Virgo Potens

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus~ July 8th What is dignity? We increase in dignity and lay claim to greater honor from others in proportion as we approach the Deity. Now there can be no closer proximity between two living beings than there exists between the person giving and the person receiving that life. By her maternity as Mother of Christ, Mary obtained the nearest proximity to God imaginable. Hence her divine maternity procures for her a dignity beyond all comparison. (continued below)

The Broad and Narrow Way Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 7th The Mystery of the Precious Blood But there are some who do not feel that sin is such a horror or captivity. They say it lays no weight upon their hearts. They say their lives are full of sunshine and that time flows with them, as the merry rivulet runs in summer, with a soothing brawl over its coloured stones, and its waters glancing in the sun. . . Yet even if the sinner could go through life with the gay indifference to which he pretends, he is not to be envied. It is only a sleep, a lethargy, or a madness, one or other of these according to his natural disposition. For there must be an awakening at last; and when and where will it be? What if the sinner’s awakening should be from the first touch of the fire that burns beyond the grave? ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

2 of 2 ACT OF REPARATION to the PRECIOUS BLOOD Who will not bless this Blood of value infinite? Who does not feel himself inflamed with the love of Jesus, who shed it all for us? What should I be but for this Blood which hath redeemed me? And who drew Thee out of the veins of my Lord, even unto the last drop? It was Love! O immense love, which gave us this saving balsam! O Balsam beyond all price streaming forth from the fount of immeasurable lovel Give to all hearts, all tongues, power to praise, celebrate, and thank Thee now and ever, and throughout all eternity. Amen. (Raccolta, p. 96) ~ Rev. Edward Caswall, Confraternity Manual of the Most Precious Blood, 1861.

1 of 2 ACT OF REPARATION to the PRECIOUS BLOOD An indulgence of 300 days is granted to all who say this prayer Most Precious Blood of life eternal! price and ransom of the whole universe! drink and bath of the soul! ever pleading the cause of man before the throne of heavenly Mercy! I adore Thee most profoundly; I would, if I were able, make Thee some compensation for the outrages and wrongs Thou dost ever suffer from men, and especially from those who in their rashness dare to blaspheme Thee. (continued)

The Broad and Narrow Way Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 7th The Mystery of the Precious Blood But there are some who do not feel that sin is such a horror or captivity. They say it lays no weight upon their hearts. They say their lives are full of sunshine and that time flows with them, as the merry rivulet runs in summer, with a soothing brawl over its coloured stones, and its waters glancing in the sun. . . Yet even if the sinner could go through life with the gay indifference to which he pretends, he is not to be envied. It is only a sleep, a lethargy, or a madness, one or other of these according to his natural disposition. For there must be an awakening at last; and when and where will it be? What if the sinner’s awakening should be from the first touch of the fire that burns beyond the grave? ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus~ July 7th Eve offered us the fruit of death. But Thou, O most holy Mother, didst give us the fruit of eternal life. How can I thank Thee enough for so sublime a gift? O my celestial Queen, how could I ever forget Thee ? How could I but love Thee? Forever and ever thou shalt be to me “the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.” The Precious Blood of Thy Son shall ever remind me that it was taken from thy blood ; just as my devotion to Thee shall ever increase my devotion to the price of my redemption. ~ Rev. M. F. Walz, C. PP. S., Why Is Thy Apparel Red? or Glories of the Precious Blood (1914).

2 of 2 NOVENA to OUR LADY of Mt. CARMEL Day One (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. Day One O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of sinners, Special Protectress of those who wear thy Holy Scapular, I implore of thee to obtain for me, from thy dear Son Jesus, the pardon of my sins, the grace necessary for the amendment of my life, and the salvation of my soul. Be thou also, O Lady, my help in necessity, my consolation in tribulation, and obtain for me what I ask in this Novena, if it be to His greater glory and for the good of my soul: and uniting myself to all the Angels, Saints, and Just, I salute thee, saying, Hail Mary . . . Here the Hail Mary is to be repeated three times.

1 of 2 NOVENA to OUR LADY of Mt. CARMEL (July 7 - July 15) Day One 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 ❀•°❀°•❀•°❀°•❀ •°❀°•❀ THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS MARY’S GREAT PROMISE AT FATIMA (continued from above) This devotion and the wonderful promises connected with it were revealed by the Blessed Virgin with these words recorded by Lucy, one of the three children to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917: I promise to help at the hour of death, with the graces needed for salvation, whoever on the First Saturday of five consecutive months shall: 1. Confess and receive Holy Communion. 2. Recite five decades of the Rosary. 3. And keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me. NOTE: Confession during the week, preceding the first Friday, will suffice for the first Saturday, or conversely when Saturday is the first day of the month. The Rosary May be recited at any convenient time of the day, and the fifteen minute meditation may be made at any time during the day on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary. A sermon for the occasion may be substituted for the meditation. ~ St. Joseph Daily Missal (1950) ❀•°❀°•❀•°❀°•❀ •°❀°•❀

FIRST SATURDAY of JULY 💙 1 of 2 ❀•°❀°•❀•°❀°•❀ •°❀°•❀ THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS MARY’S GREAT PROMISE AT FATIMA THE observance of the First Saturday in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is intended to console her Immaculate Heart, and to make reparation for all the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. (continued)

2 of 2 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. Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so 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. ~ St. Joseph Daily Missal (1950)

1 of 2 ACT of REPARATION to the IMMACULATE HEART of MARY

I am the way, the truth and the life. Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 6th The Mystery of the Precious Blood How hideous the difference of that first moment after death, if we had not been saved! It turns us cold to think of it. But oh joy of joys! We have seen the Face of Jesus; and the light in His eyes, and the smile upon His Face, and the words upon His lips, were salvation. ~ 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 6th It is an article of faith that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave to the Son of God that most pure and Precious Blood which the Holy Ghost drew from her virginal veins as from the original source of man’s redemption. This body of the Mother of God, in the order of nature, was purer than the rays of the sun, and in the order of grace, purer than the blessed Spirits. I am, Mary can say of herself, the mystic vine which produced the sweet and lovely grape from which that mysterious wine of salvation was pressed, the Blood of the new and eternal Testament. “As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour; and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches” (Eccl. XXIV, 23). ~ 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 6th “We must also remember that Jesus Blood was wholly Mary’s. It was not as in the case of other children who have an earthly father. The Body of Jesus was formed in Mary’s womb by the operation of the Holy Ghost, and naturally Jesus was altogether hers. In heaven, the Body that Jesus wears is still the Body derived from Mary, and this union is now closer than ever.” Clarke, S. J. (continued below)

2 of 2 The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary 1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life. 2. I will establish peace in their homes. 3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions. 4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death. 5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings. 6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy. 7. Tepid souls shall become fervent. 8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection. 9. I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be exposed and honored. 10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts. 11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced. 12. I promise thee in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their Sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment. ~ The Saint Joseph Daily Missal, 1950.

1 of 2 The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary FAITHFUL Catholics consecrate to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the spirit of reparation, the First Friday of each month. Jesus Himself made these twelve promises to St. Margaret Mary in favor of those who practice and promote this devotion. (continued)

ACT of OBLATION to be made before a Representation of the Sacred Heart MY loving Jesus, out of the grateful love I bear Thee, and to make reparation for my unfaithfulness to grace, I (N.N.) give Thee my heart, and I consecrate myself wholly to Thee; and with Thy help I purpose never to sin again. i. 100 Days, once a day. ii. Plenary, once a month. Pius VII, Mem., June 9, 1807 (The Raccolta, 1910)

Month of the Precious Blood ~ July 5th The first moment after death is a moment which must infallibly come to every one of us. Earth lies behind us, silently wheeling its obedient way through the black-tinted space. The measureless spaces of eternity lie outstretched before us. The words of our sentence have scarcely floated away into silence. It is a sentence of salvation. The great risk has been run, and we are saved. God's power is holding our soul lest it should die of gladness. It cannot take in the whole of its eternity. The least accidental joy is a world of beatitude in itself. The blaze of the Vision is overwhelming. Then the truth that eternity is eternal, —this is so hard to master. Yet all this is only what we mean when we pronounce the word salvation. ~ Frederick William Faber, D.D., The Precious Blood: or, The Price of Our Salvation (1860)

Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus~ July 5th “We also find in this thought a fresh proof of Mary’s unblemished purity. It is repugnant to our reverence for the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity to imagine Him dwelling in a womb that had ever been defiled with sin, and much more to suppose that the Precious Blood that flowed in His veins and was the price of our redemption did not come from a source as pure as God could make it.” [—Clarke, S.J.] ~ Rev. M. F. Walz, C. PP. S., Why Is Thy Apparel Red? or Glories of the Precious Blood (1914).