Virgo Potens

2 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 12th From now on her road lay clear in the illumination that had come to her. But it is one thing to see the road, another to tread it to the end. If her Son, for all that He was the Son of God, had to learn obedience upon the Cross by the things which He suffered (Heb. v, 8), so likewise she had day by day to come to the experimental knowledge of the grief of separation. At the end of her life, when she came to recall for the first Christians the memories she had stored in her heart as they are preserved by St. Luke in the Gospel of the Infancy, she had become divinely expert in sorrow and she could say in truth that ‘in those first happy times she had not comprehended all that was implied by the nature and mission of her Son’, and by her own sublime mission as co-redemptrix. The temporary disappearance of Jesus, and still more the words by which he explained it, were equivalent to a second sorrowful prophecy, which amplified that of Simeon and every day revealed more and more of the fullness of its meaning. ~ Charles Journet, Our Lady of Sorrows. Tr. F.J. Sheed. (1939)

1 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 12th Thus the third sorrow, for which the first two were a preparation, was the sorrow of the gradual breaking of the visible bonds which bound her ineffably to her Son. And this sorrow as she saw and as she willed — with a will torn and anguished like that wherewith Jesus accepted the will of His Father— was to be a sorrow that should pierce deeper into her heart all the days of her life; and of this sorrow she was to die. Thus she bore her sufferings in silence and the power of her love, pressing them close to her heart. (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 11th This darkness of agony was lightened for the moment by the joy of the reunion. For Jesus ‘went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them’. But the darkness came down again when Jesus left them to go into the desert. And out of the darkness there came to Mary a great light. She understood the special road that she must tread. It was not that her Son doubted her. He separated Himself from her thus bodily only that He might associate her in that agony of desolation in which the redemption had to be accomplished. In the garden of Gethsemane the three favoured disciples were only a stone’s cast away. But their eyes were heavy with sleep. She, who would not have slept, could not be so close. Nor could any visible being. Only, for the space of an instant, when His sweat became as drops of blood, there appeared to Him an angel from heaven (Luke xxiii, 43). Mary was beginning to see these deepest depths. She was discovering the place that abandonment must have in the work of redemption. With that, all reason for reproach vanished. Her Son, in thus making her drink His chalice in advance, loved her if that were possible even more than she could have dared to hope. ~ Charles Journet, Our Lady of Sorrows. Tr. F.J. Sheed. (1939)

1 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 11th For Mary then this was a mysterious trial. A bleak night came down upon her heart. Though she was without shadow of sin it must have seemed to her that she was unworthy of her mission, rejected by her Son, and in such a feeling there was measureless agony. All these years earlier she had a foretaste of desolation like that which her Son was to know in His passion. The cry of her heart, could one but have heard it, must have been like a first shadowing forth of a more terrible cry that still rends the hearts of men, for what could she have felt but ‘My Son, my Son, why hast Thou forsaken me?’ (continued)

Our Lady of la Salette, Reconciler of sinners, pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to thee. An indulgence of 300 days (S. P. Ap., Nov. 7, 1927, and Dec. 12, 1933). Prayer to Our Lady of la Salette May be said as a Novena September 10th ~ September 18th Begins today at Christus Reignat ~ https://t.me/RexUniversi

2 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 10th Yet they knew full well that they were not in fault, that there had been no failure of their love. Then why should He treat them so, why cause them so much pain? This was the point of the reproach that Mary uttered, associating with herself by a tender movement of her charity the husband who suffered with her in silence: ‘Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold Thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.’ His answer seems harsh, so harsh that it does not at first yield up all the light that it contains: ‘And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my father’s business? And they understood not the word that He spoke unto them.’ It was the beginning of the third sorrow. ‘They understood not the word that He spoke unto them.’ Yet they knew perfectly well that He must be with His Father, about His Father’s business. The Angel had announced to Mary that His name should be called Jesus, which is Saviour, that He would reign in the house of Jacob forever (Luke i, 31 and 33). Simeon had said further that in spite of the contradictions of which He should be the sign, He would be the glory of God’s people Israel and a light to the revelation of the Gentiles (Luke ii, 32). She had not forgotten any one of these words. Thus she knew the supernatural mission of her Child. She knew that He was more God’s Son than hers, that He belonged to God more than to her. But so far she had no more than an obscure presentiment of the mysterious demands of that grace which had made of her the Mother of God the Saviour. Naturally He must be with His father, but did that mean that He must detach her from Himself? Why must He occupy Himself without her with that business which was to her as it was to Him dearer than life? Did He doubt her love or her fidelity or even her courage — she who would have followed him anywhere! ~ Charles Journet, Our Lady of Sorrows. Tr. F.J. Sheed. (1939)

1 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 10th Third Sorrow. — Does any ordinary mother ever lose her child? Never. How then came it that this Mother lost this Child as we read towards the end of the second chapter of St. Luke’s gospel? It can only have been that He himself brought it about of set purpose. By His own deliberate act He eluded the vigilance of His parents. At a given moment He veiled their eyes and departed from them. ‘When they returned, the Child Jesus remained in Jerusalem. And His parents knew it not. And thinking that He was in the company, they came a day’s journey.’ Not till the evening did the veil fall from their eyes. Then they ‘sought Him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding Him, they returned into Jerusalem seeking Him’. It was bitter humiliation, bitterer anguish. (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 9th From the land of Egypt God had once recalled His beloved Son, the people of Israel; to the land of Egypt these two were journeying back bearing a little Child, more precious in Himself than all the children of adoption, since He was the Only-Begotten of the Father, the Word made Flesh. But a day was to come when the Word of Osee (xi, i), ‘I called my son out of Egypt’, would receive a new meaning. Their poverty would continue, but their exile ended. Joseph was able to take the Child and His mother and return into the land of Israel. In the long journeyings between the place of her exile and her own land, one joy at least the Virgin never lost. She had her Child with her. She continued to wrap Him in swaddling clothes as in the stable. She watched over Him unceasingly. He was never away from her. ~ Charles Journet, Our Lady of Sorrows. Tr. F.J. Sheed. (1939)

1 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 9th So much mystery tested not only their courage, but their faith: not that their faith wavered under the trial: rather was it strengthened and purified. This road they were on had seen many a marvel wrought by God long ago; today they trod the road in want and weakness. (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 8th She had been told that her Son was to be a sign which should be contradicted, now she learns the first fruits of this in a hurried flight by night towards a land of exile of which she knew not the customs nor the language nor so much as where it might be. On Christmas night, when she had found no room in the inn, the Child at least, hidden within her, did not suffer physically. All the troubles of the outer world could not reach Him. But now, how could she spare Him the hardships of the road, the chances of the weather, the trials of hunger and thirst and weariness? In the place they had left, the threat of death still remained, since Herod sought the Child to destroy Him. Unimaginable was her dereliction in those days and nights of desert journeying. Surely God would work some miracle for the Child which was His! Incredible that the Child, a tiny frail thing that suffered and said no word, should be His. Incredible that if it were so, God should thus seem to abandon It, in the midst of enemies, to the pitifully inadequate protection of a poor man and his poor wife. ~ Charles Journet, Our Lady of Sorrows. Tr. F.J. Sheed. (1939)

1 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 8th Second Sorrow. — The prophecy was the first sword. Its accomplishment began at once. ‘Behold an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the Child and His Mother and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him. Who arose and took the Child and His mother by night and retired into Egypt’ (Matt, ii, 13-14). It was the second sorrow. The Virgin who had been given a foreshadowing of what was to be by the prophecies that had been uttered, now began to learn the same things by seeing the prophecies accomplished. (continued)

NOVENA to OUR LADY of SORROWS September 6th - 14th Posted at Christus Reignat ~ https://t.me/RexUniversi

2 of 2 ACT of REPARATION to the IMMACULATE HEART of MARY Obtain for them and for us the pardon of sko many sins. A word from thee will obtain grace and amendment for us all. Hasten, O Lady, the conversion of sinners, that they may love Jesus and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended, and will not fall into hell. Turn thine eyes of mercy towards us, that henceforth we may love God with all our hearts while on earth and enjoy Him forever in heaven. Amen.

1 of 2 ACT of REPARATION to the IMMACULATE HEART of MARY Most holy Virgin and our Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of thine Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Moved by the ardent desire of loving thee as our Mother and of promoting a true devotion to thine Immaculate Heart, we prostrate ourselves at thy feet to prove the sorrow we feel for the grievances that men cause thee, and to atone, by means of our prayers and sacrifices, for the offenses with which men return thy tender love. (continued)

FIRST SATURDAY of SEPTEMBER 💙 “See my daughter, how my heart is encircled by thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and announce that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who on the First Saturdays of five consecutive months, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite part of My Rosary, and keep me company for a quarter of an hour, meditating on its mysteries with the intention of offering me reparation.” ~ Words of Our Lady to Sr. Marie (Lucia dos Santos) on December 10, 1925 If possible, make First Saturday devotions today, in reparation for offenses against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as requested by Our Lady herself in 1925, and confirmed by Our Lord in 1927.

2 of 2 Day 3 - September 7th  O my Jesus, Who because of Thy burning love for us willed to be crucified and to shed Thy Most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us and grant the petition for which we ask (here mention your request). We trust completely in Thy Mercy. Cleanse us from sin by Thy grace, sanctify our work, give us, and all those who are dear to us, our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings, bless our families, and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted, Thy Peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Thy Commandments we may come at last to the glory of Heaven. Amen.

2 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 7th Beneath Simeon’s words she discovers depths that the old man himself knows nothing of. This prophecy overwhelms her utterly — or rather, fills her to the brim with its bitterness. All her being is wounded with it, all its beauty lost in the grief it promises. Silently she utters her own grief from the depth of her heart: ‘Call me not Beautiful, but Bitter, for the Almighty hath quite filled me with bitterness.’ Yet she was not utterly beaten down. From the very depth of her bitterness the first ray of an ineffable dawn shines out. From now she has the certitude that she is divinely associated in the suffering of her Son. She has the assurance that to soften the cruel edge of the Son’s Passion there will be the tender Compassion of the Mother. Sustained by this sublime hope, she abides in expectation of the sword which shall pierce her heart in the very act of piercing His. Already Simeon’s word has made bloody entry like a sword. The Seven Dolours have begun — those Seven Dolours which are to be like seven dagger thrusts: and indeed the Flemish Primitives, borne on by an inspiration more pious and moving than artistically successful, were to depict them as seven swords meeting in her breast. ~ Charles Journet, Our Lady of Sorrows. Tr. F.J. Sheed. (1939)

1 of 2 Month of the The Seven Dolors of Mary / The Sorrowful Mother ~ September 7th ‘And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His Mother: Behold this Child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce . . .’ Here is the first of the seven sorrows, pregnant with all the others of whose coming it gives obscure announcement. It fills the Virgin’s heart with pain beyond speaking. She has just been told explicitly that her Son is to be ‘a sign which shall be contradicted . . . that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed’. He will meet hostility. He is come to save His own, but His own will to destroy Him. (continued)

2 of 2 FIRST FRIDAY of SEPTEMBER ❤️ ✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧ ACT of CONSECRATION of B. Margaret Mary ❤️ I, N.N., give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ my person and my life, my actions, penances, and sufferings, not wishing to make use of any part of my being for the future except in honouring, loving, and glorifying that Sacred Heart. It is my irrevocable will to be entirely His, and to do everything for His love, renouncing with my whole heart whatever might displease Him. I take Thee then, O most Sacred Heart, as the sole object, of my love, as the protector of my life, as the pledge of my salvation, as the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, as the repairer of all the defects of my life, and as my secure refuge in the hour of death. Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God the Father, and remove far from me the thunderbolts of His just wrath. O Heart ot love, I place my whole confidence in Thee. While I fear all things from my malice and frailty, I hope all things from thy goodness. Consume then in me whatever can displease or be opposed to Thee, and may Thy pure love be so deeply impressed upon my heart that it may be impossible that I should ever be separated from Thee, or forget Thee. I implore Thee, by all Thy goodness, that my name may be written in Thee, for in Thee I wish to place all my happiness and all my glory, living and dying in very bondage to Thee. Amen. i. 300 Days, once a day. ii. Plenary, once a month. Leo XIII, January 13, 1898 Pius X, May 30, 1908. (The Raccolta, 1910) ✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧

1 of 2 FIRST FRIDAY of SEPTEMBER ❤️ O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge our love and fidelity to Thee! If possible, receive Holy Communion today and make reparation to Our Lord and Saviour for past and present offenses against His Most Sacred Heart.