Virgo Potens

O Jésus, que votre sang précieux sanctifie les justes et rende la vie aux pêcheurs! O Jesus, may Thy precious blood sanctify the righteous and give life to sinners! Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 28th The Mystery of the Precious Blood Nevertheless the Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood. Every ceremony of the Church tells of it. Every sermon that is preached is an exhortation to the use of it. Every Sacrament is a communication of it. Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on the earth is either leaf, bud, blossom, or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 27th [144. continued] It is with this pride that the Pharisee in the Temple regarded his own goodness, and placed himself above others, especially the publican. “I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.” [Luke xviii, 11] He esteemed himself above all, and was in reality the proudest of all. It was with this pride, too, that the disciples sinned when they glorified in their singular gift of being able to cast out devils: “And they returned with joy, saying: ‘Lord, the devils also are subject to us,’ ” [Luke x, 17] and our blessed Lord answered them most justly: “I saw Satan like lightning falling from Heaven,” as if He almost meant to say “Take care that you do not exalt yourself like the proud Lucifer, lest you fall as he did.” (continued) ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

2 of 2 Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 27th Yet there was not a single grace in any angel which was not merited for him by the Blood of Jesus, and which had not also its type and counterpart in that Precious Blood. The Precious Blood, man’s blood, was as the dew of the whole kingdom of the angels. It would have redeemed them, had they needed to be redeemed, or were allowed to be redeemed. But as it was not so, it merited for them, and was the source of, all their grace. Well may the angels claim to sing the song of the Lamb, to whose outpoured Human Life they also owed so much, though not because it was outpoured. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

La source des graces. The source of graces. Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 27th The Mystery of the Precious Blood He showed them in that Blood the source of all their graces. Each Angel perhaps had thousands of beautiful graces. To many of them we on earth could give no name, if we beheld them. But they were all wonderful, all instinct with supernatural holiness and spiritual magnificence. (continued)

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 26th 144. The fourth way in which we sin through pride is when we use any gift we may possess in order to appear distinguished or to think ourselves better than others, and to be more esteemed and honoured than they. Whatever good we have, whether of body or soul, of nature, fortune or grace, is a gift of God, and to use these gifts in order to try and be more conspicuous than others is pride. (continued) ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 26th The Mystery of the Precious Blood He showed them His beloved Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, in His Sacred Humanity, united to a lower nature than their own, and in that lower nature crowned their King and Head, to be worshipped by them with absolute and unconditional adoration. The Son of a human mother was to be their Head, and that daughter of Eve to be herself their queen. ~ 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 25th Therefore it is worse to affect to be holy than to affect to be noble or rich, because sanctity is a greater gift than rank or wealth. And the habit of excusing the sins we have committed also belongs to this kind of pride, because when we excuse ourselves and say that we are not guilty, we assert our innocence and accredit ourselves with an innocence which we do not possess. And how often do we sin thus through pride without even knowing it! And St. Thomas also attributes to pride the endeavour to conceal our sins and so excuse and palliate the wickedness thereof in our confessions. [Ibid. art. 4] ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 25th [143. continued] Sometimes it may be that the sin is not so grave, either because this is not a deliberate wish, or else because the nature of the offense is very slight; but on the other hand it is in itself always a very grave sin, because through this pride man no longer remains subject to that rule which has been given him by God–—to be contented in his own state. St. Thomas says: “This is evidently of the nature of mortal sin,” [2a 2æ, qu. clxii, art. 5 et 6] and his doctrine on this point is that the greater the gift may be in which we glory, although we do not possess it, the greater is our pride. (continued)

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 25th The Mystery of the Precious Blood The angels wonder more than men, because they better understand it. Their superior intelligence ministers more abundant matter to their love. From the very first He invited the angels to adore it. He made their adoration a double exercise of humility, of humility towards Himself, and of humility towards us their inferior fellow-creatures. It was the test to which He put their loyalty. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

PRAYER of SŒUR THÉRÈSE For a Visit to the Blessed Sacrament VEILED in the white Host, O my Well-beloved, how meek and humble of heart dost Thou show Thyself to me! Thou couldst not stoop lower to teach me humility, and I, to respond to Thy love, desire to put myself in the lowest place and share Thy humiliations, that I may have part with Thee in the kingdom of Heaven. I beseech Thee, my Jesus, to send me some humiliations each time that I shall attempt to put myself above others. Amen. ~ St. Thérèse of Lisieux ~ Fr. Charles Callan O.P. and Fr. John McHugh, O.P., Blessed Be God (1925)

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 24th [143. continued] It may be an act of virtue to desire these things for some honourable end, for instance to desire more knowledge in order to be able to serve holy Church, to desire riches in order to be able to give more alms; but to desire these things in order not to seem inferior to others or to acquire more esteem, is only pride, and oh, how few there are who are not infected with this pride! One for one thing, and one for another, almost all men seek to be esteemed above what they really are–—and this without the slightest scruple. (continued) ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

St. Alphonsus, pray for us. NOVENA to ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI (July 17- July 25) Begins today, July 17th, at Christus Regnat ~ https://t.me/RexUniversi

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 24th The Mystery of the Precious Blood Our Heavenly Father, then, may well call His creatures to gather round these marvellous Fountains, and adore His wisdom and His love. Who could have dreamed of such an invention, an invention which grows more astonishing the more we penetrate its mystery? ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

Sayings of the Saints "Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues, hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist, there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance." ~ St. Augustine of Hippo St. Augustine of Hippo, pray for us.

2 of 2 Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 23rd It was in this way that the Bishop of Laodicea sinned by esteeming himself rich in merit when he was merely contemptible; and therefore God told him that he would vomit him out of His mouth. “I will begin to vomit thee out of My mouth, because thou sayest, I am rich and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art miserable and poor.” [Apoc. iii, 16, 17] And it is with this kind of pride that all sin who either esteem themselves or who seek to be esteemed by others in word or deed for more riches, knowledge, rank or virtue than they really have. (continued) ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 23rd 143. The third way in which we can sin through pride is when we attribute to ourselves some good–—of any kind whatsoever–—which we do not really possess, but whether it be that we esteem ourselves for that imaginary good which exists only in our thoughts, and desire others to esteem us for it also, or whether we really possess it, or whether again we only desire to have this good which we have not in order to be able to boast of it and glory in it, all this is detestable pride. (continued)

St. Peter, pray for us. NOVENA to ST. PETER the APOSTLE (July 23rd - July 31st) In preparation for the Feast of Saint Peter in Chains, August 1st Begins today, July 23rd, at Christus Regnat ~ https://t.me/RexUniversi

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 23rd The Mystery of the Precious Blood It is by this Blood that He has created over again His frustrated creation. It is out of this Blood that all graces come, whether those of Mary, or those of the angels, or those of men. It is this Blood which merits all good things for every one. The unhappy would be more unhappy, were it not for this Blood. The wicked would be more wicked were it not for this Blood. The flames of hell would burn many times more furiously, if the shedding of this Blood had not allayed their fury. There is not a corner of God's creation, which is not more or less under the benignant controul of the Precious Blood. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus ~ July 22nd [142. continued] This is a point which is worthy of all attention so that we may not fall through inadvertence into most terrible pride. And St. Augustine urges us to remember that not only all the good we have comes from God, but also that we have it only through His mercy and not through our own merits. “When a man sees that whatever good he has is from the mercy of God and not from his own merits, he ceases to be proud.” [In Ps. lxxxiv] ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).