Part 21
4. Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the most precious blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son and my divine Redeemer, for all those who shall this day pass to another life, that Thou mayest deliver them from the pains of hell and admit them the more readily to the possession of Thy glory.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised, etc.
5. Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the most precious blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son and my divine Redeemer, for all my relatives, friends, and enemies, for the poor, the sick, and those in tribulation, and for all those for whom Thou willest I should pray, or knowest that I ought to pray.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised, etc.
6. Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the most precious blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son and my divine Redeemer, for all those who are lovers of this treasure of His blood, and for all those who join with me in adoring and honoring it, and for all those who try to spread the devotion to it.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised, etc.
7. Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the most precious blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son and my divine Redeemer, for all my wants, both spiritual and temporal, for the holy souls in purgatory, and particularly for those, who in their lifetime were most devoted to this price of our redemption, and to the sorrows and pains of our dear Mother, the most holy Mary.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised, etc.
Blessed and exalted be the blood of Jesus, now and always, and through eternity.
Daily Offering.
O my Lord and my God! I commend myself to Thy adorable Heart, and in Thy sacred wounds I resign myself to Thy holy will this day and forever. Include me, O my Lord and my God, in all the holy Masses that have been or will be offered up this day in the whole world. O Lord, I desire to share in all holy communions, all holy Benedictions, in all indulgences, in all the merits and prayers of devout hearts now and forever. O my Lord and my God! I offer Thee all my steps, all my weariness and labors, all my cares and antipathies, all my crosses, sufferings, ignominies, injuries, persecutions, and adversities; these I offer Thee in honor of Thy holy humanity and of Thy most bitter Passion and death; in the merits of all these I include (_here mention the names of those for whom you wish to pray in particular_), all my relatives, benefactors, friends, enemies, the sick and dying, those who are in temptation or oppressed; all that have commended themselves to my prayers, or for whom I have promised to pray; those to whom I have given scandal, or whom I have in any way enticed to sin; my parents, sisters, and brothers, who have departed this life, and all the souls of the faithful departed. My crucified Saviour, have mercy on the most suffering and abandoned souls in purgatory, also on me, a poor sinner; give me the grace I daily need to serve Thee faithfully until death. I return Thee thanks, thousands and millions of thanks, for all the favors and benefits which Thou hast heaped on me from the first moment of my existence to the present hour. I pray Thee to preserve me always in Thy holy grace, particularly at the hour of my death. Amen.
Plenary Indulgences For Members of the Confraternity of the Most Precious Blood.
On the day of registration to those who, having confessed and communicated, shall pray according to the intention of the Supreme Pontiff. At the hour of death, after confession and communion; or if this be impossible, to such as being contrite, shall invoke with the lips, or if unable, with the heart, the most sweet name of Jesus. Daily for those, who, with confession and communion, shall make an hour’s vocal or mental prayer, or partly one and partly the other, in memory of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the dolors of the most holy Mary, praying as above.
Other Plenary Indulgences.
For which, besides the conditions of confession and communion, a visit is enjoined to any church whatever; and this visit may, for any reasonable motive, be commuted by the confessor of the individual for some other pious work.
On the first Sunday of July, being the feast of the Precious Blood; Christmas day, the Epiphany, Easter Sunday, the feasts of the Immaculate Conception, Purification, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, and of the most holy Rosary; the feast of the holy apostles Saints Peter and Paul; and on the commemoration of all the faithful departed.
On the feast of the Circumcision, on all the Fridays of March, on the 28th of March, being the feast of the Sacred Blood in Sta. Maria in Vado at Ferrara, on Holy Thursday, on the day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, on Ascension day, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and the feast of the most holy Redeemer, the 23d of October.
On the feast of the Annunciation, the Dolors of the most holy Mary, Good Friday, Our Lady of Carmel (July 16th), the Nativity, Seven Dolors (third Sunday of September), and the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin (November 21st).
On the feasts of St. Joseph, St. John Baptist, All Saints, St. Francis Xavier, and of St. Nicholas of Bari.
Once a month on any day they may choose.
Indulgences for all the Faithful, even Such as are not Members.
For such as shall recite the Chaplet of the Precious Blood once in the day, seven years and as many quarantines; and if they recite it daily for a month, a plenary indulgence, having confessed and communicated, on the last day of the month, or any day in the following month. (Pius VII., Oct. 18, 1815.)
The same indulgence can be gained by the recital of thirty‐three Our Fathers, meditating at the same time on the seven times Our Lord shed His precious blood; or, by such as are uninstructed and incompetent to meditate, by the simple recital of the thirty‐three Our Fathers. (Gregory XVI., July 5, 1843.)
For the prayer, “O most precious blood, etc.,” placed at the end of the Chaplet, three hundred days’ indulgence, once a day.
Chaplet of the Precious Blood.
This chaplet is composed of seven mysteries, in which we meditate upon the seven times in which Jesus Christ for love of us shed blood from His most innocent body; at each mystery, except the last, we are to say five Our Fathers and one Glory be to the Father, thus making up the number of thirty‐three Our Fathers in remembrance of the thirty‐three years during which the precious blood of Jesus flowed in His veins, before it was all poured out for our salvation. The Chaplet ends with the devout prayer, “O most precious blood, etc.”
The Chaplet.
_V._ Incline unto my aid, O God.
_R._ O Lord, make haste to help me.
_V._ Glory be to the Father, etc.
_R._ As it was, etc.
First Mystery.
The first time our loving Saviour shed His precious blood for us was on the eighth day after His birth, when He was circumcised in order to accomplish the Law of Moses. While, then, we reflect that Jesus did this to satisfy the justice of God for our dissolute lives, let us excite ourselves to true sorrow for them, and promise, with the help of His all‐ powerful grace, to be henceforth truly chaste in body and in soul.
Five Our Fathers and one Glory.
We beseech Thee, therefore, help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
Second Mystery.
Next in the Garden of Olives, Jesus shed His blood for us in such quantity that it bathed the earth around. This took place at the sight of the ingratitude with which men would meet His love. Oh, let us then repent sincerely, because we have hitherto corresponded so illy with the innumerable benefits of Our God, and resolve to make good use of His graces and holy inspirations.
Five Our Fathers, etc.
We beseech, etc.
Third Mystery.
Next, in His cruel scourging, Jesus shed His blood, when His flesh was so torn that rivers of blood flowed from His body in every part, all of which He offered, all the time, to His eternal Father in payment of our impatience and our delicacy. How is it, then, we do not curb our anger and our self‐love? Henceforth we will indeed try our very best to bear our troubles well, and, despising ourselves, to take peacefully the injuries which men may do us.
Five Our Fathers, etc.
We beseech, etc.
Fourth Mystery.
Again, from the sacred head of Jesus, blood poured down when it was crowned with thorns, in punishment of our pride and evil thoughts. Shall we, then, continue to nurture haughtiness, foster foul imaginations, and feed the wayward will in our minds? Henceforth let there ever be before our eyes our utter nothingness, our misery and our weakness; and with generous hearts let us resist all the wicked suggestions of the devil.
Five Our Fathers, etc.
We beseech, etc.
Fifth Mystery.
How much of His precious blood did not our loving Lord pour forth from His veins, when laden with the heavy wood of the cross on the mournful way to Calvary, so that the streets and ways of Jerusalem through which He passed were watered with it! This was done in satisfaction for the scandals and the bad examples by which His own creatures had led others astray on the way to ruin. Who can tell how many of us are of this unhappy number? Who knows how many he himself alone has by his own bad example brought down to hell? And have we done anything to remedy this evil? Let us henceforth, at least, endeavor all we can to save souls by word and by example, making ourselves a pattern to all of a good and holy life.
Five Our Fathers, etc.
We beseech, etc.
Sixth Mystery.
Still more copiously the Redeemer of mankind shed blood in His barbarous crucifixion; when His veins being rent and arteries burst, there rushed forth in a torrent from His hands and His feet that saving balm of life eternal, to pay for all the crimes and enormities of the universe. Whoever, after this, would continue in sin, and so renew the cruel crucifixion of the Son of God? Let us weep bitterly for our bad deeds, and let us detest them at the feet of the sacred minister of God; let us amend our evil ways, and henceforth begin a truly Christian life, with the thought ever in our hearts of all the blood which our eternal salvation cost the Saviour of men.
Five Our Fathers, etc.
We beseech, etc.
Seventh Mystery.
Last of all, after His death, when His sacred side was opened, and His loving Heart was wounded, Jesus shed blood, and with the blood there came forth water, to show us how the blood was all poured out to the last drop for our salvation. Oh, the infinite goodness of Our Redeemer! Who will not love Thee, my Saviour? What heart will not consume itself away for love of Thee, Who hast done all this for our redemption? The tongue wants words to praise Thee; let us, then, invite all creatures upon earth, all angels and all saints in paradise, and most of all, our dear Mother Mary, to bless, to praise, and to celebrate Thy most precious blood. Glory to the blood of Jesus! Glory to the blood of Jesus! now and ever throughout all ages. Amen.
At this last mystery three Our Fathers and one Glory be to the Father, etc., are said to make up the number of thirty‐three.
We beseech, etc.
_Then the following_
Prayer.
O most precious blood of eternal life, the ransom and redemption of the whole universe! the drink and bath of our souls, thou who art ever pleading the cause of men before the throne of God’s sovereign mercy! I adore thee most profoundly, and desire, as far as it is in my power, to compensate thee for the insults and affronts which thou art continually receiving at the hands of men, especially of those who rashly dare to blaspheme thee. And who is there that will not bless this blood of infinite value? Who is there that will not feel himself inflamed with love for Jesus, Who shed it? What should I be if I had not been redeemed by this divine blood? What was it that drew thee forth from the veins of my Lord, even to the last drop? Ah! it was naught else but love. O boundless love, that has given us this balsam of salvation! O balsam beyond price, streaming forth from the well‐spring of a boundless love, grant, oh, grant that every heart and tongue may praise, and magnify, and bless thee, now and forever, even unto the day of eternity. Amen.
_V._ Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, with Thy blood.
_R._ And Thou hast made us a kingdom unto Our God.
O almighty and eternal God, Who hast appointed Thy only‐begotten Son to be the Redeemer of the world, and hast willed to be appeased by His blood, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may venerate upon earth the price of our salvation, and be shielded by its might from the evils of this present life, so that we may enjoy it everlastingly in heaven. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
AUGUST. THE HOLY GHOST.
We may during this month take up the devotion to the Holy Ghost.
This devotion to the Holy Spirit should be the chief of all devotions, because it was the first that was ever celebrated, and that by no less devout worshippers than the holy apostles and the most holy Mary in the upper room at Jerusalem. It is one which is growing in the hearts of the people, because so much depends for our sanctification on the influence of the graces bestowed on us by God the Holy Ghost. Faith teaches us that the Holy Ghost is the love which the Father and the Son bear one to the other; and therefore the gift of love which the Lord infuses into our souls, and which is the greatest of all gifts, is attributed to the Holy Ghost. St. Paul says, “The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us.”—Rom. v. 5.
The Holy Ghost, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son is called a fire, because His action in our souls purifies us from sin and fills us with divine love. As the action of fire may be said to be irresistible, it is right that the Holy Ghost be represented by that symbol, since He was to give spirit and wisdom to Christians, which all their adversaries should not be able to resist or gainsay.
If we observe the commandments of God, the Holy Spirit will abide with us to enlighten our minds and strengthen our wills, and give us grace to follow Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will give us an increase of devotion towards the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and the sacrifice of the Mass, and will pour the charity of God into our hearts.
Considerations and Prayers for Every Day.
First Day.
Be devout to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. His presence is everywhere, and His power is manifested in all things. His office in the Church is that of lifegiver, and in our souls He is the perfect illumination of the intellect. Without this strength the intellect may be cultivated, but it will be cold and dim. The errors of our mind, its low vices and fragmentary opinions, its distorted judgments, unfounded propositions, and shallow conception of the nature of things, are all defects traceable to our carelessness in the devotion to the Holy Ghost. A pious person devoted to the worship of the Holy Spirit will naturally know God’s will and follow it. The degree of his explicit knowledge will still depend on natural gifts and their due cultivation; but with the docility of the heart and the influence of the Holy Ghost, there will dawn on his mind a knowledge which is often superior to that acquired by the intellect alone. Before and after your actions seek light from this divine Teacher, and in all your daily life continue in the consciousness of your dependence on the Holy Ghost.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
_V._ Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
_R._ And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
_Let Us Pray._
O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Holy Spirit to relish what is right, and ever to rejoice in His consolation, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Second Day.
St. Edward was one day waiting, in a school at Paris, for the arrival of his scholars. He was about to expound to them the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Being tired he fell into a slumber, in which he had a dream. He saw a dove descending towards him; it bore on its back the sacred Host, and laid it on his lips. When he awoke he went to the lecture‐room, and began his discourse; all who heard him were struck by the sweetness and clearness of his explanations. It was the devotion to the Holy Ghost that gave a newness and a charm to all he said, and impressed itself not only on his hearers, but also on himself, so that he became full of the unction and fire of the Spirit of God. We will not be disappointed if we solicit the interest of the Holy Ghost in our behalf. In all our work let us look first to this Light of God, which illumines every soul coming into this world, and our actions will be for the glory of God, our minds will become energetic through the purification of our motives, and our whole life will take on a new exterior of humility and perfection.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Third Day.
The Holy Ghost is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity: this is one of the dogmas of the Christian religion; it is the foundation of our holy faith. In God there are three divine persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Each person, among created intelligences, is a distinct and a separate unity, complete, entire in itself, but by its limitation making only one individual. But in God the three divine persons have one distinct mode of subsistence, for each possesses in common the whole divine essence. The substance of God belongs to each of the three divine persons. Therefore we say that there are three divine persons in God, not three individuals; for an individual would signify a distinct nature. Accordingly, the Athanasian creed declares, “Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.” The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but only one God. In speaking of the nature of God’s being, we find ourselves necessarily beyond the power of reasoning; we only know that the infinite God is one in essence and three in person.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fourth Day.
The Holy Ghost is God, one of the three divine persons, as is evident from the Scriptures. The Holy Ghost is joined with the Father and the Son, and therefore He really exists and is called God. All the divine attributes are given Him: omnipresence, omnipotence, and justice. He is therefore God, and proceeds from the Father and the Son; He is the Spirit of God, and also the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son as the breath of the life of intelligence and love. “Because you are sons, God hath sent the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father.”—Gal. iv. 6. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will teach you all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself: but whatsoever things He shall hear He shall speak: ... He shall glorify Me: because He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it to you. All things whatsoever the Father hath, are Mine. Therefore I said: that He shall receive of Mine, and show it to you.”—John xvi. 13‐15.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fifth Day.
We cannot understand the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. We cannot understand the persons of the Blessed Trinity, neither the Father, the Son, nor the Holy Ghost; they are infinite. Still we can think of the Blessed Trinity, and guided by what we know through revelation and theology, try to go still further and discover more of the glory surrounding it. One person of the Holy Trinity is as great as the other; there is really no first nor second in dignity or power. There is, however, a marvellous order in the unity of the Trinity, thus expressed in the creed of St. Athanasius: “The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is from the Father alone, not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son, not made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding.” Thus the Holy Trinity exists from all eternity, supremely happy in itself, not needing anything exteriorly to assist in its existence.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Sixth Day.
God begets His Son by knowledge; the Son is the knowledge of the Father, but the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son by way of love. The Father and the Son, by an act of supreme natural love breathe forth the co‐eternal Spirit. The Spirit proceeds from both, the pledge of their mutual affection, and the expression of infinite beatitude. The Father loves the Son with such an infinite love as to breathe forth a divine Spirit through His Son. As St. Bernard says, the Spirit is the sacred kiss of the Father and the Son in their imperturbable peace, their firm coherence, their undivided love, their indivisible unity. The Son proceeds from the Father as the ray from the sun; the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son as the heat from the ray and the sun. The Son as the word, the Holy Ghost as the breath; the Son as the river from the fountain; the Holy Ghost as the lightning from the cloud. These expressions hardly convey what is meant, because the ray is smaller than the sun; while in God the ray is equal, the heat is consubstantial with its source. The word says all, the breath is real, the fire burns always and is never extinguished.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Seventh Day.
It will be part of the beatitude of the saints to know something of this generation and procession of the Holy Ghost; they will be filled with gladness inexpressible in the sight of God. They will see God as He is; in their contemplation they will rise higher and higher, and by their studies know more and more of God. As we are charmed with the beauties of knowledge, the attraction of literature, so we will feel greater happiness as we study the being of God in all its depths. “O the depths of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!”—Rom. xi. 33. The Church, in the office and Mass of the feast of the most Holy Trinity repeats the same words, as the expression of her awe and adoration in the presence of the infinitely unsearchable ways of God in the Trinity. In adoring this life of God, for life it is indeed, we are overwhelmed with awe, and are but able in our astonishment to cry out with the Church, “O Blessed Trinity!”
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Eighth Day.