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Martyrology - 15th of March
Upon the 15th day of March, were born into the better life:
At Caesarea, in Cappadocia, the holy martyr Longinus, who is said to have been the soldier who pierced the Lord's side with a spear.
Upon the same day, holy Aristobulus, the disciple of the Apostles, who when the work of his preaching was done, suffered martyrdom.
At Thessalonica, holy Matrona. She was a slave, belonging to a certain Jewess. She was a Christian in secret, and went to the church every day for private prayer. Her mistress found this. She afflicted her in many ways, and at last caused her to be cudgelled, until, still confessing Christ, she gave up her pure spirit to God, [probably about the year 800.]
On the same day, the holy martyr Menignus, a fuller, who suffered under the Emperor Decius.
In Egypt, the holy martyr Nicander, who would make careful search for the relics of holy martyrs, and earned to become a martyr himself under the Emperor Diocletian.
At Cordova, the holy Virgin and martyr Leocritia, [in the year 880.]
At Rome, holy Pope Zachary, who governed the Church of God with all watchfulness, and fell asleep in peace, famous for good works, [in the year 752.]
At Riete, holy Probus, Bishop of that see, at whose death, [in the year 570,] the martyrs Juvenal and Eleutherius were present.
At Rome, [in the sixth century,] the holy [Benedictine] monk, [at Terracina,] Speciosus, whose soul his brother saw being borne heavenward.
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 practice 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.
Wednesday in the Third Week: The Offence Committed against God by Sin
Summary of the Morrow’s Meditation
As contrition, in order to be valid, ought to be based upon motives of faith, as we saw in our last meditation, we will meditate tomorrow on the first of these motives, and we shall see: first, how sin, being an offence against God, is an evil which merits tears; second, how greatly the circumstances in which the sinner commits it renders it still more horrible. We will then make the resolution: first, to be thoroughly penetrated before we present ourselves at the holy tribunal with this great motive of contrition; second, to recall it to our selves every day, in the morning and in the evening, in order to excite in us horror for sin. Our spiritual nosegay shall be the words of the prodigal son: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee; I am not worthy to be called Thy son” (Luke xv:18–19).
Meditation for the Morning
Let us adore Our Lord Jesus Christ prostrate on His knees before the majesty of His Father (Luke xxii:41). In this humble posture He asks of Him pardon for the outrages committed against Him by sin; He offers reparation for them, and consents to bear their penalty. Let us unite our selves with the sentiments of His afflicted heart, and ask of Him a share in these holy dispositions.
How sin, inasmuch as it is an offence against God, is worthy of all our tears
Alas! my God, if I had only failed in matters of pure counsels, it would have been enough to merit all my tears; for is it not a very deplorable irreverence when Thou sayest: “Do this, it will be more agreeable to Me; do not do that, thou wilt displease Me,” to have the impudence not to yield to the authority of Thy desires, and only to obey when Thou hast the rod in Thy hand, like a vile slave who obeys only when he hears a voice menacing him, or like a false friend, who does not respect the desires of his friend, and is not afraid of displeasing him. The impudence is much more shameful still, O my God, when, passing from counsels to orders, Thou sayest: “Do this, I command thee; do not do that, I forbid thee; if thou dost not obey, the fires of purgatory will execute justice on thy rebellious will.” And yet I have the audacity that do what Thou forbiddest, and to omit what Thou commandest. What, Lord! I, a vile creature, a worm of the earth, whom Thou mightest annihilate at a glance, and whom Thou dost preserve through pure mercy—I disobey Thee—I who desire that all should bend to my will, and am angry if my servants do not promptly execute my slightest orders! I disobey Thee to Thy face; whilst seeing, through faith, the majesty of Thy eyes fixed upon me, I do, before Thy eyes, what often I would not do before the eyes of a servant, and that not once, but thousands of times, and daily! Is not that a fault which calls for all the tears I can shed? And yet that is only venial sin. What, then, O my God, is mortal sin? Ah, if I had committed but one in my whole life it would have been enough to make me pass all the rest of my life in shedding contrite tears. At least, in venial sin I did not entirely renounce Thy friendship; I did not exchange my right to heaven for hell; but I see that mortal sin makes me break entirely with Thee, incur Thy hatred, make myself a butt for Thy great anger, and yet I hold it all of no account! If I thought that in sinning I should displease the world as much as Thee; that I should inflict an injury upon my honour, my fortune, my pleasures, as well as my innocence, I should take good care not to commit it; but because, in sinning, I offend only Thee, and that it is only Thy friendship I lose, I allow myself to sin! Pardon me, O Lord, for showing Thee such contempt. I see Thee displaying before me, if I sin, all the power of Thy vengeance, all the eternity of Thy chastisements, and yet I sin, in spite of Thy threats! I see that Thou askest of me only what is infinitely just, which my conscience dictates to me and my reason approves, and I despise Thy orders, in spite of my reason and in spite of my conscience! I put in the balance against Thee a passing gratification, a soiled and tainted pleasure, which enters into the soul only in order to take with it unhappiness and remorse; and yet, in this alternative, passion gets the upper hand; dirt is preferred to Thee! O crime! O subversion! O abyss of iniquity! Pardon, Lord, mercy!
How the circumstances in which the sinner offends God render his faith still more horrible
First, there is the treachery of it. Because, at my baptism and in my many confessions and communions, I made an oath of fidelity to Thee, O my God, and behold, after having taken upon me so many engagements, I have, nevertheless, been unfaithful to Thee! O faith of treaties, where art thou? O violated oaths! O chief of felonies! O disloyal Christian! O traitor and perjurer!
Second, there is the ingratitude of it. Jesus Christ died for me; He has given Himself to me in the sacraments; He has pursued me with His graces, and His love has surrounded me day and night with His natural and supernatural graces; and I, who am overwhelmed with His favours, I have turned against Him; I have employed His own gifts, my intelligence, my will, my senses, in offending against Him! O horrible ingratitude!
Third, there is in it the rebellion of the subject against his sovereign; of the son against the best of fathers; of the friend against the most faithful of friends; of the creature against the Creator; of weakness against omnipotence; of littleness against infinite greatness! There is in it even more than all this; there is the crime of high treason against the divine Majesty; there is in a certain way a double deicide: the first, in that my sins, the cause of the death of Jesus Christ, are as the executioners who nailed Him to the cross by a crime worse than that of the Jews, who would not have crucified the Saviour had they known Him; and yet I, who knew Him, have crucified Him! The second deicide consists in the sinner desiring that God should not know his sin; and supposing that He knows it, he desires that God should not detest it; and supposing that He detests it, he desires that God should not punish it. Now, to desire all this is to desire that God should be deprived either of His knowledge or of His holiness or of His power. It is, consequently, to desire that God should not be God. What a horror! Oh, how hateful, then, is sin! and what a firm resolution we ought to make to avoid it a thousand times more than the greatest evils which could happen to us!
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.