Virgo Potens

For of Him, and by Him, and in Him are all things; to Him be glory for ever. Amen. ~ St. Paul, Rom. 11:36 GLORY BE TO THE FATHER This is the prayer known as the doxology. It is a short verse praising God, used since about the seventh century all over Western Christendom in the form in which we know it today. It is commonly called the lesser doxology. The greater doxology is the ''Gloria in excelsis Deo" in the Mass. In the Rosary the ''Glory be to the Father'' is as it were a bond linking together the prayers of the rosary, or a transition from the oft repeated "Hail Mary" to the less often said "Our Father." It is essentially a prayer of praise, and as such is most appropriately incorporated in the little chaplet of Our Lady's rosary. ~ The Rev. .Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2. Touch the hearts of the Pastors who gather in the Synod: give them the courage to defend strenuously, even to the point of sacrificing their lives, that immutable treasure of Faith and Morals that the Apostles transmitted to us intact. Send Thy Spirit, the Consoler, to enlighten misguided minds. Inflame sterile and rebellious hearts with the fire of Thy Charity. Awaken in Thy Ministers apostolic zeal for the salvation of souls, for the honor of the Holy Church, and for Thy Glory. Restore virile pride to the Consecrated, so that they may have Thee as a model of purity and sanctity, and let them avoid the corruption of vices and the plague of impurity. Inspire those in authority with feelings of true repentance and resolutions of sincere reparation for the scandals that humiliate Thy Bride and disgust souls, so that the Calvary that the Church will have to climb, following Thine example, in order to merit eternal glory, may find us and our Pastors worthy of fighting the spiritual battle that awaits us under Thy holy insignia and under the protective mantle of Thy Most August Mother. And so may it be. + Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop October 2023 Published at LifeSiteNews.com Grammar and punctuation edited slightly for increased clarity and consistency by Virgo Potens.

PRAYER to CHRIST, KING AND HIGH PRIEST to implore protection for the Holy Church October 1st, 2023 Lord Jesus Christ, King and High Priest of the Holy Church, Who ordered Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles, to feed the sheep and lambs of Thy flock, giving him the Holy Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven: turn Thy gaze to the Church Militant on earth, besieged by external and internal enemies who plot Her destruction and seek the ruin of the souls Thou hast redeemed with Thy Most Precious Blood. We, prostrate before Thine altar, recognize Thee as our King and Lord, and we offer homage to Thee as the Supreme High Priest of the Mystical Body. For too long, Lord, we have disgusted Thee with our lukewarmness; for too long we have silently witnessed the betrayal of Thy holy Law; for too long we have confused the virtue of Obedience with vile servility. We remained silent when Thy doctrine was denied by infidel mercenaries; we tolerated Thy Holy Sacrifice being adulterated and tampered with; we looked away while Thou wast offended and profaned in the Blessed Sacrament; we put human respect and the spirit of the world ahead of the duty to bear witness to Thy Name and to profess the Faith that Thou hast taught us. How we could be surprised today that, in the face of so much tepidity, so many betrayals, Thy Justice rightly punishes us with the severity of the Father offended by his ungrateful children? And how could we hope for Thy Mercy, when we have denied Thee more times than Peter, when we have worshipped the golden calf, just like, and even worse than, the Jews in the desert? We dare not lift our gaze towards the Throne of Thy Majesty, because we fear meeting the face of wrath and anger that our innumerable personal and social faults have heaped upon our heads. Allow us therefore, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Eternal Father, to turn to Thy Most Holy Mother, Our Lady and Queen: allow us to have recourse to Her, Whom in humility Thou allowed to crush the head of the Serpent, so that we, confident and repentant, may see our prayers answered. As our High Priest, intercede with the Father and the Holy Spirit so that Thou, Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, may free us from the assaults of an enemy who is all the more ferocious the closer the inexorable hour of his eternal defeat approaches. May Mary Most Holy, Thy Living Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, vanquish Satan and his hosts. We place in the hands of Thy most August Mother, all the misery of our supplications, our fasting, and our penances, aware that She, Mediatrix of all Graces and Help of Christians, will be able to present them before Thee and to ask for Thy forgiveness, bringing about an end to these terrible days of subversion and apostasy. And, as the Immaculate Virgin wast united with Thy Passion as Co-Redemptrix, so we implore Thee to unite Thyself to the Passion of the Church, Thy mystical Body, so that the treasures of Graces of our Redemption through Thy Cross may still be poured out on the Holy Church, on her Ministers, on all the Faithful and on the many souls Thou hast regenerated in the Font of Baptism. Have mercy on Thy flock, abandoned by the shepherds and left at the mercy of predatory wolves. Have mercy on the Bishops and Priests who suffer persecution for being faithful to Thee. Have mercy on the men and women religious who implore Thee in the silence of their cloisters. Have mercy on the Faithful, hungry for the heavenly food of the Most Holy Eucharist and thirsty for the pure water of Thy Word. And, if the authority of the Chief Shepherd, whom Thou established on earth as Thy Vicar, is today usurped to disperse the flock, becoming an accomplice to the workers of iniquity, deign to open the eyes of those who refuse to see the massacre of innocents that is taking place, the ruin of so many souls destined for the glory of Heaven, the scandalization of the little ones.

The Month of the Holy Angels October 5th The Angels are unspeakably lovely, they have no shadow of imperfection, no defects. Nothing on this earth can possibly give us an idea of their resplendent glory. No painter, no poet, no artist ever conceived anything like them. They are living replicas of God’s beauty. Fra Angelico’s pictures of the Angels excel those of any other artist so that Michelangelo exclaimed on seeing them: “Angelico must have seen these Angels in Heaven; otherwise, he could never have painted them as he has done.” But even Angelico’s pictures do not give us the faintest idea of the real Angels. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

You therefore shall pray in this manner: Our Father Who art in heaven. Matt. 6:9 THE OUR FATHER The Our Father—often called ''The Lord's Prayer"—has come to us from the divine lips of Jesus Himself. He taught it publicly to the multitude who listened to His Sermon on the Mount, and privately to His Apostles when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. In the brief compass of fifty-six words are incorporated the threefold purpose of all prayer, namely, praise, thanksgiving and petition. In the recitation of the Holy Rosary we repeat the Our Father at the beginning of every decade. How marvelously fitting it is that the prayer of her Divine Son should begin each decade of our Blessed Lady's chaplet. Let us strive to say the Our Father with the love and delight with which Our Lady said it! ~ The Rev. .Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

The Month of the Holy Angels October 4th Who Are The Angels? The Angels are pure spirits, the mighty Princes of Heaven who stand before God, gazing on His unveiled presence. They are burning fires of love filled to overflowing with the plentitude of happiness. No two Angels are alike, no two are equal. God’s perfections are infinite, and the countless millions of Angels reflect these perfections in a divinely marvelous way. No two men, no two women, are identically alike, but the difference between them is relatively slight, whereas the difference between two Angels is vast, complete. Every Angel is specifically different from the other as one species differs from another. All the millions of men and women who people the world, all those who have ever lived or will live are of one and the same species, but each Angel is a species all in himself. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall over-shadow thee. Luke 1:35 THE CREED Long-standing custom has firmly established the practice of beginning the rosary with the Apostles Creed. And this is most fitting, for in that creed we assert our belief in the fundamental truths of our religion, and as it were, announce anew our steadfast and unhesitating adherence to the dogmas and doctrines declared by the infallible authority of the Apostles to be essential to salvation. This creed according to a pious belief was the first catechism of the church, a document drawn up and subscribed to by all the Apostles before their dispersion from Jerusalem, whence they went to teach all nations. Our Blessed Lady herself was present at the council which produced and promulgated this CREED, and aided by her advice and prayers in its construction. Let us repeat it with respect, with reverence and with great devotion as we begin the rosary. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

The Month of the Holy Angels October 3rd The teaching of the Church about the Angels is most beautiful and consoling, but unfortunately many Christians have scant knowledge of the great world of the Angels. They know little about these blessed Spirits, love them little and seldom pray to them. Worst of all, they do not realize their presence. They show no confidence in them, and they do not call on them for help when dangers and difficulties press around. As a result they forfeit a thousand blessings that they might easily enjoy and fall victim to a thousand accidents that they might easily have avoided. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Luke 1:28 Even a glance at her prerogatives should induce us to honor Mary. She was created and formed by the Almighty to be the Mother of his only-begotten Son. In this everything consists. For in this we find the pledge that in herself, Mary, in her body and in her soul, unites all the perfections and virtues that ever a man possessed or could possess. God as made manifest in her his highest art. Hence she is as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, and there is no spot in her. We know that men are distinguishable from one another by their good qualities; namely, by their beauty, skill, robustness, happy disposition, great acquirements, devotion to those in distress, purity and simplicity of heart, and the like. We admire them on this account, and frequently pay them high honors because they possess in a high degree one of these qualities. How great must then be our esteem and admiration for Mary, and the honor in which we hold her, since she surpasses and unites in herself all the excellent qualities with which men are endowed! ~ Rev. W. Cramer, The Most Holy Rosary (1887) Progress in the knowledge, love and imitation of Mary Our Mother is the object sought by these October Devotions. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

October 2nd ~ Feast of the HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS PRAYER to ONE’s GUARDIAN ANGEL O most faithful companion, appointed by God to be my Guardian, and who never leaves my side, how shall I thank thee for thy faithfulness and love and for the benefits which thou hast obtained for me! Thou watchest over me when I sleep; thou comfortest me when I am sad; thou avertest the dangers that threaten me and warnest me of those to come; thou withdrawest me from sin and inspirest me to good; thou exhortest me to penance when I fall and reconcilest me to God. I beg thee not to leave me. Comfort me in adversity, restrain me in prosperity, defend me in danger, and assist me in temptations, lest at any time I fall beneath them. Offer up in the sight of the Divine Majesty my prayers and petitions, and all my works of piety, and help me to persevere in grace until I come to everlasting life. Amen.

Another reason we should make friends with the Angels is that they are our dearest and best friends. A good friend, a friend who is able and always ready to help us, a friend to whom we can have recourse in all our troubles and sorrows, is one of the greatest blessings God can give us. Our human hearts thirst for love and sympathy. Among men we rarely or never find such a friend, but this is not so with the Angels. They are most desirous to be our friends and they love us with all the intensity of their angelic natures. Since they are all-powerful and generous, we can have the fullest confidence in their help and friendship. The one friendship on this Earth that gives us any idea of the love of the Angels is the affection of a mother. This is the purest, the most generous, the strongest of all human loves. The mother loves her children with unbounded affection . . . . If a poor frail mother — she may be young or old, rich or poor, full of weaknesses and imperfections — can rise to such a height of love and abnegation as this, what may we not expect from God’s Angels, who have no defects, no imperfections and who love us with all the might power of their glorious angelic natures? ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

The Month of the Holy Angels October 2nd

The Most Holy Rosary is a prayer for the hour of need. The confusion and the miseries of the present time have again put it more in practice, and so it is hoped that for the welfare of Christianity it will again assert its old power. The Rosary is, besides, in its nature a prayer combined with meditation, and only when it is practised as such, can it unfold to us its full benefit. . . . May our dear Mother Mary cast a look of pleasure upon this little book, and condescend to use it as a means for the greater diffusion of love and veneration towards her! ~ Rev. W. Cramer, The Most Holy Rosary (1887) The honor that we pay to Mary is exceedingly agreeable to God. This honor He regards with the same pleasure as the honor that we pay to himself. “To honor a mother,” says St. Jerome, “is indeed just as much as to honor her son; we cannot doubt that the praise that we confer on Mary is conducive to the glory of her Son.” ~ Rev. W. Cramer, The Most Holy Rosary (1887)

The Month of the Holy Angels October 1st Why Ignore Our Best Friends? “Make friends with the Angels” is the advice which the great Pope, St. Leo, gives every Christian and it is advice that everyone should follow. If we make friends with the Angels — and nothing is easier — we shall receive innumerable and great favors which otherwise we shall never obtain. Our Angel friends, too, will shield and protect us from countless dangers, evils, sickness and accidents which, without their help, we could to possible avoid. In a word, these all-powerful and loving protectors will secure for us a degree of happiness that, without their assistance, we could not hope for in this vale of tears! ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., All About the Angels (1945)

Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Luke 1:48 Our Holy Mother, the Church, has set apart the month of October as the month of the Holy Rosary. The prophesy of Our Lady herself finds its most complete fulfilment in the daily devout recital of her little chaplet known as the beads. Men of every nation and tribe and tongue and generation repeat and reiterate the truth foretold in the prophesy, when they say of her "BLESSED ART THOU" in every recitation of the Hail Mary. It is an utterance easy to the tongue, familiar to the ear, soothing to the heart, comforting to the soul; and it comes to us hallowed by centuries of use by the clients of Our Lady, and especially approved and indulgenced by the most solemn decrees of the Catholic Church. Let us resolve today that our growth in devotion to the Rosary shall keep pace with the advance of the month of October. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)