Virgo Potens

Novena for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary August 6th - 14th Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life for body and soul. Thou hast granted Thy Mother a special place in Thy glory, and didst not allow decay to touch her body. As we rejoice in the Assumption of Mary, grant us renewed confidence in the victory of life over death. Amen. DAY 9 - August 14th O Blessed Mother Assumed into Heaven, after years of heroic martyrdom on earth, we rejoice that you have at last been taken to the throne prepared for you in Heaven by the Holy Trinity. Lift our hearts with you in the glory of your Assumption above the dreadful touch of sin and impurity. Teach us how small earth becomes when viewed from heaven. Make us realize that death is the triumphant gate through which we shall pass to your Son and that someday our bodies shall rejoin our souls in the unending bliss of heaven. From this earth, which we tread as pilgrims, we look to you for help. In honor of your Assumption into Heaven, we ask for this favor (Here mention your request). At the hour of our death, lead us safely to the presence of Jesus to enjoy the vision of God for all eternity together with you. Pray for us, O Queen assumed into heaven. Pray for us, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

2 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 14th The exact nature of this sword of sorrow in the commentaries of the Fathers is a much mooted question, but seems universally accepted today as Mary's sorrow in the realization of the division among men concerning her divine Son, and for her this sword is greatest when it pierces her Heart beneath the cross. Here she sought not whatever encouragements and consolations she might have received, but by her deep suffering and compassion she shared more fully in the Passion of her Son. Paradoxically, it was here beneath the Cross that Mary's love for all mankind was, through the will of Christ, augmented in her maternal Heart. She saw beyond the immediate surroundings of Calvary and willingly made the sacrifice of her divine Son that all souls of all ages might through the love of her maternal Heart be born to a new life in God. Thus we see how the references in Sacred Scripture to Mary's Heart along with the words of Simeon will serve as a basis and foundation for the development of the devotion to Mary's Immaculate Heart. It remains now for us to investigate, in the writings of the Fathers and in the literature left by other early saints and ecclesiastics, the use of the term "Heart of Mary" and the associations connected therewith. —— Footnotes omitted. ~ Fr. John F. Murphy, Mary’s Immaculate Heart. (1951)

1 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 14th It is in St. Luke's Gospel again that we find recorded another text which centers our attention on Mary's Heart namely, the text containing the words of the aged Simeon to our Blessed Mother: And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (Luke 2:35). It is certainly from this text that one of the most popular representations of the Heart of Mary has been adapted; that of the heart pierced by a sword. Even in Patristic times the sword is understood as piercing the Heart of Mary. (continued)

OUR LADY OF FATIMA NOVENA August 13th - August 21st Posted at Christus Regnat, beginning August 13th, in preparation for the traditional Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, August 22nd https://t.me/RexUniversi

Monthly Renewal of Consecration to Mary To be said on the 13th of every month in honor of Our Lady of Fatima I, (say your name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my baptism; I renounce Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the Heavenly court I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity. Amen.

Novena for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary August 6th - 14th Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life for body and soul. Thou hast granted Thy Mother a special place in Thy glory, and didst not allow decay to touch her body. As we rejoice in the Assumption of Mary, grant us renewed confidence in the victory of life over death. Amen. DAY 8 - August 13th Mary, Queen Assumed into Heaven, we rejoice that you are the Queen of Heaven and Earth. You gave your holy fiat to God and became the Mother of our Savior. Obtain peace and salvation for us through your prayers, for you have given birth to Christ our Lord, the Savior of all mankind. Intercede for us and bring our petitions before the Throne of God. (Here mention your request). Through your prayers, may our souls be filled with an intense desire to be like you, a humble vessel of the Holy Spirit and a servant of the Almighty God. Pray for us, O Queen assumed into heaven, pray for us. Amen

2 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 13th It is difficult to ascertain the full import as well as the limitations of St. Luke's two verses, namely Luke 2: 19 and 51; but without a doubt, to interpret as do some authors the use of the word "heart" in these texts as referring simply to the memory of the Blessed Mother is certainly to underestimate the content of the Evangelist's words. The entire Patristic tradition of comment on these verses militates against any such limited understanding of the texts. The Fathers depict Mary's Heart as the receptacle or tabernacle for the divine mysteries and arguments of faith. Today, exegetes interpret St. Luke's words as expressive of the complexity of the Blessed Mother's interior life, with particular reference to the operation of the intellectual faculties. She retained these words in her Heart, meditating upon them, weighing them, and keeping them that later she might reveal to the Evangelists many things that she alone knew about her divine Son. At all events, in view of the comments of the Fathers and exegetes on these important verses of St. Luke, we cannot fail to recognize that herein is contained a scriptural foundation for that devotion which, along with Tradition, the Liturgy, and all Marian Theology, has brought a special veneration to the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God. —— Footnotes omitted. ~ Fr. John F. Murphy, Mary’s Immaculate Heart. (1951)

1 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 13th We know, however, that though we have in these texts the seeds of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the full and correct concept of what is dogmatically contained in the devotion to the Immaculate Heart is scarcely conveyed by the two afore-mentioned verses of St. Luke and, in fact, some would trace the origin of the devotion to the words of Simeon (Luke 2:35) which we shall investigate shortly. (continued)

1 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 13th We know, however, that though we have in these texts the seeds of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the full and correct concept of what is dogmatically contained in the devotion to the Immaculate Heart is scarcely conveyed by the two afore-mentioned verses of St. Luke and, in fact, some would trace the origin of the devotion to the words of Simeon (Luke 2:35) which we shall investigate shortly. (continued)

Novena for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary August 6th - 14th Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life for body and soul. Thou hast granted Thy Mother a special place in Thy glory, and didst not allow decay to touch her body. As we rejoice in the Assumption of Mary, grant us renewed confidence in the victory of life over death. Amen. DAY 7 - August 12th Mary, Queen of every heart, accept all that we are and bind us to Jesus with the bonds of love so that we may be yours forever and may be able to say in all truth: "I belong to Jesus through Mary". Our Mother, Assumed into Heaven and Queen of the Universe, ever-Virgin Mother of God, obtain for us what we ask, if it be for the glory of God and the good of our souls. (Here mention your request). Our Mother, assumed into Heaven, we love you. Give us a greater love for Jesus and for you. O Queen, assumed into heaven, pray for us. Amen.

2 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 12th And again, upon finding our blessed Lord in the Temple, after which the Holy Family returned to Nazareth, St. Luke writes that our Blessed Mother, reflecting on what had come to pass and on the words of her Son, kept all these things carefully in her heart (Luke 2:51). It is because of these two instances wherein St. Luke mentions the Heart of Mary that St. John Eudes can say that the devotion to the virginal Heart of the Mother of God has its origin and foundation in the Holy Gospel itself. The Holy Ghost, he says, through the inspiration of the Evangelist St. Luke, willed that the Heart of Mary be depicted as the sacred repository and faithful custodian of the ineffable mysteries and treasures contained in the life of our Lord; and explicit mention of the Heart of Mary must have been made, he continues, that men might forever honor her august Heart. 18 —— 18 St. John Eudes, Le Coeur admirable de la Très Sacree Mère de Dieu, Oeuvres Completes, Tome VII, Livre 6, Paris, 1908, p. 234: "De sorte que cette devotion a son origine et son fondement dans le saint Evangile. Car, piusque le Saint-Esprit, qui a dicté aux Sacrés Evangélistes tout ce qu'ils ont écrit, a voulu que tun d'entre eux nous ait parlé si dignement et si honorablement du Coeur virginal de la Mère du Sauveur, nous le representant comme le sacre depositaire et le fidele gardien des mysteres in- effables et des tresors inestimables qui sont contenus dans la vie admirable de ce divin Redempteur sans doute que c'est aim qu'à son imitation, nous honorions ce Coeur très auguste et très digne d'un honneur éternel." ~ Fr. John F. Murphy, Mary’s Immaculate Heart. (1951)

Marie conservait toutes ces choses en son cœur. Mary treasured all these things in her heart. 1 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 12th THE NEW TESTAMENT Apart from the history of the infancy and boyhood of Christ we find in the books of the New Testament comparatively little concerning the Mother of God. It is in the recording of the events of these very days, however, that St. Luke twice mentions the Heart of our Blessed Mother. First, on occasion of the arrival of the shepherds at Bethlehem, we read where all who heard marveled at the things told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept in mind all these words, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:18-19). (continued)

Novena for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary August 6th - 14th Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life for body and soul. Thou hast granted Thy Mother a special place in Thy glory, and didst not allow decay to touch her body. As we rejoice in the Assumption of Mary, grant us renewed confidence in the victory of life over death. Amen. DAY 6 - August 11th Mary, our dear Mother and mighty Queen, take and receive our poor hearts with all their freedom and desires, all the love and all the virtues and graces with which they may be adorned. All we are and all we might be, all we have and hold in the order of nature as well as of grace, we have received from God through your loving intercession. Help us dear Mother to surrender to God all that we have, including our petitions. (Here mention your request). Our Lady and Queen, into your gentle hands, we entrust all, that it may be returned to its noble origin. O Queen, assumed into heaven, pray for us. Amen.

2 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 11th In the Psalms also we find innumerable references, 16 some of which are applied to Mary in an accommodated, others in a typical sense. The liturgy of the new Mass Adeamus for the Universal Feast of the Immaculate Heart employs in the Introit the second verse of Psalm 44: eructamt cor meum verbum bonum: dico ego opera mea regi. 17 Thus the inspired writings of the Old Testament are rich in Mariological application, and it is not surprising that even these sections of Sacred Scripture have been employed in the honor and praise of Mary's Heart. —— 16 Cf. F. Ceuppens, Theologia Biblica, Vol. IV, "De Mariologia Biblica," Torino, 1948, p. 252. 17 St. Robert Bellarmine, Explanatio in Psalmos, Rome, 1931, p. 240: ". . . Propheta dixit, verbum bonum eructasse cor suum, non verba bona in numero multitudinis . . . Deum in his verbis ita descripsisse emanationem huius verbi ex corde Davidis, ut alluserit ad productionem Verbi aeterni. . . ." ~ Fr. John F. Murphy, Mary’s Immaculate Heart. (1951)

1 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 11th The liturgy of the Church applies the "Wisdom personified" in the Sapiential books to Mary, which application has been traditional in the Church since the time of the Fathers. Over and above these more explicit applications of Old Testament texts to the Blessed Mother we have the numerous prototypes of Mary and the many texts in connection with them. (continued)

Novena for the Feast of St. John Eudes August 10th - 18th Posted at Christus Regnat, beginning August 10th. https://t.me/RexUniversi