Part 32
Lord, have mercy on us. _Christ, have mercy on us._ Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. _Christ, graciously hear us._ God the Father of heaven, _Have mercy on the suffering souls._ God the Son, Redeemer of the world, _Have mercy on the suffering souls._ God the Holy Ghost, _Have mercy on the suffering souls._ Holy Trinity, one God, _Have mercy on the suffering souls._ Holy Mary, _Pray for the suffering souls._ Holy Mother of God, _Pray for the suffering souls._ Holy Virgin of virgins, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Michael, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy angels and archangels, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye choirs of celestial spirits, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. John the Baptist, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Joseph, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy patriarchs and prophets, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Peter, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Paul, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. John, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy apostles and evangelists, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Stephen, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Laurence, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy martyrs, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Gregory, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Ambrose, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Augustine, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Jerome, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy pontiffs and confessors, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy doctors, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy priests and Levites, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy monks and hermits, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Mary Magdalen, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Catharine, _Pray for the suffering souls._ St. Barbara, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye holy virgins and widows, _Pray for the suffering souls._ All ye saints of God, _Pray for the suffering souls._ Be merciful unto them, _Pardon them, O Lord._ Be merciful unto them, _Hear us, O Lord._ From all evil, O _Lord, deliver them._ From Thy wrath, _O Lord, deliver them._ From the rigor of Thy justice, _O Lord, deliver them._ From the gnawing worm of conscience, _O Lord, deliver them._ From fearful darkness, _O Lord, deliver them._ From their mourning and tears, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy incarnation, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy nativity, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thine own sweet name, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy baptism and holy fasting, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy most profound humility, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy perfect submission, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy infinite love, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy anguish and torment, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy bloody sweat, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy bonds and chains, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy crown of thorns, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy ignominious death, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy sacred wounds, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy cross and bitter Passion, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thy glorious resurrection, _O Lord, deliver them._ By Thine admirable ascension, _O Lord, deliver them._ By the coming of the Paraclete, _O Lord, deliver them._
In the day of judgment, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ Sinners as we are, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ Thou Who didst absolve the adulteress, and pardon the good thief, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ Thou Who savest by Thy grace, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ Thou Who hast the keys of death and of hell, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ That it may please Thee to deliver our parents, friends, and benefactors from tormenting flames, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ That it may please Thee to deliver all the faithful departed, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ That it may please Thee to have mercy on all those who have none in this world to remember or pray for them, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ That it may please Thee to have mercy on all, and to deliver them from their pains, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ That it may please Thee to fulfil their desires, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ That it may please Thee to admit them amongst Thine elect, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ King of dreadful majesty, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ Son of God, _We beseech Thee, hear us._ Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, _Give them rest!_ Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, _Give them rest!_ Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, _Give them eternal rest!_ Jesus Christ, hear us. _Jesus Christ, graciously hear us._
Our Father, etc.
_V._ From the gate of hell.
_R._ O Lord, preserve their souls.
_Let Us Pray._
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, to the end that they may obtain, by the humble supplications of Thy Church, that pardon which they have always desired of Thy mercy. Thou Who, being God, livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.
_V._ Give them, O Lord, eternal rest.
_R._ And let perpetual light shine upon them.
_V._ May they rest in peace.
_R._ Amen.
Psalm CXXIX.
_De Profundis._
Out of the depths I have cried unto Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand?
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of Thy law I have waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night: let Israel hope in the Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him plentiful redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
_V._ Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.
_R._ And let perpetual light shine upon them.
_V._ May they rest in peace.
_R._ Amen.
An indulgence of fifty days can be gained thrice in the same day by all the faithful who shall devoutly recite the _De Profundis_, with the versicles and responses. Plenary indulgence once a year, after confession and communion.
DECEMBER. ADVENT.
Christ Jesus, Whom we are going to seek this month, has two thrones: one of grace and one of justice. While we live we can always approach the throne of grace. This throne is placed for our refuge, and the pardon of our sins. Ask and you shall receive; if your sins are as black as jet, they shall be made white as snow.
When we approach the throne of God’s mercy, love and grace, we must come deeply penetrated with the knowledge, “Without Me you can do nothing.”—John xv. 5. We have not the grace, nor the strength, nor the willingness, nor the intelligence to do good of ourselves without the help of Jesus. Let us then go with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace.
Let us have great confidence in God’s mercy; let us feel, in the depths of our hearts, a conviction that the only source whence a poor sinner can expect effectual help is from God’s love. “Although He should kill me I will trust in Him.” We need aid, and we will get that help without fail.
The Church shows her wisdom by not showing us the manger during Advent; for one entire month she tells us, “Prepare yourselves that you may be fit to approach the Infant Jesus at the time of His birth. You must prepare your heart by meditation, by a lively faith, a fervent love, a true humility, a sweetness of character, and a spirit of penance and recollection.” On Christmas day the Lord is not born corporally, as He was at Bethlehem; but He will be born spiritually in our hearts, if they have been well prepared for His reception.
Considerations and Prayers for Every Day.
First Day.
Advent is the season in which we are taught to look forward to the coming of Our Lord into the world at Christmas, and also to His second coming at the end of time, to judge the living and the dead. His first coming was to seek and to save that which was lost; the second will be to gather in the fruits of His labors, the souls that are saved. The sacred time of Advent is therefore a preparation for Christmas, established by the Church, and at the same time it leads us to look for the coming of Christ at the end, and to conform our lives to the life of Christ, so that when we meet Him on the Last Day it will not be in fear and trembling, but with joy, because we have been selected to return with Him to heaven. We will, then, with alacrity enter into this employment during this month, knowing that if we have prepared well for His first coming, we shall be in a fit state to receive Him at His second advent. The time of Advent, according to the Church, is a time of penance, not so great as Lent, but the spirit should be the same. Every morning, if possible, attend Mass in honor of the coming of Christ, and on Fridays impose a slight penance on yourself.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, vouchsafe to reduce Thy incarnated divinity and most divine humanity to the humiliating state of birth and infancy: grant that we, acknowledging Thy infinite wisdom in Thy infancy, Thy power in Thy weakness, and Thy majesty in Thy littleness, may adore Thee, a little one on earth, and behold Thee great in heaven. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in unity with the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
Second Day.
Of all the miracles in the world, never was there one to be compared to that of the coming of the Son of God on earth, in the humble form of a child. It was a miracle so entirely above our reasoning, that unless we knew it by faith established by revelation, we would say it was impossible and believe it as little as many of the unbelieving Jews did. That the infinite God should take the form of a poor creature: that God should so unite Himself to that creature of His, as to assume its lowliness, clad in the dust and clay of the earth, is a very great miracle. It was, however, the infinite power of the Almighty that did this. “For us men, and for our salvation, He came down from heaven. He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.” Who can now refuse to believe in the love of God for His creatures? Men looking at life in a certain light, have doubted God’s goodness to humanity; but let them once contemplate the world from our point of view and they will necessarily admit that He loved us to excess, and that He still continues to love us. Oh, shall we not then return Him love for love?
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Third Day.
What was it that induced God to work such a miracle in behalf of mankind, as to send His only‐begotten Son to this world? It was man’s sin. From all eternity the Blessed Trinity had decreed that in consequence of sin there was a necessity of redemption; that the eternal Word should be born into the world, if man was not to be left to the fate of everlasting perdition. Man could not redeem himself; an angel could not give sufficient satisfaction; none but God Himself could offer atonement for man. Hence, God, in His great goodness and mercy, resolved to do this work of redemption. He provides a remedy for all the sins and follies of men, even before they are committed. We do the harm, and God has to undo it. Has He not often thus averted from me the consequences due to my evil deeds? What have I done in my life but wickedness, and very little good? My life has been so filled with iniquity, that shame fills my heart when I think of the past. I have not only to bear the sins of Adam and Eve, but I have to atone for my own sins. So great have these sins been, that the Son of God had to descend very low to reach our level.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Fourth Day.
The Fathers of the Church, and the Church herself, exclaim, “O happy fault, that caused the Word to be made flesh, and to dwell among us! O happy transgression, which earned a Redeemer such as this!” We gained more than we lost. Adam and Eve were perfect for a time in the sight of God, but when they fell, they lost all. Then came the redemption, and we were admitted into the Church of God, a fountain so full of graces, by means of the sacraments. Our places were secured in heaven by the blood of the Lamb. What a great gift was that blood of Jesus Christ, poured over our soul! What a glorious wound was that which was cured by so adorable a power! We have hope once more, again we breathe freely in the bright trust of being children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. So that from the time of Adam and Eve, there had been a hope in the human breast that God would come to redeem mankind. Adam and all his children were ever looking and praying for His coming; and now during Advent we are preparing for the coming of Him Who is to rejoice every heart. “Come quickly, O Lord Jesus.”
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Fifth Day.
The children of Adam had to lament the deadly effects of the evil they had committed. As generation followed generation, thicker grew the darkness in the minds and hearts of the people, and farther and farther away did they wander from that eternal Light, which was to guide them to heaven. Thus it is that sin goes on, spreading its painful consequences throughout the world, even long after the evil‐doer is dead and gone. Gradually the world lost all regard for virtue, or for God, until it became so wicked that unless the Redeemer appeared when He did, mankind would have been plunged into absolute barbarism, and worked its own destruction. If I had lived then, what kind of a human being would I have been?—who even now, while enjoying the light of civilization and the freedom with which God has enriched me, am such a poor specimen of a Christian. I who have been made by God, for God, and in the image of God.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Sixth Day.
Our life is a circle. We came from God, and to God we must return. If we have deserted Him we must go back, if our life is to be a success in the end. We can never find repose or lasting satisfaction in anything but God. Until we make Him the end and aim of our life, we shall feel that we are wandering about in the dark. This was the case with the world, which had gone from its Creator; deeper and deeper it sank in the mire of iniquity. We must do as Christ bids us, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” We seek Him by a thorough preparation for His coming, for He will come to meet us, and will be ready to receive us and take us back into His affection. God comes to us repeatedly in life; but we do not know His fulness. Yet it is a sad loss that we are so blind. It is the only real misery in life, that we are meeting God every day, and do not know Him when we meet Him.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Seventh Day.
At length, on the distant horizon, can be discerned the dawn of the Sun that has been so long desired to enlighten the world. The happy Mother of the Messias was to be born before He could come. This is the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception; the earth has now a pledge that the coming of the Messias will no longer be delayed, the Son of man is near at hand. The conception of Mary takes place under the direct providence of God; she receives the breath of life from God, without any stain of sin. The feast of the Blessed Virgin’s Immaculate Conception is the most solemn of all those which the Church celebrates during the holy season of Advent. We will, then, honor the feast of the Blessed Virgin with joy. The intention of the feast is not only to celebrate the anniversary of the happy moment in which began, in the womb of the pious Ann, the life of the ever glorious Virgin Mary: but also to honor the sublime privilege by which Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin—which, by the curse of God on our first parents, darkened the souls of all the descendants of Adam and Eve at the very first moment of their conception.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Eighth Day.
The faith of the Catholic Church on the conception of Mary, is this: that, at the very instant when God united the soul of Mary, which He had created with a special regard to the Mother of His divine Son, to the body which it was to animate, this ever blessed soul not only did not contract the stain of that curse which defiles every human soul, but was filled with an immeasurable grace, which rendered it from that moment the mirror of sanctity of God Himself, as far as this is possible to a creature. It was due to His own infinite sanctity that God should suspend, in this instance, the law which His divine justice had passed upon all the children of Adam. The relations which Mary was to bear to the divinity could not be reconciled with her undergoing the humiliations of man’s punishment. She was not only the Daughter of the eternal Father: she was destined also to become the very Mother of the Son, and the Bride of the Holy Ghost. Nothing defiled could be permitted to enter, even for the shortest time, that sacred structure.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Ninth Day.
St. Anselm, a Doctor of the Church, tells us, in his time, when the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception had not yet been declared, that, “It was just that this holy Virgin should be adorned with the greatest purity which can be conceived, after that of God Himself, since God the Father was to give her as her Child that only‐begotten Son, Whom He loved as Himself, as being begotten to Him from His own bosom, and this in such a manner that the self‐same Son of God was by nature the Son of both God the Father, and of this Blessed Virgin. This same Son chose her to be substantially His Mother: and the Holy Ghost willed that in her womb He would operate the conception and birth of Him from Whom He Himself proceeded.” When we remember that Mary is the “Mother of God,” so far from being surprised at the privileges which we see the Church giving her, we approve of all. That the Almighty would shower down upon her the choicest graces of heaven, and by special privileges distinguish her from all the children of God, seems only just. Mary was so surrounded and strengthened by grace that she never committed the least sin during her life.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Tenth Day.
The closeness of the tie between Mother and Son gave Mary all the privileges and distinctions which she enjoys. This closeness was to unite the Son of God with Mary, and was to elicit from Him the most tender love and the most filial reverence. All this had been present to the thought of God from all eternity, and the conclusion forces itself upon our mind, that therefore the divine Word had, for His future Mother, a love infinitely greater than that which He bore for all other creatures. Mary’s honor was infinitely dear to Him, because she was to be His Mother, chosen to be so by His eternal and merciful decrees. The Son’s love protected the Mother. She, indeed, in her sublime humility, willingly submitted to whatever the rest of God’s creatures had brought on themselves, and obeyed every tittle of those laws which were never meant for her. “O Mary, O marvellous, mystical creature! O resplendent mote, lost almost to view in the upper light of the supernal fountains! Who can sufficiently abase himself before thee, and weep for the want of love to love thee rightly, thou whom the Word so loved eternally?” (Faber.)
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Eleventh Day.
Mary was conceived without sin, because the eternal Father would not do less for the second Eve than He had done for the first; yet the latter was created, as was also the first Adam, in the state of original justice, which she forfeited by her disobedience. The Son of God would not permit that Mary, from whom He was to take the nature of man, should be deprived of that gift which He had given to Eve. The Holy Ghost, Who was to overshadow Mary, and through whose operation she was to become the Mother of the Incarnate Word, would not permit that foul stain of sin in which we are all conceived to rest even for an instant on His Bride. All men were to contract the sin of Adam. The sentence was universal, the condemnation went out against all the race; but God’s own Mother could not be included. God, Who is the Author of that law; God, Who was free to make it as He willed, had power to save her from its effects; His omnipotence could exempt her, and it was nothing more than proper, even according to our frail reason, that she was exempted.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Twelfth Day.
Certainly God’s omnipotence came into active operation when He created the soul of Mary. When Adam and Eve stood before Him in the garden of paradise, the Lord said to the woman, “Why hast thou done this?” She replied, “The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.” Then God was angry, and turning to the serpent He said, “I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed; she shall crush thy head.” Thus was salvation promised to the human race, under the form of a victory over Satan, and it is to be gained by the woman. The second Eve is to be worthy of the second Adam, conquering Satan and sin. The human race is one day to be avenged, not only by God made man, but also by the woman miraculously exempted from every sin, in whom the primeval creation, which was in justice and holiness, will thus reappear, as though original sin had never been committed. Raise up your hands then, ye children of Adam, and shake off your chains. On this day of the Immaculate Conception the humiliation which weighed you down so heavily is annihilated.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Thirteenth Day.
The dignity of the human race is well portrayed when we see that God so blessed its members. The Lord loves the human race, and was pleased to be called the Son of man. He still loves this guilty earth, since He has deigned to enlighten it with one of the brightest rays of His Mother’s glory. How the world ought to exult on this feast of the Immaculate Conception! The present generation will never forget the enthusiasm with which the entire universe received the tidings of the definition of the dogma. It was an event of mysterious importance, which thus marks this second half of our century, and we shall look forward to the future with confidence. For the Holy Ghost bids us tremble for the days when truths are diminished among the children of men. He would consequently have us look on these times as blessed by God, in which we receive an increase of truth, and an increase both in light and authority. The Church always professed belief in the Immaculate Conception; it is not a new doctrine. She had always kept the 8th of December as the feast of the conception of Mary. Now we add, “Immaculate” Conception.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc.
Fourteenth Day.