Ave Maria Meditations
Prayer to the Archangels:
Bless the Lord, all you His Angels, you who are mighty in strength and do His Will.
Intercede for me at the throne of God, and by your unceasing watchfulness protect me in every danger of soul and body. Obtain for me the grace of final perseverance. Amen.
St Michael the Archangel …
Saint Michael, the Archangel! Glorious Prince, chief and champion of the heavenly hosts; guardian of the souls of men; conqueror of the rebel angels! How beautiful art thou, in thy heaven-made armor. We love thee, dear Prince of Heaven! We, thy happy clients, yearn to enjoy thy special protection. Obtain for us from God a share of thy sturdy courage; pray that we may have a strong and tender love for our Redeemer and, in every danger or temptation, be invincible against the enemy of our souls. O standard-bearer of our salvation! Be with us in our last moments and when our souls quit this earthly exile, carry them safely to the judgment seat of Christ, and may Our Lord and Master bid thee bear us speedily to the kingdom of eternal bliss. Teach us ever to repeat thy sublime cry: “Who is like unto God?” Amen.
Prayer for Help against Spiritual Enemies. Glorious Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly hosts, who stands always ready to give assistance to the people of God; who fought with the dragon, the old serpent, and cast him out of heaven, and now valiantly defends the Church of God that the gates of hell may never prevail against her, I earnestly entreat you to assist me also, in the painful and dangerous conflict which I sustain against the same formidable foe. Be with me, O mighty Prince! that I may courageously fight and vanquish that proud spirit, whom you, by the Divine Power, gloriously overthrew, and whom our powerful King, Jesus Christ, has, in our nature, completely overcome; so having triumphed over the enemy of my salvation, I may with you and the holy angels, praise the clemency of God who, having refused mercy to the rebellious angels after their fall, has granted repentance and forgiveness to fallen man. Amen.
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| St Gabriel: O God, who from the angelic ranks didst choose the archangel Gabriel to herald the mystery of thy incarnation, grant us this favor, that we who keep his feast on earth may feel the power of his advocacy in heaven: thou who art God. |
St Gabriel the Archangel
O God, who amongst all the Angels didst choose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of Thine Incarnation; mercifully grant, that we who solemnly keep his feast on earth may feel the benefit of his patronage in heaven: who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.
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Strength of God (by A. A. Procter) |
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Be still, ye clouds of heaven! Be silent, earth! And hear an angel tell Of Jesus’ birth. |
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While she, whom Gabriel hails As full of grace, Listens with humble faith In her sweet face. |
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Hail Mary! lo, it rings Through ages on; Hail Mary! it shall sound, Till time is done |
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St Raphael the Archangel Patron of blind people, doctors, eye diseases and those with them, happy meetings, lovers, mental illnesses and those with them, nurses, pharmacists, sickness, travelers, etc. Vouchsafe, O Lord God, to send unto our assistance Saint Raphael the Archangel: and may he, who, we believe, evermore standeth before the throne of Thy Majesty, offer unto Thee our humble petitions to be blessed by Thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Oh, St Raphael, Medicine of God, Angel of happy meetings, of peace and of joy, we beseech thee, cure our infirmities of soul and body in virtue of the Divine Blood, source of all healing graces. O God who in Thy ineffable goodness hast rendered blessed Raphael the conductor of thy faithful in their journeys, we humbly implore Thee that we may be conducted by him in the way of salvation, and experience his help in the maladies of our souls. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen. +++ This is a great day to read the Book of Tobit, which relates at length the ministry of St Raphael to Tobit and his son Tobias, as well as Tobias’ wife-to-be, Sarah. St Raphael is associated with the angel who healed the sick at the pool of Bethsaida because of the knowledge he demonstrates of healing and medicine and the actual cures worked through his activity in the Book of Tobit. Thus John 5:1-4 is the Gospel reading for the day, whereas the first reading is Tobit 12:7-15.
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