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Martyrology - 30th of March
Upon the 30th day of March, were born into the better life:
At Rome, upon the Appian Way, the Blessed Tribune Quirinus, [in the year 130.] Holy Pope Alexander was committed to ward with him, and by the same he and all his house were baptized. Under the Emperor Hadrian he was brought before the Judge Aurelian, and as he remained steadfast in the faith, his tongue was cut out, he was racked, and his hands and feet cut off, and at last his contending was finished by the sword.
At Thessalonica, the holy martyrs Domninus, Victor, and their Companions, [perhaps under Maximianus.]
At Constantinople is made the commemoration of very many holy martyrs, Catholic communicants whom in the time of the Emperor Constantius the arch-heretic Macedonius tortured and slew in diverse unheard-of ways among other things, he pinched off the nipples of the breasts of the faithful women with the lids of boxes, and seared the wound with hot iron.
At Senlis, holy Regulus, Bishop of Arles, [and of Senlis, in the year 130.]
At Orleans, in Gaul, holy Pastor, Bishop of that see, [perhaps in the year 557.]
At Syracuse, [in Sicily,] the holy Confessor Zozimus, Bishop of that see, [in the year 660.]
On Mount Sinai, holy John, Abbot [of Mount Sinai in the years 525-605,] surnamed Climacus, [which is, being interpreted, "of the ladder." He was probably a native of Palestine.]
At Aquino, the holy Confessor Clinius. [Native of Greece, and a monk of Monte Casino, fifth century.]
And elsewhere many other Holy Martyrs, Confessors and Holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God
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.
Thursday in Passion Week: The Cross the Science of the Christian
Summary of the Morrow’s Meditation
We will tomorrow consider the cross as a sacred chair, whence Jesus teaches us: first, to know God; second, to know ourselves. We will then make the resolution: first, to maintain a great respect for God and His infinite perfections, and to testify it to Him by our profound devotion in prayer and at church; second, to have a horror for all kinds of sin, and to take to heart the salvation of our soul. Our spiritual nosegay shall be the words of St Augustine: “Lord, may I know Thee, that I may love Thee; may I know myself, that I may hate myself.”
Meditation for the Morning
Let us honour the cross of Jesus Christ as being the book of the elect, the science of the saints; it is therein we learn better than by all the books which have ever been written, better than in the schools of all masters whatsoever, what God is and what we ourselves are. Let us thank Our Lord for these lessons.
The cross teaches us to know God
To know God is not only the first and the most excellent of all kinds of knowledge; it is also the most necessary, for we cannot adore God, respect Him, and abase ourselves before Him, excepting in proportion to the knowledge we have of His greatness; we cannot praise and bless Him, except in proportion to our knowledge of His infinite wisdom; we cannot serve Him by a holy life, except in proportion to the knowledge we have of His infinite holiness; lastly, we love Him only in proportion as we know that He is good. Now, this greatness, this wisdom, this holiness, this goodness, it is the cross which gives us the knowledge and the highest opinions of them.
First, it teaches us how great God is. Certainly the heavens recount His glory, and the innumerable worlds in the midst of which the whole earth, of which we form so small a part, is less than a drop of water in the ocean, show forth His greatness. Doubtless the prophet Baruch astonishes us when he shows us, at the voice of God, the sun and the moon hastening to place themselves in the spot marked out for them, the stars coming in their turn to say to God, Behold us! and advancing under His orders, like an army ranged in imposing order of battle. Isaiah is not less admirable when he makes us see all the nations as so little a thing in the sight of God that they are less than a drop of water glistening upon a rose; they are as though they were not, but the cross always gives me the most lofty ideas of God. There I see a God, the Victim, offered to God by a God-Priest, and I say to myself: If we may judge of the greatness of kings by the excellence of the gifts made to them and by the dignity of those who serve them, O eternal God, how great Thou art, Thou in presence of whom a God so profoundly abases Himself, Thou who hast as Thy minister a God-Priest, and who dost receive from His hands a God-Victim. Yes, Thou art truly infinite in greatness, and Thou canst not conceive an expression greater than what Thou art.
Second, the cross speaks to us of the infinite wisdom of God, and what but infinite wisdom could have enclosed the immense within a limited being, conciliated all kinds of suffering with the beatific vision, make the immortal die, offer to divine justice a satisfaction superior to the offence, and wherein are displayed at one and the same time all the magnificence of mercy? O divine wisdom, who workest such wonders in the cross, thou art, of a truth, infinite!
Third, yet the holiness of God does not shine in the cross with a lesser splendour. Let us behold it, pursuing in a well-beloved Son sin, even to it merest shadow, punishing the appearances only of it with inflexible severity, and washing them in the very blood of this cherished Son.
Fourth, what shall we say of the divine goodness, of the goodness of God the Father, who immolates His Son for a rebellious, wicked, ungrateful slave; of the goodness of God the Son, who, entering into the views of His Father, gives Himself up to torments and death in order to save us? Is not this the most sublime ideal of goodness? O divine perfection! O greatness! O wisdom! O holiness! O goodness! how magnificently the cross shows you forth! I have not known you enough up till now; but now I see you are so beautiful, so ravishing that I will consecrate the remainder of my life to adore, to praise, to bless, and to love you.
The Cross teaches us to know ourselves
I question the cross respecting my nature, and it replies to me that I am a mysterious mixture of greatness and of baseness. What grandeur there is in me! The dignity of my nature is so eminent, that God has redeemed me in preference to the angels, whom He has left without redemption. My salvation is so dear to God that, in order to work it, a God came down from heaven and died upon the cross. My soul is placed in such a lofty position in the esteem of God that, in order to redeem it, He gave the blood of His Son. Sublime truths which teach us to value our salvation above everything else, not to allow our soul, which is so great, to debase itself to earthly and sensual affections, but always to maintain it at the height of its excellence by a pure and holy life. By the side of this greatness the cross shows us our baseness and our misery; it tells us that sin has cast us into so profound a state of wretchedness that it is impossible for us to raise ourselves out of it by our own efforts, incapable even to offer to the offended God the least reparation; it tells us that original sin has deposited in us a tendency to evil, an aversion from what is commanded, a heart so bad, so hard, that a God was unable to gain us except at the price of His death upon the cross, and even then that His success has been very small. Oh, how worth nothing we are! How miserable we are! How humble and penitent we ought to be, how contrite, how mortified! Such are the lessons given us by the cross.
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.