Virgo Potens

Prayer to St. Anne July 17 - 25 (may be said as a Novena) Glorious St. Anne, who is filled with compassion for those who invoke thee, and with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at thy feet and humbly beg of thee to take the present affair which I recommend to thee, under thy special protection. [Name your request.] Vouchsafe to commend it to thy daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. Above all, obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face and with thee and Mary and all the Saints, praising and blessing Him for all eternity. Amen. Good St. Anne, mother of her who is our Life, our Sweetness and our Hope, pray to her for us, and obtain our request. (3 times) The New Key of Heaven, 1955

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 17th The Mystery of the Precious Blood To God's eye earth was all the more beautiful because it was innocent, and the dwelling-place of innocence. Then sin came. Why God let it come we do not know. We shall probably know in heaven. We are certain however that in some way or other it was more glorious for Him and better for us, that evil should be permitted. Some people trouble themselves about this. It does not trouble me at all. Whatever God does must of course be most right. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus~ July 17th Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, stands eternally before the throne of God as the “lamb that was slain from the beginning”, as the “lamb that shall take away the sins of the world.” As soon as this divine decree to redeem the world with the Blood of Christ was made known to the angels, the Precious Blood had to become to them an object of veneration. “The lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and divinity.” Lucifer and his followers who in their pride refused obedience and worship, were cast into hell. “Michael and his angels fought with the dragon . . . and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb (Apoc.XII,7-11). ~ Rev. M. F. Walz, C. PP. S., Why Is Thy Apparel Red? or Glories of the Precious Blood (1914).

✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧ July 16th ~ Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel This feast commemorates the favors granted by our Lady on Mount Carmel and was extended to the Universal Church in 1726 by Benedict XIII. The Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Simon Stock, General of the Order of Carmelites, holding in her hand a scapular, and directed him to found a Confraternity whose members should wear this scapular and consecrate themselves to her service. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us. ~ St. Joseph Daily Missal, 1950 ✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 16th The Mystery of the Precious Blood We know what an intense pleasure men take in looking at beautiful scenery. When we feel this pleasure, we ought to feel that we are looking at a little revelation of God, a very true one although a little one, and we ought to think of God’s complacency when He beheld the scenery of the primaeval earth, and rejoiced in what He saw. There was no sin then. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

2 of 2 Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 16th Looking upon devotion to the Blood of our Redeemer as founded in Sacred Scripture, we are at once amazed at the mystery of this Precious Blood, conveyed in the words of the Prince of the Apostles telling us that it lay in the mind of God from all eternity to redeem us by the Blood of Christ. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold and silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefined, foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but manifested in the last times for you” (I Peter I, 18-20). This is the mystery that fills us with awe: before the foundation of the world, before the air which we breathe, before the water which we drink, before the food which we eat, before Adam was created, it was ordained by the mercy of God, Who foresaw the downfall of our first parents with all the evil consequences of their sin inherited by the whole human race, that man should again receive his heavenly heritage, or the right and means to merit entrance into heaven, through the bloody passion and death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The Precious Blood is the visible token and pledge of God’s eternal love and mercy for fallen mankind, and going forth to accomplish this purpose Jesus is called by the Prophet Isaias “this beautiful one in his robe.” ~ Rev. M. F. Walz, C. PP. S., Why Is Thy Apparel Red? or Glories of the Precious Blood (1914).

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus~ July 16th With what exuberance of joy our holy Redeemer is hailed by the Father and the Holy Ghost and the whole choir of the angels and the elect upon His return to heaven as Man with the emblems of His victory, His glorious Five Wounds ! And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the ancients; and the number of them was thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and benediction’” (Apoc. V, 11-12). The Precious Blood is glorified in heaven in “the Lamb that was slain.” (continued below)

2 of 2 NOVENA to OUR LADY of Mt. CARMEL Day Nine continued) I hope in Thee, and I trust that Thou wilt pardon my faults and give me Thy grace, together with perseverance in it; and that at last Thou wilt bring me to the glory which Thou hast promised to those who continue in Thy love. I love Thee, above all things, for Thine infinite goodness; I give Thee thanks for all the benefits which Thou hast conferred, and still continuest to confer, upon me: I confess my great ingratitude towards Thee, and all my sins and offences against Thee; I am sorry for them, and beg that Thou wilt pardon me: it grieves me much that I have thus offended Thee, because Thou art the Infinite Being that Thou art. I repent with all my heart, because Thou art my God, infinitely good and worthy of my love: I am firmly resolved, by the help of Thy grace, to sin no more, and to avoid all occasions of offending Thee; to confess my faults, and to make satisfaction for them: I hope in Thee, O Lord, and that in Thine infinite mercy Thou wilt pardon me, so that with a pure heart I may praise Thy most holy Mother, and obtain by Her holy intercession what I ask in this Novena, if it be for Thy greater glory and the good of my soul. Amen. Prayer O Virgin of Carmel, Most Holy Mary, who hast promised thine especial assistance at the hour of death to those who wear thy Holy Scapular, so that by means of true penitence they may leave this life in a state of grace: I beseech thee, O Lady, to assist and console me at the hour of my death, and to obtain for me a true and perfect contrition for all my sins, an ardent love of God, and great desire of seeing and enjoying Him, so that I may arrive securely at eternal happiness; and I beg of thee to obtain for me the grace I ask in this Novena, through thine intercession, saying, Hail Holy Queen . . . Here the Hail Holy Queen is recited, followed by the Litany of Loreto (pinned at Virgo Potens). Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us.

1 of 2 NOVENA to OUR LADY of Mt. CARMEL (July 7 - July 15) Day Nine ~ July 15th Prayer To be said each day O my God and my Lord, prostrate before Thy Sovereign Majesty, I adore Thee will all my heart and soul. I confess to Thee, praise Thee, bless Thee, and glorify Thee. I acknowledge Thee to be my Lord and my God; I believe in Thee, and in all the mysteries of the Holy Catholic Faith, in which I desire to live and die. (continued)

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 15th The Mystery of the Precious Blood God made the stars; and, whether the earth was made by itself from the first, or was once part of the sun, and thrown off from it like a ring, God made the earth also, and shaped it, and adorned it, and filled it with trees and animals; and then looked upon His work, and it shone forth so beautifully with the light of His own perfections, that He blessed it, and, glorying in it, declared that it was very good. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

2 of 2 Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 15th Immediately after Judas had gone out to betray our Lord, Jesus said: “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him” (John XIII,31). Like the waters of an impetuous stream His love and desire to shed His Blood for us can no longer be constrained, and He speaks of His impending sufferings in the most glorious terms as His glorification. And again just before going to Gethsemani to begin His Passion, “these things Jesus spoke, and lifting up His eyes to heaven, he said: ‘Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee’“ (John XVII, 1). God is glorified by us in proportion as we come to know, love and adore Him. Christ came into this world to redeem all mankind in His Blood, and we honor Him by applying this Sacred Blood in the holy sacraments for the sanctification of our soul. But should not the price Christ paid for our redemption be extolled also in a particular manner? And should we not love to contemplate our bleeding Saviour in the very ardor and love of His redeeming us? It was thus the prophet must have seen Him in spirit when he exclaims : “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosra, this beautiful one in his robe, walking in the greatness of his strength. I, that speak justice and am a defender to save” (Isaias LXIII, 1). ~ Rev. M. F. Walz, C. PP. S., Why Is Thy Apparel Red? or Glories of the Precious Blood (1914).

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus~ July 15th THIS BEAUTIFUL ONE IN HIS ROBE CLOTHED with the purple of His own Blood how beautiful Jesus Christ must have appeared to His Heavenly Father even at the very time when Pilate showed Him to the people with the words, “Ecce Homo”! “He was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood, and his name is called, the Word of God” (Apoc. XIX, 13). His body covered with bleeding wounds and standing like a culprit about to be condemned to an ignominious death, Jesus is nevertheless the Son of the living God, of Whom He Himself said : “Thou hast loved me before the creation of the world” (JohnXVII,24). (continued below)

2 of 2 Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 15th Immediately after Judas had gone out to betray our Lord, Jesus said: “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him” (John XIII,31). Like the waters of an impetuous stream His love and desire to shed His Blood for us can no longer be constrained, and He speaks of His impending sufferings in the most glorious terms as His glorification. And again just before going to Gethsemani to begin His Passion, “these things Jesus spoke, and lifting up His eyes to heaven, he said: ‘Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee’“ (John XVII, 1). God is glorified by us in proportion as we come to know, love and adore Him. Christ came into this world to redeem all mankind in His Blood, and we honor Him by applying this Sacred Blood in the holy sacraments for the sanctification of our soul. But should not the price Christ paid for our redemption be extolled also in a particular manner? And should we not love to contemplate our bleeding Saviour in the very ardor and love of His redeeming us? It was thus the prophet must have seen Him in spirit when he exclaims : “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosra, this beautiful one in his robe, walking in the greatness of his strength. I, that speak justice and am a defender to save” (Isaias LXIII, 1). ~ Rev. M. F. Walz, C. PP. S., Why Is Thy Apparel Red? or Glories of the Precious Blood (1914).

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus~ July 15th THIS BEAUTIFUL ONE IN HIS ROBE CLOTHED with the purple of His own Blood how beautiful Jesus Christ must have appeared to His Heavenly Father even at the very time when Pilate showed Him to the people with the words, “Ecce Homo”! “He was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood, and his name is called, the Word of God” (Apoc. XIX, 13). His body covered with bleeding wounds and standing like a culprit about to be condemned to an ignominious death, Jesus is nevertheless the Son of the living God, of Whom He Himself said : “Thou hast loved me before the creation of the world” (JohnXVII,24). (continued below)

2 of 2 NOVENA to OUR LADY of Mt. CARMEL Day Eight (continued) I hope in Thee, and I trust that Thou wilt pardon my faults and give me Thy grace, together with perseverance in it; and that at last Thou wilt bring me to the glory which Thou hast promised to those who continue in Thy love. I love Thee, above all things, for Thine infinite goodness; I give Thee thanks for all the benefits which Thou hast conferred, and still continuest to confer, upon me: I confess my great ingratitude towards Thee, and all my sins and offences against Thee; I am sorry for them, and beg that Thou wilt pardon me: it grieves me much that I have thus offended Thee, because Thou art the Infinite Being that Thou art. I repent with all my heart, because Thou art my God, infinitely good and worthy of my love: I am firmly resolved, by the help of Thy grace, to sin no more, and to avoid all occasions of offending Thee; to confess my faults, and to make satisfaction for them: I hope in Thee, O Lord, and that in Thine infinite mercy Thou wilt pardon me, so that with a pure heart I may praise Thy most holy Mother, and obtain by Her holy intercession what I ask in this Novena, if it be for Thy greater glory and the good of my soul. Amen. Prayer O Virgin of Carmel, Most Holy Mary, who,in thy Holy Scapular, givest to those who devoutly wear it a strong buckler against the perils of this world and the attacks of the devil, proving the truth of this privilege by so many and such singular miracles: I beseech thee, O Lady, to be my powerful defence in this mortal life, so that in all my tribulations I may find security in thee, and be victorious in my temptations, by means of thine especial assistance; and I beg of thee to obtain for me from thy Blessed Son Jesus, through thine intercession, what I desire in this Novena; I ask it of thee most humbly, O dear Lady, saying, Hail Holy Queen . . . Here the Hail Holy Queen is recited, followed by the Litany of Loreto (pinned at Virgo Potens). Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us.

1 of 2 NOVENA to OUR LADY of Mt. CARMEL (July 7 - July 15) Day Eight ~ July 14th Prayer To be said each day O my God and my Lord, prostrate before Thy Sovereign Majesty, I adore Thee will all my heart and soul. I confess to Thee, praise Thee, bless Thee, and glorify Thee. I acknowledge Thee to be my Lord and my God; I believe in Thee, and in all the mysteries of the Holy Catholic Faith, in which I desire to live and die. (continued)

2 of 2 ✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧ At that time, Jess spoke to His disciples this parable: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, who was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear of you? Make an accounting of your stewardship, for thou canst be steward no longer.’ And the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do, seeing that my master is taking away the stewardship from me? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed. I know what I shall do, that when I am removed from my stewardship they may receive me into their houses.’ And he summoned each of his master’s debtors and said to the first, ‘How much dost thou owe my master?’ And he said, ‘A hundred jars of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take thy bond and sit down at once and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘How much dost Thou owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take thy bond and write eighty.’ And the master commended the unjust steward, in that he had acted prudently; for the children of this world, in relation to their own generation, are more prudent than the children of the light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves with the mammon of wickedness, so that when you fail they may receive you into the everlasting dwellings.” Luke 16, 1-9 Gospel, Eighth Sunday after Pentecost ~ St. Joseph Daily Missal, (1950) ✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧

1 of 2 EIGHTH SUNDAY after PENTECOST The parable of the steward shows the cleverness of “the children of this world.” “The children of light,” on the other hand, neglect so many opportunities to gain a happy eternity by not participating in Holy Mass and letting other means of sanctification go by unused. Let us use the goods of this world to gain merits for heaven. (continued)

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 14th The Mystery of the Precious Blood But the sight of sin was also with God from the beginning, that is, through all His unbeginning eternity; and thus the Precious Blood also, as the ransom for sin, was with Him from the beginning. It was one of His eternal thoughts. If we may dare to say so, it was an idea which made Him more glorious, a thought which rendered Him more blessed. That same dear Blood, the thought of which makes us so happy now, has been part of God's happiness for ever. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

Mater Divinæ Gratiæ, Ora pro nobis. Mother of Divine Grace, pray for us. Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus~ July 14th Thy immaculate heart, O Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother of God, was the virginal source of the Precious Blood of my Redeemer. It is, then, the fountain-head of my salvation. On this same sacred heart, pierced with a sword, my beloved Saviour was refreshed and rested when as an Infant He drew the nourishment for His adorable Blood to become the Man of Sorrows. With what love, with what gratitude, with what confidence I shall say in future, “Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation!” Thy Immaculate Conception, O incomparable Queen of purity and holiness, shall ever appear to me as the morning star of God’s infinite mercy and the visible pledge of His eternal and abiding love for me, as it is also the dearest and most glorious triumph of His Precious Blood. ~ Rev. M. F. Walz, C. PP. S., Why Is Thy Apparel Red? or Glories of the Precious Blood (1914).