Mary's Little Prayer Index

MARY'S LITTLE OFFICE

6 AM - AT MATINS
7 AM - AT PRIME
9 AM - AT TERCE
12 NOON - AT SEXT
3 PM - AT NONE
6 PM - AT VESPERS
10 PM - AT COMPLINE

Mary's Little Office Explained

MARY'S OTHER LITTLE PRAYERS

1. MORNING PRAYER - Traditional
2. EVENING PRAYER - Traditional
3. GIRL SCOUTS MORNING PRAYER
4. GIRL SCOUTS EVENING PRAYER
5. LITANY OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
6. LITTLE VISITS TO JESUS AND MARY
7. MY MOTHER'S ROSARY
8. LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
9. THE ANGELUS
10. THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET
11. THIRTEENTH STATION DEVOTIONS

Why Do We Believe the Saints Will Help Us?

Jesuits in San Jose, California
1953

Why do we believe that the saints will help us?

We believe that the saints will help us because both they and we are members of the same Church, and they love us as their brethren.

How are the saints and we members of the same Church?

The saints and we are members of the same Church, because the Church in heaven and the Church on earth are one and the same Church, and all its members are in communion with one another.

Advanced Catechism of Catholic Faith, 1922

Prayer Index

MARY'S LITTLE OFFICE

6 AM - AT MATINS
7 AM - AT PRIME
9 AM - AT TERCE
12 NOON - AT SEXT
3 PM - AT NONE
6 PM - AT VESPERS
10 PM - AT COMPLINE

Mary's Little Office Explained

MARY'S OTHER LITTLE PRAYERS

1. MORNING PRAYER - Traditional
2. EVENING PRAYER - Traditional
3. GIRL SCOUTS MORNING PRAYER
4. GIRL SCOUTS EVENING PRAYER
5. LITANY OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
6. LITTLE VISITS TO JESUS AND MARY
7. MY MOTHER'S ROSARY
8. LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
9. THE ANGELUS
10. THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET
11. THIRTEENTH STATION DEVOTIONS

Are We Obliged to Make Open Profession of Our Faith?

Hyde Park - London, 1950

Index 

Are we obliged to make open profession of our faith?

We are obliged to make open profession of our faith as often as God's honor, our neighbor's spiritual good, or our own  requires it. "Whosoever," says Christ, "shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." 

"With the heart we believe unto Justice; but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

What are the chief causes of the loss of faith?

The chief causes of the loss of faith are: 
1st, Indifference concerning the truths of religion;
2nd, Neglect of religious duties; 
3rd, The reading of books hostile to the faith; 
4th, Attendance at non-Catholic schools and taking part in non-Catholic worship.

Advanced Catechism of Catholic Faith, 1922

The Sunday Homily

                        Click ⬆︎

This week's Scriptures illuminate the identity and mission of a prophet—a calling that belongs to all the baptized by virtue of our Baptism. God appoints the prophets to a specific mission. This mission is to speak God's word of truth. God's word of truth is not a private or personal opinion, but the Word of God communicated through human words. The prophet speaks God's word of truth to those within and those outside the Church. Prophets do not seek to proclaim a message that is easy to be accepted, but seek to speak God's word of truth, no matter how hard it might be to hear and accept. Christ is the paradigmatic example of the identity and mission of the prophet.

Reading 1 - Ezekiel 2:2-5
Psalm - Psalm 123:1-4
Reading 2 - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Gospel - Mark 6:1-6

Daily Daily Sing to Mary

DAILY, DAILY  SING TO MARY

The Manual of Children of Mary - 1930 

Daily, daily sing to Mary,

Sing, my soul, her praises due;

All her feasts, her actions worship

With the heart's devotion true.

Lost in wond'ring contemplation,

Be her Majesty confess'd:

Call her Mother, call her Virgin,

Happy Mother, Virgin blest.

She is mighty to deliver;

Call her, trust her lovingly;

When the tempest rages round thee,

She will calm the troubled sea.

Gifts of heaven she has given,

Noble lady! to our race:

She, the Queen, who decks her subjects

With the light of God's own grace.

Sing, my tongue, the Virgin's trophies,

Who for us her Maker bore;

For the curse of old inflicted

Peace and blessing to restore.

Sing in songs of praise unending,

Sing the world's majestic Queen;

Weary not, nor faint in telling

All the gifts she gives to men.

All my senses, heart, affections,

Strive to sound her glory forth;

Spread abroad the sweet memorials 

Of the Virgins's priceless worth.

Where the voice of music thrilling?

Where the tongue of eloquence

That can utter hymns beseeming

All her matchless excellence?

All our joys do flow from Mary,

All then join her praise to sing;

Trembling sing the Virgin Mother,
Mother of our Lord and King.

While we sing her awful glory,

Far above our fancy's reach;

Let our hearts be quick to offer

Love the heart alone can teach.

Holy Mary, we implore thee

By thy purity divine:

Help us, bending here before thee,

Help us truly to be thine.

Thou, unfolding wide the portals

Of the kingdom in the skies,

Holy Virgin, hast to mortals

Shown the land of Paradise.

Thou when deepest night infernal

Had for ages shrouded man,

Gavest us that life eternal

Promised since the world began.

God in thee hath showered plenty

On the hungry and the weak;

Sending back the mighty, empty,

Setting up on high the meek.

Thine the province to deliver 

Souls that deep in bondage lie;

Thine to crush, and crush for ever

Life-destroying heresy.

Thine to show that earthly pleasures,

All the world's enchanting bloom,

Are out-rivalled by the treasures

Of the glorious life to come.

Teach, oh! teach us, holy Mother,

How to conquer every sin,

How to love and help each other,

How the prize of life to win.

Thou to whom a Child was given

Greater than the sons of men,

Coming down from highest heaven

To create this world again.

Oh! by that Almighty Maker,

Whom thyself a virgin bore;

Oh! by thy supreme Creator,

Linked with thee for evermore;

By the hope thy name inspires;

By our doom reversed through thee;

Help us, Queen of Angel choirs,

Now and through eternity.

What is Faith

PRAYING FOR PEACE DURING THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, 1962

What is Faith?

Faith is a Divine virtue by which we firmly believe the truths which God has revealed.

Is Faith necessary for salvation?

Faith is necessary for salvation, for our Lord says, "He that believeth not shall be condemned." Matt. 16: 16.
"Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Heb. 11: 6.
 

Is Faith alone sufficient for salvation?

Faith alone is not sufficient for salvation, for without good works it is dead and useless, as the body without the soul, is dead and worthless. James 2: 26.

Prayer to God's Mother

Advanced Catechism of Catholic Faith, 1922 (Page 47).

Show Us Where??

Look down, O Mother Mary, From thy bright throne above, Cast down upon thy children One only glance of love; And if a heart so tender With pity flows not o'er, Then turn away, O Mother, And look on us no more.

Come Holy Ghost

DETROIT CATHOLIC SCHOOL, 1959

Index 

Will the Holy Ghost abide with the Church forever?

The Holy Ghost will abide with the Church forever, and guide it in the way of holiness and truth.

Is not the Holy Ghost everywhere?

As God, the Holy Ghost is everywhere; but, as the Spirit of Truth and the Sanctifier of souls, He is especially in the Church and its members.
 

What should we practice devotion to the Holy Ghost?

We should practice devotion to the Holy Ghost, because He is the Sanctifier of souls, and with His divine aid we can do all that is necessary for eternal life.


Is the Holy Ghost equal to the Father and the Son?
The Holy Ghost is equal to the Father and the Son, being the same Lord and God as they are. 

Prayer to God's Mother

Advanced Catechism of Catholic Faith, 1922 (Page 47).

Women in The Church by Bishop Robert Barron

America magazine recently published a fascinating survey regarding the attitudes of women in the Church. They were kind enough to publish a few of my reactions to the study, but I would like, in this video, to offer a fuller response to their findings.

Put Yourself on Mary's Map

Look down, O Mother Mary, From thy bright throne above, Cast down upon thy children One only glance of love; And if a heart so tender With pity flows not o'er, Then turn away, O Mother, And look on us no more.

Father Brown

The Gate of Mercy

O Queen of heaven and earth! Thou art the gate of mercy ever open, never closed. The universe must perish before he who invokes thee from his heart is refused assistance.―Blessed Henry Suso.

But Only God Can Make a Tree

Alligator Juniper Silhouette - Mogollon Rim, Arizona 

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest;

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

a nest of robins in her hair,

Upon whose bosom snow has lain,

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me

But only God can make a tree. 

                              

Read More:  Poet, Soldier, Knight

Her Eyes - A Study or Ave Mary by Celine Dion

Mother of God! thy starry smile

Still bless us from above!

Keep pure our souls from passion's guile.

Our hearts from earthly love!

My Mother's Radio - Today's Homily

John the Baptist is one of the most important figures in Christianity, and provides a window into the tradition of the Jewish priesthood and the historical context of the day. John chose the river Jordan to baptize, a conscious move to display the forgiveness of sins against the backdrop of the Jewish history of Exodus and liberation. Yet while he was baptizing in the desert, likely an exercise in protest of the corruption in the Temple in Jerusalem, he was heralding the coming of Christ, one who will "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

Mass Readings

Reading 1 - Isaiah 49:1-6 
Psalm - Psalm 139:1B-15
Reading 2 - Acts 13:22-26
Gospel - Luke 1:57-66, 80

A Book and a Song

John Henry Newman never revealed to the world the secret of his own conversion into the Catholic faith.  Perhaps the answer can be found in this little book that he wrote while still an Anglican.  

The words were set to music and became a popular hymn which is cherished by Protestants and Catholics alike. Click on the sound bar below the book to listen to the music.  To read the book use the tools provided to enlarge and to turn the pages. 

All Hail to Thee Dear Mother Mary

All hail to thee, dear and ever-blessed Mother!  We honor thee for God honors thee;  we love thee, for God loves thee;  we obey thee, for thou ever commandest the will of thy Lord.  The passers-by may jeer thee; . . . earth and hell rise up in wrath against thee . . . but all the more dear art thou to our hearts;  all the more deep and sincere is the homage we pay thee;  and all the more earnestly do we pray thee to receive our humble offerings, and to own us for thy children, and watch over us that we never forfeit the right to call thee our Mother.  

(Orestes Brownson 19th century)

The Angelus or Inside the Front Door

Twelve o'clock - six o'clock! The Church bell rings out its deep, clear tones, to recall our minds to Mary. The Angelus! What a sweet and necessary reminder of Heaven.

Our Lady's Story - See bottom of this page.

Recorded at the Kitchen Table - Scottsdale Arizona.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;  blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.    Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen. Behold the handmaid of the Lord:  Be it done unto me according to Thy word. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;  blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.    Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen. And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;  blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.    Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,  that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray:  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Years ago I was browsing through a Religious Goods store in Boston when an old cement statue of Our Lady standing behind the front door caught my eye.  I was entirely captivated by her aged beauty.  I was told by the salesman that Our Lady had stood in a nearby convent yard for 80 years and was in need of a new home.  That is how the Lady's peeling paint figure and I met.  From Boston she traveled to Littlemore Farm in Iowa and stood in a shrine that I built with a thousand brick and a summer's labor.  When my wife and I left the farm Our Lady came with us and now stands in her niche to greet all who visit our home.  

The farm shrine stands empty.  The video was taken at Littlemore Farm.

One Line Prayers

Ejaculations to the Blessed Virgin

Mary. 
(Ind. of 25 days, each time.―Clement XIII. Sept. 5, 1750.)

Mary, Virgin Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me. 
(Ind. of 50 days, once each day.―Leo XIII. March  29, 1894.)

Mary our hope, have pity on us. 
(Ind. of 300 days, each time.―Pius X. Jan 8, 1906.) 

My Mother, my trust. 
(Ind. of 300 days, each time.―Benedict XV. Sept. 6, 1915.)

Our Lady of the most Holy Sacrament, pray for us. 
(Ind. of 300 days, each time, before the Blessed Sacrament exposed.―Pius X.  Jan 10, 1906.)

The Man of God

Fr.  Callan & McHugh
Authors of "Blessed Be God."

P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 1928

A Short Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help

O Queen of heaven and earth! Thou art the gate of mercy ever open, never closed. The universe must perish before he who invokes thee from his heart is refused assistance.―Blessed Henry Suso.

Time Travel - What is a Mystery

PAROCHIAL SCHOOL, DANBURY, CONNECTICUT - 1950

What is a Mystery?

A mystery is a truth which we cannot fully understand. 

Why must we believe the mysteries of religion?

We must believe the mysteries of religion because God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived, has deigned to make these truths known in part to us. 
"Blessed are thy that have not seen, and have believed." John 20: 29.

Advanced Catechism of Catholic Faith and Practice, 1922.