Virgo Potens

Month of the Holy Family ~ February 2nd Second Day Humility is the mother of many virtues. It is this virtue that gives birth to obedience, patience, the fear of God, modesty, and peace.—St. Thomas of Villanova So great an affection did St. Jane Frances de Chantal have for humility that she watched continually over herself lest some occasion should be lost for practising this virtue. Writing to St. Francis de Sales, she said: “My dear Father, I beseech you, for the honor of God, help me to humble myself." Prayer My adorable Saviour, when I reflect to what an excess Thou hast humbled Thyself for me, I am confused at the little love I have for humiliations. I will let no occasion pass that can serve to humble me, that I may imitate and please Thee. ~ Abbé Lasausse, Short Meditations For Every Day (1889)

Litany of Humility O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, O Jesus. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. ~ Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta Cardinal Merry del Val was the Secretary of State to Pope Saint Pius X (1903-1914)

Month of the Holy Family ~ February 1st “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”—St. Luke xiv. 11 First Day Humility is the foundation of every virtue. There is no better means to obtain heavenly gifts than humility.—St. Augustin. The virtue the practice of which St. Vincent of Paul most recommends is humility. It is the virtue which St. Louis of Gonzaga desired with most ardor; every day he prayed to the saints and angels to obtain by their intercession the grace to follow in this royal road in which they had walked before him. A holy religious was accustomed to say: “ I would will­ingly give both eyes to acquire the virtue of humility.” Prayer My God, give me humility; grant that I may know my nothingness, my miseries, my weakness. Grant that this knowledge may keep me humble in Thy sight; and may I never cease to implore the assistance of Thy grace! ~ Abbé Lasausse, Short Meditations For Every Day (1889)

2024 February ~ Month of the Holy Family ~ Abbé Lasausse, Short Meditations For Every Day (1889) Humility

Thus ends the month of January and our study of the Holy Name of Jesus. May you find inspiration and consolation in all that you have learned from the writings of Fr. O’Sullivan. Beginning tomorrow, the Month of Holy Family, we will focus on humility, the foundation of all the other virtues. May God bless you!

Thus ends the month of January and our study of the Holy Name of Jesus. May you find inspiration and consolation in all that you have learned from the writings of Fr. O’Sullivan. Beginning tomorrow, the Month of Holy Family, we will focus on humility, the foundation of all of the other virtues. May God bless you!

January 31st ~ FEAST of ST. JOHN BOSCO This admirable “Apostle of Youth” is almost our contemporary. He founded the Salesian Society of St. Francis de Sales, and the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. His life work was consecrated to the care of young boys and girls. He died in 1888 and was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. The motto on the Salesian coat of arms: “Give me only souls and keep the rest,” bears witness to Don Bosco’s Christian ideal. ~ St. Joseph Daily Missal, 1956 St. John Bosco, pray for us.

Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ January 31st Chapter 8 The Doctrine of the Holy Name (continued) And in the future, when you say, “Jesus,” remember that you are offering to God all the infinite love and merits of His Son. You are offering Him His own Divine Son. You cannot offer Him anything holier, anything better, anything more pleasing to Him, anything more meritorious for yourself. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., The Wonders of the Holy Name (1946)

Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ January 30th Chapter 8 The Doctrine of the Holy Name (continued) You are perhaps surprised at this wonderful doctrine; you may never have heard it before. But now at last that you know the infinite wonders of the Name of Jesus, say this Holy Name constantly; say it devoutly. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., The Wonders of the Holy Name (1946)

January 29th ~ FEAST of ST. FRANCIS de SALES, Bishop, Confessor Doctor of the Church St. Francis was born near Annecy in Savoy, in 1567. After many victories and conversions which were the fruits of apostolic zeal in combatting Calvinism, St. Francis succeeded to the bishopric of Geneva. With St. Frances de Chantal he founded the Visitation Order. After writing several devout treatises for the edification of the faithful, he died at Lyons, France in 1622. He was canonized in 1655 and in 1877, Pius IX placed him among the Doctors of the. Church. ~ St. Joseph Daily Missal, 1956 St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ January 29th Chapter 8 The Doctrine of the Holy Name (continued) Do you believe, do you understand, Dear Reader, that God loves you so much, that He loves you so intimately, so personally. What a joy, what a consolation if you really knew and felt that the great God loves you—you, so sincerely! Our Lord has done still more, for He has made over to us all His infinite merits so that we can offer them to the Eternal Father as often as we like, a hundred, a thousand times a day. And that is what we can do each time we say “Jesus,” if only we remember what we are saying. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., The Wonders of the Holy Name (1946)

Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ January 28th Chapter 8 The Doctrine of the Holy Name The Incarnation (continued) St. Paul says that God exhausted all His power, wisdom and goodness in becoming man for us: “He emptied Himself out.” Our Lord confirms the words of the Apostle, for He says: “What more could I do?” All this God did, not for all men in general, but for each one of us in particular. Think, think of this. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., The Wonders of the Holy Name (1946)

Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ January 27th Chapter 8 The Doctrine of the Holy Name The Incarnation (continued) This stupendous act of love was so great the not even the highest Angels in Heaven could have conceived it possible, had not God revealed it to them. It was so great that the Jews, God’s chosen people, who were expecting a Saviour, were scandalized at the thought that God could humble Himself so much. The Gentile philosophers, notwithstanding their vaunted wisdom, said that it was madness to think that the Almighty God could do so much for love of man. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., The Wonders of the Holy Name (1946)

Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ January 26th Chapter 8 The Doctrine of the Holy Name (continued) The Incarnation God became man for love of us, but what does it avail us if we do not understand this love? God, the Infinite, Immense, Eternal, all-powerful God, the mighty Creator, the God that fills Heaven with His Majesty, hid all His power, His Majesty, His greatness, and became a little child in order to become like us and so to gain our love. He entered the pure womb of the Virgin Mary and there lay hidden for nine whole months. Then He was born in a stable between two animals. He was poor and humble. He passed 33 years working, suffering, praying, teaching His beautiful Religion, working miracles, doing good to all. He did all this to prove His love for each of us and so constrain us to love him. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., The Wonders of the Holy Name (1946)

January 25th ~ FEAST of the CONVERSION of ST. PAUL Station at St. Paul The conversion of Saul while journeying to Damascus is perhaps the greatest miracle in the history of the Primitive Church. The doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ which teaches us that all the faithful are members of the same Body, whose Head Christ is, receives a very clear meaning in the words of Christ addressed to Saul, the persecutor of Christians: “Saul, Saul, why didst thou persecute Me?” ~ St. Joseph Daily Missal, 1956 St. Paul, pray for us.

Praise the Lord all ye people. Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ January 25th Chapter 8 The Doctrine of the Holy Name (continued) Remember what St. Paul tells us about it. That it is “a name above all names,” and that . . . “In the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bend in Heaven, on earth and in Hell.” But why? Because “Jesus” signifies “God-made-man,” viz., the Incarnation. When the Son of God became man, He was called “Jesus,” so that when we say, “Jesus,” we offer to the Eternal Father the infinite love, the infinite merits of Jesus Christ; in a word, we offer Him His own Divine Son Himself; we offer Him the great Mystery of the Incarnation. Jesus IS the Incarnation! How few Christians have any adequate idea of this sublime mystery, and yet it is the greatest proof that God has given, or could give us, of His personal love for us. It is everything to us. ~ Fr. Paul O’Sullivan O.P., The Wonders of the Holy Name (1946)