The soul that regrets her sin

"When I wish to attract a soul nearer to Me, I ask sacrifices of her. That is the mark of My predilection.
It is the sun that gives the earth its beauty and animates it.
It is My grace that gives souls their beauty and that animates them.
My Omnipotence is limited only by your liberty.
It is with coal that I make diamonds.
What whould I not do with a soul, however black she might be, who would give herself to Me!
The soul that regrets her sin and makes reparation for it gives me a greater proof of love than a soul that has avoided sin. She who has avoided it gives me in an instant a passing proof of the solidity of her love; she who regrets and makes reparation offers me repeated proofs of it. She becomes so dear to Me that I unite her to Myself. The other avoided sin because she was already united to Me..."

Jesus to Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity, Poor Clare of Jerusalem (1901-1942)

The Mother's Hymn

Lord, who ordainest for mankind
Benignant toils and tender cares,
We thank Thee for the ties that bind
The mother to the child she bears.
We thank Thee for the hopes that rise.
Within her heart, as day by day
The dawning soul, from those young eyes
Looks with a clearer, steadier ray,
And grateful for the blessing given
With that dear infant on her knee,
She strains her eyes to look to heaven
The voice to lisp a prayer to Thee.

Such thanks the Blessed Mary gave
When from her lap the Holy Child,
Sent from on high to seek and save
The lost on earth, looked up and smiled.
All Gracious! grant to those that bear
A mother's charge, the strength and light
To guide the feet that own them care
In ways of love and truth and light.

William Cullen Bryant

Lady of the Trinity

Maid who wed Infinity,
Clay that shaped Divinity,
Lady of the Trinity,
Life is filled with fears.

Golden wheat that made the Host,
Mortal woman loved the most
By Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
Life is wet with tears.

Flame of wisdom, holy shrine,
Chalice of Bread and Wine,
Vineyard that produced the Vine,
Death speeds like a dart.

Immaculate virginity,
God-filled feminity,
Lady of the Trinity,
Keep us in your heart.

Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, KY

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

At the time of Mary's birth the whole world was plunged in darkness. The heathen nations were steeped in vice and pride. The Jews, too, had corrupted their ways and departed from God. Everywhere there was sin und gloom, scarce any bright spot on the face of the earth.
But when Mary was born, a light arose amid the darkness: the dawn of the glorious day that was to usher in the Redeemer. So, too, the darkness of the sinner's soul is dispersed by Mary's holy influence. Where the love of her is born in the soul, all becomes full of light, and Jesus comes to make His habitation there. Mary, in the first hour of her life, brought more glory to God than all the saints of the Old Testament. In her were made perfect the obedience of Abraham, the chastity of Joseph, the patience of Job, the meekness of Moses, the prudence of Josue. It is because she is the model and pattern of these and all other virtues that she can communicate them to us.

Special Prayer to Saint Joseph

Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interest and desires.
Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the Loving of Fathers.
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for me.

This prayer was found in the fiftieth year of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In 1505 ist was sent from the Pope to Emperor Charles when he was going into battle. Whoever shall read this prayer or hear it or keep it about themselves, shall never die a sudden death or be drowned, nor shall poison take effect on them; neither shall they fall into the hands of the enemy, or shall be burned in any fire or shall be overpowered in battle.
Say it for nine mornings for anything you may desire. It has never been known to fail, so be sure you really want what you ask.

Devotion for Benediction

O JESUS, Who art about to give Thy Benediction to me, and to all who are here present, I humbly beseech Thee that it may impart to each and all of us the special graces we need. Yet more than this I ask. Let Thy blessing go forth far and wide. Let it be felt in the souls of the afflicted who cannot come here to receive it at Thy Feet. Let the weak and tempted feel its power wherever they may be. Let poor sinners feel its influence, arousing them to come to Thee. Grant to me, O Lord, and to all here present, a strong personal love of Thee, a lively horror of sin, a higher esteem of grace, great zeal for Thy honour and glory, for the interest of Thy Sacred Heart for the salvation of souls, for our sanctification and that of all those confided to our care, and grant that in our intercourse with others we may lead many souls to Thee. Amen.

The Adoration of the Sacred Head of Christ as the Seat of Divine Wisdom, the crowning and perfection of all devotions

On April 27th 1880, Teresa Higginson wrote in a tone of triumph and in a trembling hand as though still half rapt in ecstasy:

“Our divine Lord says the time is at hand when the Wisdom of the Father shall be adored and the Love of God for man shall be revealed in the Light which shineth in darkness and enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world. It is the Will of our dear Blessed Lord that His Sacred Head be adored as the Seat of Divine Wisdom: not the Sacred Head alone, (I mean as we worship His sacred Hands and Feet) no, but the Head as the shrine of the powers of the Soul and the faculties of the Mind and in these the Wisdom which guided every affection of the Sacred Heart and motions of the whole Being of Jesus our Lord and our God. It is not His divine Will that the attributes or abstracts of the soul or mind, or that divine Wisdom which guided, governed and directed all in Him (the God Man) should have a distinct worship, but that they should all be specially honoured and His sacred Head adored as their Temple. And our dear Blessed Lord has shown me too how the head is also the centre of all the senses of the body, and that this devotion is the completion, not only of the devotion of the Sacred Heart, but the crowning and perfection of all devotions; and He showed me how the adorable Trinity at His baptism revealed to the world this special devotion, for His Sacred Humanity is the tabernacle of the thrice holy Trinity; and that St. John had specially spoken of this devotion for the Most High revealed to him that he should be thus worshipped before the end of the world, and he spoke of it as a magnificent city, etc. seeing the multitudes of variety and beauty and splendour of this Seat of divine Wisdom. It is a world of infinite magnitude, a sea of fathomless depths, a never setting sun of light inaccessible and immeasurable heights of untold mysteries of perfection and beauty. Our dear Blessed Lord did not positively state the precise time that this should be made a public devotion but He gave me to understand that whoever should venerate His sacred Head in this manner should draw down on themselves the choicest gifts of Heaven; and those who shall try by words or means to hinder or reject it shall be as glass that is cast down, or as an egg that is thrown to the wall, that is that they shall be shattered and become as naught, and shall be dried up and wither as grass on the housetop.

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The Image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Green Cloth

The Green Scapular or Scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is, like the Miraculous Medal, a gift of our Blessed Mother to the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
On November 27, 1839, Justine Bisqueyburu, destined by Providence to make known this devotion, enters the Seminary, or Novitiate of the Daughters of Charity, 140 rue du Bac, Paris. On January 28, 1840, during her first retreat, the young Sister was favored with a celestial vision. Our Lady appeared to her clothed in a long white robe over which hung a bright blue mantle. Her hair, which fell loosely over her shoulders, was not covered with a veil, and in her hands she held her Heart, from the top of which issued brilliant rays. To the dignity of her bearing was joined the dazzling brightness of celestial beauty. The young Sister, seized with admiration and fear, could scarcely repress an exlamation.
The same apparition was repeated four or five times during her Seminary on the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin. This favor seemed to have no other end than to increase in the Sister herself tender devotion to Mary Immaculate.
Clothed with the habit, Sister Bisqueyburu was sent to Blangy and shortly after her arrival, September 8, 1840, feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, she was favored during prayer with an apparition of the Mother of God, who held in her right hand her heart surrounded by flames, and in her left a sort of scapular, consisting of a single piece of green cloth suspended from a cord of the same color. On one side was a picture of the Blessed Virgin as she had shown herself in the apparitons; on the other, a Heart all inflamed with rays more brilliant than the sun, and clearer than crystal.
This Heart pierced with a sword was surrounded by an oval inscription, surmounted by a cross. The inscription read: "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death." At the same time an interior voice revealed to the Sister the meaning of this vision. She understood that this new Scapular, through the medium of the Sisters of Charity, would contribute to the conversion of theose who have no faith, and above all, procure for them a happy death, and that it sould be distributed immediately with confidence.
For various reasons the execution was long delayed, in consequence of which the Blessed Virgin in serveral apparitions between 1840 and 1846 complained to the Sister. As obstacles were removed, the Scapular was distributed, producing wonderful conversions and some bodily cures.
Among favors obtained are the following: A sick man, a declared enemy of all religion, was thrown into frenzy by the mere sight of a priest. He accepted a Green Scapular on September 19, 1842. Eleven days later, arising from dinner, he withdrew into an adjoining room, fell on his knees and took out his Scapular which he called an intermediary agent. Kissing it and bathing it with tears, he promised Our Lady to go to Confession within a week. That delay seemed too long, for the next day he received the Sacraments.
In 1844, a child of fourteen with depaved morals received the Scapular and in a few days his conversion was affected.
At Constantinople a Greek schismatic was converted by the Scapular and also cured of a hideous leprosy. Many similar examples might be cited.

The manner of using the Scapular was indicated by the Blessed Virgin. Since it is not the badge of a confraternity but simply a double image attached to a single piece of cloth and suspended from a cord, the formalities of a Scapular are not required for the Benediction and Imposition. It suffices that it be blessed by a priest and worn by the one for whom it is intended. It may be placed in the clothing, on the bed, or simply in the room. The only prayer to be recited is the inscirption surrounding the Heart on the reverse of the Scapular: "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death." This should be repeated daily, if not by the one wearing it, by the one giving it. The Scapular may be distributed everywhere. Although wonderful graces are attached to it, they are proportionate to the confidence with which it is given, as signified by the rays of different lengths which in the last apparitions, issued from the hands of the blessed Virgin.
The Green Scapular was twice approved by Pope Pius IX, in 1863, and again in 1870 when he said: "Write to these good Sisters that I authorize them to make and distribute it."

An exact account of any conversion or cure which may be attributed to the Green Scapular should be sent to Marian Center, Saint Joseph Central House, Emmitsburg, Maryland, with all circumstances of time, place and persons. Names should not be withheld under pretext of humility, for there is question of the glory of God and of His Holy Mother.

Nihil Obstat: E. A. Cerny, S.S., S.T.D., Censor Librorum
Imprimator: Francis P. Keough, D.D., Archbishop of Baltimore
Feast: Immaculate Heart of Mary, August 22, 1950

Among Mary's Gifts - The Green Scapular

By Robert A. Macdonald, C.Ss.R., written 1948

It is my conviction, that despite all the wars, the threats and the horror of Communism, we are living in the happiest of centuries. Never since the days that she taught the Infant Jesus to pray has the Mother of God been closer to the earth. We are living in the Age of Mary. Countless signs show us that she has come down from the Galilean hills of heaven to give us a new Bethlehem, a reborn Christ in the hearts of men. Germany, Italy, Portugal and France have been singularly blessed by her gentle presence. From all sides witnesses spring up to attest with wondrous proofs, her presence among us. She is walking on the earth!
However, there is a dark side to the picture today, the darkness of the beast. He prowls to trample and destroy. Never has he been so apparent. His time is growing short. No one knows better than he. He has never forgotten the prophecy in the garden: "I will put enmitites between thee and the woman... she shall crush thy head" (Gen. 3:15).
He realizes well what the coming of Mary means to him and his empire. God alone knows the furious activity of hell, the rage with which it strives to make this world a madhouse of hate. How he must hate the tender Virgin as she journeys from country to country. His power has been so great that he thought God had abandoned the world because of its unbelief. He was hopeful of finally conquering the world, of snatching souls from the nail-scarred Hands of Christ. Then came Lourdes, then Fatima and, today, the Mother of God sitting at the bedside of a sick world.
For years he has succeeded in hiding the beautiful devotion of her Immaculate Heart in the Green Scapular. I am sure that most of you have heard of this matchless devotion only lately. Yet the good Sister to whom it was revealed died over forty years ago. This is not surprising. See how well the evil spirit hid the marvels of Fatima although Our Lady's power flamed in the heavens before fifty thousand men and women.
Let me tell you the stroy of how I discovered the Green Scapular. This is my only way of trying to spread a true and tender love to her Immaculate Heart and of paying my debt to her. Seven years ago, before penicillin was in use, I was lying in a hospital very ill with pneumonia. I began to hemorrhage and the doctors decided to operate as a last resource. Then a little nun came into my room.
"Father, have you great faith in the Mother of God, especially in her Immaculate Heart? If so, you can be cured."
"How, Sister?"
"Through the Green Scapular."
"What is that?"
"Four years ago, Father, I was operated on for cancer. I was so filled with it, that they just closed me up and sent me away to die. Then I prayed to Our Lady of the Green Scapular; grew tired of waiting to die and came back to work. I am cured, Father. Do you want me to give you a Scapular?"
"Please, Sister."
With that she put one over my head. A feeling of tremendous confidence poured into me and the bleeding stopped. Two days later, in the X-ray rooom, they asked me when the hemorrhage had ceased. When I replied that it was a matter of a couple of days, they expressed great surpriese.
"Your have a wound that is six months healed and there is no other mark." Today even the scars are gone. No wonder I speak of an unpayable debt to her Immaculate Heart. Since then I have done everything possible to foster this devotion. To my great joy and amazement, those to whom I have spoken of the Green Scapular have become more zealous than I. Never have I seen the equal of the faith and confidence of these new apostles of Mary. The tremendous fervor of the crusades must have been like it.
During May I aksed the rector of St. Patrick's, Toronto, for permission to speak of it at the Wednesday devotions. I had a thousand Green Scapulars on hand, but no one thought that more than thirty would be asked for. The thousand were gone the first morning. The room where we distributed them was so jammed that I fearded someone would be injured. The rest of the day I was besieged on all sides for more. Foolishly, I showed the one I had for myself and it was quickly snatched from my hand.
The spirit in Toronto today is beyond belief. Ten thousand more have been too few. Over twenty-five priests have come to our monastery begging for scapulars. I have been stopped on the streets and accosted on trains by total strangers asking where these Scapulars could be obtained. Montreal has since shown a like fervor.
I am stunned at the response. I have no explanation for it. Certainly it was not due to the simple little sermon that I preached. I believe the explanation of it was given by a priest with all the simplicity of the priesthood: "She wants her heart loved."
Those who doubted in the beginning are today the most devoted to the Green Scapular. It has become something priceless. They love to say the beautiful prayer which we learned from Mary's lips:
"Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death."
Toronto today is feeling the warmth of that heart. A man, who had refused for years to see a priest, remained adamant on his deathbed. One of the family brought the Scapular into his room, said the prayer twice and, suddleny out of a clear sky, he begged for a priest.
I must insist that the peculier power of this Scapular is that of conversion. To bring her Son into the hearts of men. To give Him a new birth there. Although there are many cures like my own, I repeat, her greatest desire is to give her Son birth in the cradle of your soul.

The Green Scapular is the story of Sister Justine Bisqueyburu. An orphan in early life, she was adopted by a wealthy relative who left her his fortune. Her greatest day of joy was November 27, 1839, when she entered the novitiate of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent of Paul in Paris. Her Sisters in religion are stationed in Maryland. Address: Sisters of Charity, Central House, Emmitsburg, Maryland.
They can tell you much better than I the story of a Sister who inspired love and emulation in everyone who met her. One who was a confidante of Peope Pius IX in the dark days preceding his imprisonment in the Vatican; one who was the admiration of the Mohammedans of North Africa; the recipient of the flattering imitation of the famous Florence Nightingale on the battlefields of the Crimea. They can tell you the great efforts she made to keep her identity unknown; how her secret was revealed. How the Green Scapular found its way to the desk of Pope Pius XI. They will repeat the description of the Mother of God, standing in all her beauty before the young novice, and returning again und again until the Scapular was made and distributed. Telling the young Sister that the Scapular could be blessed by any priest, carried or worn on the person, even left in one's room, the only obligation being to say, once a day (and this can be said in favor of another): "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death."

(The above article was published in the Madonna Magazine, August 1948, and was copied with permission by the Quarterly Bulletin of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Agony. March, 1949. It also appeared in Fatima Findings, September, 1949, published by the Reparation Society of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Baltimore, Maryland.)

Crucifix Venerated - Sister Marie-Marthe Chambon - The Chaplet of Mercy

We reproduce here the detail of a Crucifix of the XIIIth century which illuminated with its rays Saint Francis of Sales, when he was preaching before the Senate of Savoie, on the 24th of March 1606. It is now venerated at the chapel of the Visitation in Saint-Pierre d'Albigny.

"Jesus has loved me and has given himself up for me" (Gal. 2, 20)

CHAPLET OF MERCY

This chaplet begins with the following aspirations:

I - O Jesus, Divine Redeemer, be merciful to us and to the whole world.
II - Holy God, Strong God, Immortal God, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
III - Grace and mercy, o my Jesus, in the present dangers; cover us with your most precious Blood.
IV - O Eternal Father, be merciful to us through the Blood of your only Son, be merciful to us, we beseech You.

On the small beads of the rosary we say:
"My Jesus, pardon and mercy; - through the merits of your holy wounds".
On the larger beads of the rosary we say:
"Eternal Father, I offer you the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ; to heal those of our souls".

ORIGIN OF THESE INVOCATIONS

Sister Marie-Marthe Chambon, the humble lay sister of the Visitation of Chambéry who died in odour of sanctity, March 21, 1907, attests having received the two invocations together with magnificent promises from Our Lord Jesus Christ.

JESUS' PROMISES

I will grant all that is solicited from Me through the invocation of my holy Wounds. This devotion must be spread.
In truth, this devotion comes not from earth but from heaven. It can obtain everything.
My holy Wounds support the world... ask me to like them constantly, for they are the source of graces. One must invoke them often, attract others to them and instill this devotion in the souls.
When you suffer sorrows, promptly confide them to my Wounds and they will be alleviated.
The following aspirations must be repeated often to sick persons: "My Jesus, pardon and mercy..." etc. This prayer will soothe both body and soul.
And the sinner who will say: "Eternal Father, I offer You the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ..." etc., will obtain converstion.
My Wounds shall heal yours.
There shall be no death for the souls who will pass out in my Wounds. They give the true life.
For each word of the Chaplet of Mercy that you will pronounce, I will allow a drop of my Blood to fall upon the soul of a sinner.
The soul who will have honoured my holy Wounds and will have offered them to the Eternal Father for the souls in Purgatory shall be accompanied by the Blessed Virgin and the Angels at the hour of their death and I, in my radiant glory, will receive them and crown them.
The holy Wounds are the treasure of treasures for the souls in Purgatory.
The Devotion to my Wounds is the remedy to these times of iniquity.
Fruits of sanctity pour out of my Wounds. By meditating upon them you shall acquire new food for love.
My child, if you dip your actions in my holy Wounds, they shall acquire value; your smallest actions covered with my Blood shall satisfy my Heart.
My holy Wounds must be offered to my Eternal Father. Through them the Church shall triumph, being helped by my Immaculate Mother.

Nihil obstat et imprimatur: Can. Zucceli.
The Companions of Jesus + 3505, Bagot Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H1C 1C4. Telephone: (514) 376-8502

Preparation for Holy Communion

"I am needy and poor."

Dearest Jesus, all Thy creatures are more worthy of Thy grace,
Than the vile and wretched sinner who now kneels before Thy Face;
Yet one claim I have upon Thee which Thou never wilt deny,
In the bounds of Thy creation no one needs Thee more than I.

Other souls have been more faithful and have served Thee better far,
Many spotless hearts more fitting for Thy gracious presence are;
Many lips devout a greeting far more fervent can supply,
But, dear Master, well Thou knowest no one needs Thee more than I.

Many loving hands have carried richer offerings to Thy Shrine,
Many generous hearts have loved Thee with a purer love than mine;
These Thy chosen ones approach Thee as the doves to covert fly,
I am utterly unworthy, but none needs Thee more than I.

Sins unnumbered, unatoned for, have made havoc in my soul,
And against me stands as witness the recording angel's roll;
All untilled has been my vineyard and its soil is hard and dry.
O my God! my only Refuge, no one needs Thee more than I.

For without Thee I am helpless, fast in sin's strong fetters caught,
Blinded by my evil passions, swayed by impulses untaught;
I can do no good unaided, it were worse than vain to try,
Come Thyself to me, sweet Jesus, no one needs Thee more than I.

Thou didst leave Thy Father's bosom to reclaim and save the lost,
Thou didst take upon Thee freely our redemption's awful cost;
Thou Thyself has called me to Thee, Thou wilt hearken to my cry,
In the bounds of Thy Creation no one needs Thee more than I.

From: The Little Treasury of Leaflets, Vol. IV., Dublin, M. H. Gill & Son, Ltd., 1914

Devotions for the First Friday in Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was born in France in the year 1647, and died in 1690. She was canonized in 1920, and her feast is celebrated on October 17.
Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary several times during her life as a nun in the Visitation Order. Sometimes Our Lord showed His Most Sacred Heart afire with love for men; while at other times His heart would appear torn and bleeding because of sin and indifference.
In 1675 the great revelation was made to St. Margaret Mary that she, in union with Father de la Colombière, S.J., was to be the chief instrument for instituting the Feast of the Sacred Heart and for spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart throughout the world.

The Great Promise of the First Friday

All who receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays have been blessed by Our Lord with the grace of a most wonderful promise. We should listen carefully. It is our Saviour, Himself, who speaks to us through St. Margaret Mary:

"I promise thee in the unfathomable mercy of My hear that My omnipotent love will procure the grace of final penitence for all those who communicate on nine successive First Fridays of the month; they will not die in My disfavour, or without having received their sacraments, since My divine heart will be their sure refuge in the last moments of their life."

Our Lord also told St. Margaret Mary of the following additional blessings:

1) I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2) I will establish peace in their families.
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 a special blessing upon all their undertakings.
6) Sinners shall find in My heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7) Tepid souls shall grow 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 honoured.
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 blotted out.

PRAYERS

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
R. Make my heart like unto Thine.
V. O sweetest heart of Jesus, we implore,
R. That we may love Thee ever more and more.

Let us pray. May Thy Holy Spirit, we beseech Thee, Lord, enkindle in our hearts that fire which our Lord Jesus Christ came to cast on earth, and desired so earnestly to see enkindled.
R. Amen.
V. Thy kingdom come.
R. Thy kingdom come.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast promised that wherever two or three shall be gathered together in Thy name, Thou wilt be there in the midst of them, look down with compassion and mercy and love upon us, who are now united before Thee, in the lowliness of our hearts, to honor Thy Sacred Heart, and in the desire to make it known and beloved by all. Come into the midst of us, my sweet Jesus, and fill our hearts with Thy blessing and inflame them with Thy love.
R. Amen.
V. Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
R. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.

PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN THEIR AGONY

O most merciful Jesus, lover of souls, we pray Thee, by the agony of Thy Most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine immaculate mother, cleanse in Thy blood the sinners of the whole world, who are now in their agony, and are to die this day.
R. Amen.
V. Heart of Jesus, by Thy agony,
R. Have pity on the dying.

Morning Offering

O Jesus,

through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intensions of thy Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our Associates, and in particular for the intentions of our Holy Father for this month. Amen.

Sweet Mother of the Lord most High

Sweet Mother of the Lord most High
To Thee we bow in humble prayer,
To Thee from evil powers we fly.
O shield and keep us in thy care.

Author unknown

The Mother's Hymn

Lord, who ordainest for mankind
Benignant toils and tender cares,
We thank Thee for the ties that bind
The mother to the child she bears.
We thank Thee for the hopes that rise.
Within her heart, as day by day
The dawning soul, from those young eyes
Looks with a clearer, steadier ray,
And grateful for the blessing given
With that dear infant on her knee,
She strains her eyes to look to heaven
The voice to lisp a prayer to Thee.
Such thanks the Blessed Mary gave
When from her lap the Holy Child,
Sent from on high to seek and save
The lost on earth, looked up and smiled.
All Gracious! grant to those that bear
A mother's charge, the strength and light
To guide the feet that own them care
In ways of love and truth and light.

William Cullen Bryant