Part 5
Do with me what Thou wilt; I am willing to submit to joy or sorrow, life or death, fortune or misfortune. It is all indifferent to me as long as it is Thy will, only give me the grace to endure adversity with resignation. It will be a joy to me to fulfil Thy holy will in all things.
Thanksgiving After Communion.
_Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, according to St. Francis de Sales._
How can I, O Lord Jesus Christ, praise Thee sufficiently for having visited my soul in Thy infinite goodness, by Thy divinity and Thy sacred humanity, with Thy body and blood? I give Thee, my Lord and my God, a loving welcome, Thou Who art my Redeemer, my last end, my consolation, my sweetest rest, my all. A thousand welcomes to Thee, my dear Jesus, my good shepherd. In the abyss of my nothingness I humbly adore Thee. I adore Thy sacred flesh and blood, which Thou hast given me for my food, and the pledge of my eternal union with Thee. I adore Thy sacred head crowned with thorns; I adore Thy eyes that have shed so many tears for me; I adore Thy mouth, with which Thou didst teach me eternal truths; I adore Thy sacred countenance, which has been beaten for me by cruel soldiers; Thy feet, that have been pierced by the nails and fixed to the tree of the cross; Thy arms, which were outstretched for me, for a loving embrace; Thy side which the lance pierced, and from which blood and water issued forth, the witnesses of my redemption; Thy Heart, which loved me even unto the death of the cross. My dear Redeemer, I adore Thy sacred body, covered with innumerable wounds which Thou didst suffer for me. I adore Thy most holy soul, which was saddened unto death in the Garden of Olives that I might reach eternal life.
My dear Jesus, with great love I embrace Thee, and I will remain faithful to Thee until my last hour. Bless these feelings of a good heart: grant that no storm of temptation may lead me again to be unfaithful as I have repeatedly been heretofore.
A Pious Salutation To The Infant Jesus.
Hail, holy and adorable Infant Jesus, source of mercy! Thou art the life of the sinner, unfathomable ocean of divine sweetness, our hope, our joy. To Thee, born in the dreary stable of Bethlehem, we cry, poor children of Eve, to Thee we send forth our sighs, to Thee we send up our lamentations in this valley of tears. Turn then, O incarnate love, Thine eyes of mercy towards us, O blessed fruit of Thy Virgin Mother. As Thou didst show Thyself full of kindness in the stable of Bethlehem, so show unto us, after this miserable life, Thy divine mercy, when Thou shalt come in the glory of Thy Father. O sweet, O loving, O clement Infant Jesus! Amen.
Pious Invocation To The Infant Jesus.
(_Father Elias Avillon._)
Hail, Infant Jesus, Thou fountain of mercy, Thou life of the sinner dead in sin, Thou unfathomable ocean of divine consolation, our hope and our joy. Hail, to Thee, born in the desolate stable of Bethlehem, do we cry, poor children of Eve. To Thee do we sigh and bewail our misery from this valley of tears. Turn then, O incarnate love of God, Thine eyes of mercy upon us, Thou blessed fruit of the womb of the Virgin Mary. As Thou didst show poor humanity unbounded mercy from the manger, so also continue Thy kindness during our life, until after this miserable existence we arrive in the glory of heaven, where we shall meet Thee, to praise and glorify Thee for all eternity. O sweet, O pious, O merciful Infant Jesus! Amen.
A Prayer To The Holy Name Of Jesus.
Eternal God, Father in heaven, daily do we pray that Thy sacred name be sanctified, that Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done. It is also Thy holy will that the name of Thy beloved Son should be glorified. Thou hast given Him a name at which every knee should bend in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. I pray Thee with all my heart that Thou give us the grace to pronounce that holy name with the greatest devotion, and to serve the Lord with a good and willing heart. Engrave this holy name on my heart, that I may never forget it. Place it as a sign on my forehead, that I may ever be faithful to it. O holy name of Jesus! my heart rejoices when I hear thee mentioned. I feel great consolation as often as I hear that holy name. Angels of heaven, who are gathered in ecstasy about the throne of God, praise with us on earth the sacred name of Jesus; sing its praises worthily, as we cannot sing it; invoke it for us also, that when our feeble powers fail, thy holiness and zeal will supply our deficiency. Thy holy name, O Jesus, be praised forever!
Adoration of the Child Jesus in the Twelve Mysteries of His Divine Infancy.
Dear Jesus, divine Infant of incomparable beauty, of infinite goodness, I adore Thee, because Thou art my Redeemer, and I love Thee. I make a sacrifice to Thee of all my intellect, and of my heart, and I thank Thee for having become a child for my sake. I adore Thee in all the mysteries of Thy holy childhood, and pray Thee to let me enter into the spirit of it. Give me the grace to honor Thy childhood all my life, and that I may imitate the virtues which Thou dost inculcate by Thy example.
I adore Thee, O God of purity, at the moment when the Holy Ghost formed Thy sacred body in the bosom of the Virgin Mary, and beg of Thee the grace to be always pure.
I adore Thee, O hidden God, hidden for nine months in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, and I desire to honor Thee by my perfect life.
I adore Thee, O Child of grace, in Thy visitation to John the Baptist in order to sanctify him. Visit also my soul, that I may live a saintly life and remain faithful to the impulses of Thy grace.
I adore Thee, O Child Jesus, at the moment of Thy birth, and I desire, with Thy help, that no other fire burn in my heart than that which Thou camest on this earth to kindle.
I adore Thee, O Spouse covered with wounds, in the painful mystery of the circumcision. I conjure Thee by the sacred blood which Thou didst then shed for the first time for our salvation, that Thou wilt give me the virtue of meekness, with which I am to go through life, for Thy glory and the edification of my neighbor.
I adore Thee, O Lord Jesus, with the Magi, who came from the distant orient to adore Thee lying in the crib in the stable. Give me the grace to be in earnest in the work of my salvation.
Great God, Author of all sanctity, I adore Thee in the Temple, where Thou didst present Thyself according to the Law of Moses, to be offered to Thy Father as His first‐born Son. Give me grace to subject myself to every law, even though it would imply that I am a sinner, which I really am.
I adore Thee, humble Jesus, in Thy flight into Egypt, and beg of Thee to give me the grace, by this holy mystery of Thy life, of perfect humility of heart.
I adore Thee, O Child Jesus, in Thy poverty, which afflicted Thee in Thy stay in Egypt. Give me the grace also to be poor in spirit, and endure actual poverty with resignation.
I adore Thee, O Child Jesus, in Thy joyful and triumphal return from Thy exile in Egypt to Nazareth; give me the grace to overcome the enemies of my salvation.
I adore Thee, O obedient Child Jesus, in Thy exact compliance with the commands of Mary and Joseph; give me the grace joyfully to obey my superiors.
I adore Thee, O Child Jesus, in the midst of the doctors in the Temple of Jerusalem, when Thou didst enlighten their minds on the sacred prophecies of the Old Testament. Give me a Christian simplicity, that I may believe all that Thou teachest me through the holy Catholic Church.
FEBRUARY. THE HOLY FAMILY.
What a beautiful sight is the Holy Family dwelling on earth! God could not create anything more beautiful than this Holy Family; He reached the limit of possibilities in creation when He had accomplished this. It is indeed a great example to us, and a model which we ought to hold before our eyes during this month, in order that we may study the foundations of what a holy family ought to be; what a life that should be, where the holiest are bound together in ties of most affectionate friendship and relationship.
Our Holy Father Leo XIII. has seen the great importance of the Christian family: the family established by the laws of the Church and the country, where marriages are legalized and solemnized; where continence and modesty reign; where children, under kind and parental subjection, are brought up to be good men and women, good for religion and for society. When poverty strikes such a family there is patience and forbearance shown; when sickness and death come, there is resignation to the will of God. In the Christian home there is surpassing peace, and not that crazy restlessness that looks for satisfaction in grasping at possessions, never satisfied day nor night.
I do not think that this devotion has been appointed for this month by any authority, except the idea that after having adored the divine infancy during the month of January, the devotion to the Holy Family may follow as a natural sequence. Should any one desire to make this devotion during another month, it would certainly not be out of the way, for save only in a few cases has a certain devotion been assigned to a particular time. The devotion to the Holy Family is a beautiful and instructive one; the Christian family should be built on this great model. The Holy Family consisted of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; the father, Mother, and Child. All other families are made up of the same constituents.
Those who are actually in a family, or who intend to choose that mode of life by which they may get to heaven, will love this devotion and find instruction and consolation in it.
One of the greatest works of God in this world is the Holy Family at Bethlehem and Nazareth. He sent down upon the earth His only Son, Jesus Christ; prepared a most holy Mother for Him, Mary immaculate, and selected for Him a foster‐father and a protector. He held them together in the most tender family ties of father, Mother, and Child. He kept them in that relation until St. Joseph died a blessed death, and the Lord Jesus went forth on His sacred mission of teaching and redeeming mankind.
What a beautiful sight to us poor human beings! what a glory to God was that Holy Family, dwelling in the humble abode of Nazareth! We find here the model on which we shall reflect for this month of February. We will consecrate this month to praising God with the members of the Holy Family; we will study the ways by which they were so pleasing to God, and we will draw from these considerations many valuable lessons for our own conduct.
Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII., with an ever‐watchful eye to the necessities of our time, has seen the importance of a devotion to the Holy Family, and has recommended it to the faithful, and with his own authority established a sodality of the Holy Family; he has invested it with many indulgences in order to encourage the faithful in taking the Holy Family as their model. Here is, then, a practical way to teach ourselves the way of salvation by the example of others.
It is therefore a most useful practice of piety to become members of the sodality of the Holy Family; you will then place yourselves under its special protection, and choose Jesus, Mary, and Joseph for your particular advocates before God. Look upon the members of the Holy Family as the most perfect models for imitation, whose examples will teach you what to correct and what to avoid, what to do for your temporal and eternal welfare, and that of your families.
Considerations and Prayers for Every Day.
First Day.
In an apostolic brief of June 14, 1892, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII., demonstrates how the welfare of the family and of the State depends chiefly on education, and that it is of the utmost importance that a religious spirit be fostered in the Christian family. From the first family, God so arranged the method and order of such a life as to exhibit to the world a form of a divinely ordered association, in which all human beings might behold a most complete model of family life, and of all virtue and holiness. The devotion to the Holy Family, a holy and a powerful institution before God and man, has increased very much within a few years, and it is worth our while to think of this on the first day of our monthly devotion, and appreciate it as we ought.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, Who didst hallow by Thy surpassing virtues, and the example of Thy home life, the household Thou didst choose to live in whilst on earth, mercifully look down upon this family, whose members, humbly prostrate before Thee, implore Thy protection. Remember that we are Thine, bound and consecrated to Thee by a special devotion. Protect us in Thy mercy, deliver us from danger, help us in our necessities, and impart to us strength to persevere always in the imitation of Thy Holy Family, so that, by serving Thee and loving Thee faithfully during this mortal life, we may at length give Thee eternal praise in heaven. O Mary, dearest Mother, we implore thy assistance, knowing that thy divine Son will hearken to thy petitions; and do thou, most glorious patriarch St. Joseph, help us with thy powerful patronage, and place our petitions in Mary’s hands that she may offer them to Jesus Christ. Amen.
Second Day.
Within our own time the devotion to the Holy Family has grown under the fostering care of the Supreme Pontiff, who has authorized the establishment of associations throughout the world, by which men and women, married and unmarried, are gathered into one fold from the standpoint of the family. The Holy Father desires that all the faithful of the Catholic Church should consider this association as a consecration to the Christian life, and that they will feel that they are bound to lead a holy life because their association is established and legalized by God. For what is the Sacrament of Matrimony but the legalizing of the family before God and man? Let us consider the family as a special institution of God’s providence for the preservation of the world, and the propagating in it of sound principles of learning and religion.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Third Day.
We are to consecrate ourselves to God under the union of a family. That is the pretence with which we come before God, to claim His kindness and mercy because we belong to a family. We are not isolated creatures, looking for our selfish ends, but we are a union of individuals constituted under a certain authority, which gives us a claim to the respect of God and man; for God has said, “Where there are two or three gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”—Matt. xviii. 20. The formula of consecration of a Christian family has been given us by the Sovereign Pontiff himself; rules, regulations, and by‐laws have been given to this society under the same authority of the Holy Father. The whole Christian family should be so united among themselves, that there be but one family under one head, set over all to rule them by its supreme power. We belong to this Christian family of the Church; let us then unite for the common good of all.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Fourth Day.
The scope of the pious association of the Holy Family is that all Christian families be consecrated to the Holy Family of Nazareth, placing it before themselves for veneration and imitation; offering up every day before its image prayers in its honor, and practising in their lives the sublime virtues which the Holy Family offered for imitation to every grade of society. The rich will find a model before them, the learned and highly educated will know exactly what to do according to the dignity of their position, the working class, especially, will find here the guidance and friendship needed in their temptations and troubles. The Holy Family is a poor, working, humble family, as poor as the poorest, as laborious as the most hard‐working, as humble as the most lowly.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Fifth Day.
The picture of the Holy Family should be in every household; it is a perpetual reminder, placed in tangible form, of our dear Lord, our blessed Lady, and our friend, St. Joseph, who were the members of the Holy Family. We often are interested in the pictures of great persons, and take delight in representations of angels and holy people. What is the secret of this inclination? Why, we can see those whom we wish to imitate, and grow to know their good and holy lives through their pictures. The Holy Father has approved one special picture which is to be the emblem of this association: Mary and Joseph, holding the youth Jesus between them by the hand. Jesus is not an infant, for this picture is to bring to mind the fact that His parents had to suffer care and anxiety in order to bring Him to this stage of boyhood, for which noble duty they were fitted by special providence and by special faithfulness.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Sixth Day.
“We have good hopes,” says the Holy Father, concluding his encyclical letter, “that all to whom the salvation of souls is committed, especially the bishops, will make themselves partners and sharers of our zeal in promoting this pious association. For those who recognize and deplore with us the change and corruption of Christian morals, the extinction of the love of religion and piety in families, and the passion for earthly goods, enkindled beyond measure, will desire exceedingly to apply suitable remedies for so many grievous evils. Since nothing can be more salutary and efficacious for Christian families than the example of the Holy Family, let care be taken that as many families as possible, especially those of the working classes, against which insidious forces are more strongly exercised, enroll themselves in this association. Let the association be on its guard, lest it swerve from its purpose, or change its spirit—rather let the practices of piety and the prayers which have been determined on to be preserved intact. May Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, thus besought within the family circle, be graciously present! May they foster charity, regulate morals, incite all that imitate them to virtue, and alleviate and render more bearable the hardships which oppress mankind!”
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Seventh Day.
A plenary indulgence after a sincere confession and a worthy communion, and praying for the intentions of His Holiness, may be gained by the members of the association on the following days: First, on the day of their entrance into the association, after they have recited the act of consecration. Second, on the day of a general meeting, when all go to communion in a body, and renew their promises. Third, on the feasts of the Nativity (Christmas), the Circumcision, Epiphany, Easter and Ascension. Fourth, on the feasts of the Blessed Virgin: Immaculate Conception, Nativity, Annunciation, Purification, Assumption. Fifth, also on the following days: feast of St. Joseph in March, Patronage of St. Joseph, Third Sunday after Easter, Espousal of the Blessed Virgin on the twenty‐ third of January. Sixth, on the feast of the Holy Family, and Seventh, at the hour of death.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Eighth Day.
Partial indulgences may be gained when visiting a church where the association is established, provided the members pray for the prosperity of Christendom, and for the intention of the Holy Father. Seven years and seven quarantines may be gained on the feasts of the Visitation, Presentation, and the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin. The same indulgences may be gained by the family in the reunion in prayer among themselves, if they pray before a picture of the Holy Family. The same also, whenever the members attend a public meeting of the association. Three hundred days’ indulgence is granted as often as a member of the association recites, before a picture of the Holy Family, the prayer “O most loving Jesus,” etc., etc. The members may gain an indulgence of two hundred days when they make the salutation: “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, enlighten us, aid us, save us. Amen.” One hundred days for every new member that is brought to the association, and sixty days for every good work done in honor of the Holy Family. All these indulgences are applicable to the souls in purgatory.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Ninth Day.
The Catholic Christian has the true faith which comes to him from Jesus Christ, the Founder of the true Church. He ought, then, to show by his conduct that his faith has made him better than so many others, who have not had the graces and advantages which came to him. In other words, it is not enough to believe the truths that God has revealed; it is not enough to belong to the true Church by the internal adhesion of the mind; it is indispensably necessary to manifest our faith in exterior works. Our faith should so have penetrated our whole being, that the profession of religion should show itself in all our actions. Faith without works is dead, and at the Last Judgment the almighty Judge will demand of us an account of all our actions, and then will He render to every one the merited reward or punishment. Let it be our aim in life to fill the days of our stay on earth with many good actions, the outcome of our faith, so that when we stand before the throne of God, we may have many glorious deeds to our credit.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Tenth Day.
A Christian considers his faith as a gift of heaven, a priceless treasure far surpassing any earthly wealth, because it raises man to a true knowledge of God and secures for him his eternal salvation. He rejects with horror the maxims of our modern infidels, who say, “One religion is as good as another”; “Hell is only a bugbear”; “The faith of the heart is enough for salvation,” and many others of the same nature. He rejects them because he knows that God is one, that the truth that comes from God is one, and that therefore faith must be one, and religion one. He knows that religion cannot be framed according to the whims of man, but only can come from the authority of God in His holy revelation. He will not associate with those who hold the above false doctrines; he will be an enemy of bad books, which teach errors of faith and which drag those who read them into the mire of immorality, and he will caution his friends against them.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Eleventh Day.
The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ as a perfect society, with authority to make laws, with power to punish the guilty, and to expel rebellious subjects from her midst. This power was given to the Church by Christ when He said, “And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven.” It is clear that Christ intended His Church to be our guide in all our actions, as an authority to teach us what the revelation is concerning our future state. We should, therefore, be obedient and faithful children of the Church. We should be grateful to God, Who in His mercy has established certain fountains of grace, which are found in the Church, and are guarded by her. These fountains of grace are the sacraments, which point out the holy states of life, and the true manner of pleasing God. We should use the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist for the remedy of our faults, and the strength of our weakness.
Prayer.
O most loving Jesus, etc., etc.
Twelfth Day.
Confession is the correction of our faults, and if we have sinned let us remember we have an advocate in heaven, to Whom we wish to return in the sincerity of our hearts. The Holy Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ and communion the partaking of it.