soldiers.
At Gortyna, in Crete, [about the year 180,] holy Philip, Bishop of that see, very famous for his life and teaching. He governed the church committed unto him in the times of the Emperors Marcus Antoninus Verus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus, and shielded it from the rage of the Gentiles and the wiles of the heretics.
At Nicomedia, [under Diocletian,] the holy Priest Eustorgius.
At Spoleto, [in the year 554,] the holy Confessor Isaac the monk, whose graces have been recorded by holy Pope Gregory.
At Gaza, in Palestine, under the Emperor Justinian, the holy Hermit Barsanuph
Morning Prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Place Yourself in the Presence of God, and adore His holy Name.
Most holy and adorable Trinity, one God in three Persons, I believe that Thou art here present: I adore Thee with the deepest humility, and render to Thee, with my whole heart, the homage which is due to Thy sovereign majesty.
An Act of Faith
O my God, I firmly believe that Thou art one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; I believe that Thy divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, who canst neither deceive nor be deceived.
An Act of Hope
O my God, relying on Thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.
An Act of Love
O my God, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-good and worthy of all my love. I love my neighbour as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.
Thank God for All Favours and Offer Yourself to Him.
O my God, I most humbly thank Thee for all the favours Thou hast bestowed upon me up to the present moment. I give Thee thanks from the bottom of my heart that Thou hast created me after Thine own image and likeness, that Thou hast redeemed me by the precious blood of Thy dear Son, and that Thou hast preserved me and brought me safe to the beginning of another day. I offer to Thee, O Lord, my whole being, and in particular all my thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings of this day. I consecrate them all to the glory of Thy name, beseeching Thee that through the infinite merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour they may all find acceptance in Thy sight. May Thy divine love animate them, and may they all tend to Thy greater glory.
Resolve to Avoid Sin and to Practice Virtue.
Adorable Jesus, my Saviour and Master, model of all perfection, I resolve and will endeavour this day to imitate Thy example, to be, like Thee, mild, humble, chaste, zealous, charitable, and resigned. I will redouble my efforts that I may not fall this day into any of those sins which I have heretofore committed (here name any besetting sin), and which I sincerely desire to forsake.
Ask God for the Necessary Graces.
O my God, Thou knowest my poverty and weakness, and that I am unable to do anything good without Thee; deny me not, O God, the help of Thy grace; proportion it to my necessities; give me strength to avoid anything evil which Thou forbiddest, and to practise the good which Thou hast commanded; and enable me to bear patiently all the trials which it may please Thee to send me.
The Lord’s Prayer...
The Hail Mary...
The Apostles’ Creed...
At this point, please go to the relevant text of Fr Hamon’s Meditation. Once I have read and meditated on the text, and its various points . I complete my meditation by saying:
Ask the Prayers of the Blessed Virgin, your Guardian Angel, and your Patron Saint.
Holy Virgin, Mother of God, my Mother and Patroness, I place myself under thy protection, I throw myself with confidence into the arms of thy compassion. Be to me, O Mother of mercy, my refuge in distress, my consolation under suffering, my advocate with thy adorable Son, now and at the hour of my death.
Angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom His love commits me here, Ever this day be at my side, To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
O great Saint whose name I bear, protect me, pray for me, that like thee I may serve God faithfully on earth, and glorify Him eternally with thee in heaven. Amen.
Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, 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, ... Jesus, Son of the living God, ... Jesus, splendour of the Father, ... Jesus, brightness of eternal light, ... Jesus, king of glory, ... Jesus, sun of justice, ... Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary, ... Jesus, most amiable, ... Jesus, most admirable, ... Jesus, mighty God, ... Jesus, father of the world to come, ... Jesus, angel of great council, ... Jesus, most powerful, ... Jesus, most patient, ... Jesus, most obedient, ... Jesus, meek and humble of heart, ... Jesus, lover of chastity ... Jesus, lover of us, ... Jesus, God of peace, ... Jesus, author of life, ... Jesus, model of virtues, ... Jesus, zealous for souls, ... Jesus, our God, ... Jesus, our refuge, ... Jesus, father of the poor, ... Jesus, treasure of the faithful, ... Jesus, good shepherd, ... Jesus, true light, ... Jesus, eternal wisdom, ... Jesus, infinite goodness, ... Jesus, our way and our life, ... Jesus, joy of angels, ... Jesus, king of patriarchs, ... Jesus, master of apostles, ... Jesus, teacher of evangelists, ... Jesus, strength of martyrs, ... Jesus, light of confessors, ... Jesus, purity of virgins, ... Jesus, crown of all saints, ...
Be merciful, Spare us, O Jesus. Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Jesus.
From all evil, Jesus, deliver us. From all sin, Jesus, deliver us. From Thy wrath, ... From the snares of the devil, ... From the spirit of fornication, ... From everlasting death, ... From the neglect of Thy inspirations, ... Through the mystery of Thy holy incarnation, ... Through Thy nativity, ... Through Thine infancy, ... Through Thy most divine life, ... Through Thy labours, ... Through Thine agony and passion, ... Through Thy cross and dereliction, ...Through Thy faintness and weariness, ... Through Thy death and burial, ... Through Thy resurrection, ... Through Thine ascension, ... Through Thy joys, ... Through Thy glory, ...
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us, O Jesus.
Jesus, hear us. Jesus, graciously hear us.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast said: Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; grant, we beseech Thee, unto us who ask, the gift of Thy most divine love, that we may ever love Thee with all our hearts, and in all our words and actions, and never cease from showing forth Thy praise. Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy Name; for Thou never failest to govern those whom Thou dost solidly establish in Thy love. Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.
The Angelus
℣ The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
℟ And she conceived of the Holy Ghost.
Hail, Mary...
℣ Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
℟ Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail, Mary...
℣ And the Word was made flesh.
℟ And dwelt among us.
Hail, Mary...
℣ Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
℟ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord! Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may, by His passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Evening Prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Place Yourself in the Presence of God and Humbly Adore Him.
O my God, I present myself before Thee at the end of an other day, to offer Thee anew the homage of my heart. I humbly adore Thee, my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Judge! I believe in Thee, because Thou art Truth itself; I hope in Thee, because Thou art faithful to Thy promises; I love Thee with my whole heart, because Thou art infinitely worthy of being loved; and for Thy sake I love my neighbour as myself.
Return Thanks to God for All His Mercies.
Enable me, O my God, to return Thee thanks as I ought for all Thine inestimable blessings and favours. Thou hast thought of me and loved me from all eternity; Thou hast formed me out of nothing; Thou hast delivered up Thy beloved Son to the ignominious death of the cross for my redemption; Thou hast made me a member of Thy holy Church; Thou hast preserved me from falling into the abyss of eternal misery, when my sins had provoked Thee to punish me; Thou hast graciously continued to spare me, even though I have not ceased to offend Thee. What return, O my God, can I make for Thy innumerable blessings, and particularly for the favours of this day? O all ye saints and angels, unite with me in praising the God of mercies, who is so bountiful to so unworthy a creature.
The Lord’s Prayer...The Hail Mary...The Apostles’ Creed...
Ask of God Light to Discover the Sins Committed this Day.
O my God, sovereign judge of men, who desirest not the death of a sinner, but that he should be converted and saved, enlighten my mind, that I may know the sins which I have this day committed in thought, word, or deed, and give me the grace of true contrition.
Here Examine your Conscience; then Say:
O my God, I heartily repent and am grieved that I have offended Thee, because Thou art infinitely good and sin is infinitely displeasing to Thee. I humbly ask of Thee mercy and pardon, through the infinite merits of Jesus Christ. I resolve, by the assistance of Thy grace, to do penance for my sins, and I will endeavour never more to offend Thee.
The Confiteor
I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary, ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, and to you, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, all the saints, and you, Father, to pray to the Lord our God for me. May Almighty God have mercy upon us, and forgive us our sins, and bring us unto life everlasting. Amen.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins. Amen.
Pray for the Church of Christ.
O God, hear my prayers on behalf of our Holy. Father Pope N., our Bishops, our clergy, and for all that are in authority over us. Bless, I beseech Thee, the whole Catholic Church, and convert all heretics and unbelievers.
Pray for the Living and for the Faithful Departed.
Pour down Thy blessings, O Lord, upon all my friends, relations, and acquaintances, and upon my enemies, if I have any. Help the poor and sick, and those who are in their last agony. O God of mercy and goodness, have compassion on the souls of the faithful in purgatory; put an end to their sufferings, and grant to them eternal light, rest, and happiness. Amen.
Commend Yourself to God, to the Blessed Virgin, and the Saints.
Bless, O Lord, the repose I am about to take, that, my bodily strength being renewed, I may be the better enabled to serve Thee. O blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of mercy, pray for me that I may be preserved this night from all evil, whether of body or soul. Blessed St. Joseph, and all ye saints and angels of Paradise, especially my guardian angel and my chosen patron, watch over me. I commend myself to your protection now and always. Amen.
Preparation for Meditation
At this point I will read the paragraph in the daily meditation from Hamon’s meditation of the next day entitled “Summary of the Morrow’s Meditation” and, if applicable, “Summary of the Meditation for the Feast...”
This will allow me to be passively thinking about, during the coming night, the meditation, and the points of the meditation, I will be doing in the morning, during my morning prayer.
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, 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, ...
Mother of Christ, ...
Mother of divine grace, ...
Mother most pure, ...
Mother most chaste, ...
Mother inviolate, ...
Mother undefiled, ...
Mother most amiable, ...
Mother most admirable, ...
Mother of our Creator, ...
Mother of our Saviour, ...
Virgin most prudent. ...
Virgin most venerable, ...
Virgin most renowned, ...
Virgin most powerful, ...
Virgin most merciful, ...
Virgin most faithful, ...
Mirror of justice, ... Seat of wisdom, ...
Cause of our joy, ...
Spiritual vessel, ...
Vessel of honour, ... Singular vessel of devotion, ...
Mystical rose, ... Tower of David, ... Tower of ivory, ... House of gold, ... Ark of the covenant, ... Gate of heaven, ... Morning star, ... Health of the sick, ... Refuge of sinners, ... Comforter of the afflicted, ... Help of Christians, ... Queen of angels, ... Queen of patriarchs, ... Queen of prophets, ... Queen of apostles, ... Queen of martyrs, ... Queen of confessors, ... Queen of virgins, ... Queen of all saints, ... Queen conceived without original sin. ... Queen of the most holy rosary, ... Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may, by His passion and cross, be brought to the glory of His resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Easter Tuesday: The Apparition of Jesus to the Apostles
Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of them, and saith to them: Peace be to you; it is I, fear not. But they, being troubled and frighted, supposed that they saw a spirit. And He said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? See My hands and feet, that it is I Myself; handle, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see Me to have. And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they yet believed not, and wondered for joy, He said: Have you here anything to eat? And they offered Him a piece of a broiled fish and a honey-comb. And when He had eaten before them He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures and that it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead the third day.
The Gospel according to St Luke, xxiv:36–46.
Summary of the Morrow’s Meditation
We will meditate tomorrow upon the apparition of Jesus Christ to His apostles assembled together at Jerusalem, and we shall see: first, the esteem which the risen Jesus had for His sacred wounds; second, the esteem we also ought to have for our own sufferings. We will then make the resolution: first, often and lovingly to kiss our crucifix and above all the sacred wounds imprinted on it; second, cheerfully to accept all the trials of life. Our spiritual nosegay shall be the words of Our Lord: “See My hands and feet” (Luke xxiv:39).
Meditation for the Morning
Let us transport ourselves in spirit into the midst of the apostles. Let us lovingly kiss the wounds in His feet, in His hands, in His sacred side; let us beg of Him to let grace flow down upon us from them, and to raise us up also to a new life.
The esteem in which the risen Jesus held his wounds
It is not only during the week of sufferings and on the cross that Jesus Christ presents His wounds to our meditation; He shows them also to us during the week of paschal joys, but with this difference, that last week these wounds appeared to us bleeding and painful, whilst today they appear to us as glorious and shining with the rays of the divinity. Jesus Christ willed to preserve them in His risen body: first, as being an irrefragable proof that it was really the same body which had suffered for us; second, as being the glorious marks of the victory which He had gained over the enemies of God and of the salvation of men; third, as the insignia of His love for us, which He delights to show to heaven and earth in order to inflame our hearts with reciprocal love; fourth, as so many divinely-eloquent mouths which plead our cause before His Father and which ceaselessly address to Him, in our favour, an all-powerful prayer; fifth, as sacred fountains out of which we may draw grace continually, with an unlimited confidence in their merits. O divine wounds, so dear to the heart of Jesus, of which you open the doors, how beautiful you are! It is you which cause God to be eternally blessed by all the angels and all the saints, who delight to sing the evangelical canticle: Behold how God has loved man (John xi:36); it is you who, on the great day of judgment will confound those who have not willed to profit by the benefit of the Redemption (John xix:37). O adorable wounds! I revere you and I love you. You command me to behold you: I contemplate you lovingly; you are my refuge: I repose in you; you are my light: I instruct myself in your school; you are my strength: you will sustain me in my discouragements; you are furnaces of love: I will approach you, I will keep near to you by an humble, affectionate, assiduous meditation, and I shall be warmed, for you cannot keep near to a great fire without feeling the heat of it!
The esteem which we ought to have for our own sufferings
Whether we will it or not, we must suffer: suffer in our body, suffer in our mind, suffer in our heart; suffer from others who displease and molest us; suffer from ourselves, from our inexplicable fits of sadness, of impatience, of melancholy, and of bad temper; suffer from all human things: sometimes from the death of persons who are dear to us, sometimes from a reverse of fortune, sometimes from the failure of an undertaking, of a humiliation which we have received or have imagined. Now, these sufferings which are the inevitable lot of our humanity ought to be highly esteemed by us: first, because Jesus Christ has said: Blessed are those who suffer, blessed are those who weep; second, because our divine Saviour has glorified them in His own person, deifying and rendering adorable His very wounds, which enabled Him to merit the glory of His body, His resurrection, His ascension, His repose at the right hand of His Father, and the honour of judging at the last day the living and the dead; third, because without suffering there is no virtue, no merits, consequently no recompense, no salvation; we become attached to this world and forget heaven, we think only of enjoying the present moments and we do not occupy ourselves with our eternity; whilst, on the other hand, suffering, borne in a Christian manner, is the source of merits, conduces to the practice of virtues, is the warrant and the measure of the happiness of heaven, so that we deem to be the most beautiful days of our life those in which we have most suffered (Ps. lxxxix:15); fourth, because suffering endured with patience renders us dear to the heart of God the Father, who then sees in us a resemblance to His divine Son. It brings Him near to us to console or relieve us (Ps. xc:15), for, says the Psalmist, He stretches His paternal hand over the just, weighed down beneath the cross, in order to sustain him (Ps. xxxvi:24). Daniel is cast into the lions den, the children of Babylon into the furnace, Joseph into prison; God is there that He may save them; fifth, because suffering has always been the delight of the saints. I take pleasure, said St Paul, in afflictions, whether they be infirmities which attack my body, of calumnies which attack my honour, or poverty which reduces me to be badly-lodged, ill-clothed, badly fed, or persecutions from without, or troubles from within (II Cor. xii:10), for it is then that the virtue of Christ dwells in me (Ibid. 9). Either suffer or die, said St Teresa; I cannot live without the cross; so entirely has Jesus Christ in taking suffering upon Him robbed it of its bitterness and embalmed it with His divine sweetness. Now, in what degree do we esteem suffering? How do we bear what annoys us? Let us beg of Our Lord to give us more Christian sentiments.
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.