To You, O God, Fountain of Mercy, I come, a sinner. May You wash away my impurity.
O Sun of Justice, give sight to the blind. O Eternal Healer, cure the wounded. O King of Kings, restore the despoiled. O Mediator of God and man, reconcile the sinful. O Good Shepherd, lead back the straying. O God, have pity on the wretched, show leniency to the guilty, bestow life on the dead, reform the impious, and give the balm of grace to the hard of heart.
O most merciful God, call back the one who flees, draw back the one who resists, lift up the one who falls, support the one who stands, and accompany the one who walks.
Do not forget those who forget You. Do not desert those who desert You. Do not despise those who sin against You. For in sinning, I have offended You, my God.
I have harmed my neighbor; I have not even spared myself injury. I have sinned, 0 my God, against You, almighty Father, because of my weakness; against You, all-knowing Son, because of my ignorance; against You, merciful Holy Spirit, because of my malice. Thus have I offended You, most high Trinity.
I saw this on The Anchoress Blog from TheChurchMilitant and thought it was perfect for AirMaria viewers especially during Advent. As a convert from Protestantism and now in a most Marian Catholic religious order, the Franciscans of the Immaculate, I have always thought that Mary should be a source of unity and not dissension. This video covers most all the Biblical basis for the Catholic teachings about Mary in one video so at least our separated brethren can see that Mary is not anti-scriptural. Pass this along to all who need to see it.
From the Anchoress:
Sent along by reader Vicki, who is not Catholic, this video is one of the best brief expositions I’ve ever seen on the theological role Mary plays in this whole pageant of salvation in which we live, and for which we seek understanding.
It may seem a little long at 11 minutes, but it moves quickly and covers quite a lot of ground. Stick with it and enjoy!
Botticini’s rendering of Mary’s Assumption places it in the context of the entire Church triumphant, celebrated today on All Saints’ Day.
“By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” — Pope Pius XII
On November 1, 1950, crowds from the world over thronged St. Peter’s Square…
It is only the Child lying in the manger who possesses the true secret of life. For this reason he asks us to welcome him, to make room for him within us, in our hearts, in our homes, in our cities, and in our societies. The words of John’s Prologue echo in our minds and hearts: “To all who received him … he gave power’ to become children of God” (1: 12).
Let us endeavor to be among those who welcome him. Before him one cannot remain indifferent. We too, dear friends, must continuously take sides. What will our response be? With what attitude will we welcome him? The simplicity of the shepherds and the seeking of the Magi who scrutinized the signs of God by means of the star come to our help. The docility of Mary and the wise prudence of Joseph serve as an example to us …
The love that Jesus, born in Bethlehem, brought into the world binds to himself in a lasting relationship of friendship and brotherhood all who welcome him. Saint John of the Cross says: “In giving us all, that is, his Son, in him God has now said all. Fix your eyes on him alone … and you will find in addition more than you ask and desire.”
PRESENCE OF GOD: Teach me, 0 Lord, the secrets of Your mercy that I may fully profit by them.
MEDITATION 1. God’s love for us assumes a very special claim, one that is adapted to our nature as frail, weak creatures: the character of mercy. Mercy is love bending over to relieve it, to redeem it, to raise it up to itself. It almost seems that God, in loving us, is attracted by our weakness, not because it is lovable, but because, being infinite goodness, His compassion stoops to compensate for it by His mercy.
He wants to heal our imperfection by His infinite perfection, our impurity by His purity, our ignorance by His Wisdom, our selfishness by His goodness, our weakness by His strength: God, the supreme, eternal good, wants to be the remedy for all our ills, “for He knoweth our frame, He remembereth that we are dust” (Ps. 102:14).
Jesus, hatred lifted You up on a cross; hut once on it You said You would lift all lovers up to Your Heart, which is Love, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself”. (John 12: 32)
You are now fulfilling that promise, for You are drawing heaven to Yourself, as You hang on the Cross, to give me the possession of it, and God, to make me His child and friend again. Oh, draw also my poor heart, so cold and ungrateful, to Yourself to inflame it with Your own love and generosity; my sinful soul as well, to cleanse and save it. You are true to me till death.
Then draw me, Lord, and make me true to You forever, both in my innermost soul by faith in Your doctrine, hope in Your Divine promises and love of Your holy Person, and in my outward behavior by daily imitation of Your crucified life and by an unceasing union of my life with Your Sacrifice on the Cross. (more…)
The need for prayer in order to follow the Lord closely:
Jesus looks at us with a gaze of expressive simplicity on that night. He looks into souls and hearts in the revealing light of Divine Wisdom. The spectacle of all men’s sins, of the sins of his brothers, files past before his eyes. He sees the deplorable opposition of so many who scorn the happiness he offers them, the uselessness of the generous sacrifice He will offer in vain for so many more. He feels great loneliness and moral pain because of this defiance and lack of response to such an outpouring of Divine love.
Three times he looks for those three disciples of his to accompany him in prayer: “Watch with me, be at my side, do not leave me alone”, he has asked them. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer him. Perhaps in that state of tremendous helplessness He seeks a little company, a little human warmth. But his friends abandoned the Friend … That was a night when they should have stayed awake, to have prayed. And they slept. They still did not love enough, and allowing themselves to be beaten by weakness and sadness, they left Jesus alone. In them the Lord found no support; they had been chosen for this and they had let him down … (more…)
Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and humble in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mt. 11: 28-30)
To become more humble, we have to be ready to accept the humiliation of finding victory elusive in our struggle to conquer our defects, and of being reminded of our weaknesses day by day. Often when we examine our conscience, especially on those occasions when we can do it more thoroughly, we can ask questions like these:
To You, O God, Fountain of Mercy, I come, a sinner. May You wash away my impurity.
