Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Novena for the Most Holy Name of Mary - September 3
Novena for the Most Holy Name of Mary
Holy Child Mary of the royal house of David, Queen of the angels.
On the day of the Incarnation, the tree of life was planted,
Open only to the heavenly Spouse. O Lily of paradise,
Ave Maria
Hail, lovely and holy Child, spiritual garden of delight.
Hail, admirable Child Mary, Mystical Rose, closed garden.
Holy Child Mary, mystical dawn, gate of heaven.
Monday, August 31, 2026
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST - ALL ENDS, AND SOON ENDS.
ALL ENDS, AND SOON ENDS.
The grass of the field, which is today and tomorrow, is cast into the oven. MATT. vii. 30.
ALL ENDS, AND SOON ENDS.
Behold! All the goods of the earth are like the grass of the field, which today is blooming and beautiful, but in the evening it withers and loses its flowers, and the next day is cast into the fire. This is what God commanded the Prophet Isaiah to preach when he said to him: "Cry out. What shall I cry out? All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof is as the flower of the field. (Isa. xl. 6. Hence, St. James compares the rich of this world to the flower of grass: at the end of their journey through life, they rot, along with all their riches and pomps. The rich. . . Because, like the flower of the grass, he shall pass away. For the sun rose with a burning heat, and parched the grass, and the flower thereof fell off, and the beauty of the shape thereof perished: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. St. James, they fade away and are cast into the fire, like the rich glutton who made a splendid appearance in this life, but afterwards was buried in hell. Let us, then, dearly beloved Christians, attend to the salvation of our souls, and to the acquisition of riches for eternity, which never ends; for everything in this world ends, and ends very soon.
First Point. Everything ends.
When one of the great of this world is in the full enjoyment of the riches and honours which he has acquired, death shall come, and he shall be told: Take order with thy house; for thou shalt die, and not live. Oh! ” What doleful tidings! The unhappy man must then say: Farewell, world! Farewell, villa! farewell, grotto! Farewell, relatives! Farewell, friends! Farewell, sports! Farewell, balls! Farewell, comedies! Farewell, banquets! Farewell, honours! All is over for me. There is no remedy: whether he will or not, he must leave all. When he dies, he shall take nothing away, nor shall his glory descend with him. St. Bernard says that death produces a horrible separation of the soul from the body and from all the things of this earth. "morti“ horrendum divortium.” (Serm. xxvi., in Cant.)
To the great of this world, whom worldlings regard as the most fortunate of mortals, the bare name of death is so full of terror that they are unwilling even to hear it mentioned; for their entire concern is to find peace in their earthly goods. death! Ecclesiasticus, How bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that hath peace in his possessions. But how much greater bitterness shall death itself cause when it actually comes to the miserable man who is attached to the goods of this world! Every separation produces pain. Hence, when the soul shall be separated by the stroke of death from the goods on which she had fixed all her affections, the pain must be excruciating. It was this that made King Agag exclaim when the news of approaching death was announced to him: “Doth bitter death separate me in this manner?
The great misfortune of worldlings is that when they are on the point of being summoned to judgment, instead of endeavouring to adjust the accounts of their souls, they direct all their attention to earthly things. But, says St. John Chrysostom, the punishment which awaits sinners, on account of having forgotten God during life, is that they forget themselves at the hour of death. “Anima dversione percutitur impius, ut moriens obliviscatur sui, qui vivens oblitus est Dei. But how great soever a man’s attachment to the things of this world may be, he must take leave of them at death. Naked he has entered into this world, and naked he shall depart from it. says Job, “I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither.
In a word, they who have spent their whole life having lost their sleep, their health, and their peace in accumulating riches and possessions shall take nothing with them at the hour of death: their eyes shall then be opened; and of all they had so dearly acquired, they shall find nothing in their hands. Hence, on that night of confusion, they shall be overwhelmed in a tempest of pain and sadness. “ rich man, When he sleeps, he shall take away nothing with him! He shall open his eyes and find nothing... a tempest shall oppress him in the night.
St. Antonine relates that Saladin, king of the Saracens, gave orders at the hour of death that the winding sheet in which he was to be buried should be carried before him to the grave, and that a person should cry out: “Of all his possessions, this only shall Saladin bring with him.” The saint also relates that a certain philosopher, speaking of Alexander the Great after his death, said: “Behold the man that made the earth tremble.” The earth, as the Scripture says, was quiet before him. He is now under the earth. Behold the man whom the dominion of the whole world could not satisfy: now four palms of ground are sufficient for him. Terram heri conculcabat, hodie ab ea conculcatur; et cui heri non sufficiebat mundus, hodie sufficiunt quatuor ulnæ terræ.Augustine, or some other ancient writer, says that, having gone to see the tomb of Caesar, he exclaimed: “Princes feared thee; cities worshipped thee; all trembled before thee; where has thy magnificence gone?”
Listen to what David says: “I have seen the wicked highly exalted and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon. And I passed by, and lo! he was not. Oh! How many such spectacles are seen every day in the world! A sinner who has been born in lowliness and afterwards acquires wealth and honors, so as to excite the envy of all. When he dies, everyone says, He made a fortune in the world; but now he is dead, and with death all is over for him.
Why are earth and ashes proud? Such is the language which the Lord addresses to the man who is puffed up by earthly honors and earthly riches. "Miserable creature, whence comes such pride? You enjoy honors and riches; remember that you are dust. "For dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return. You must die, and after death, what advantage shall you derive from the honours and possessions which now inflate you with pride? Go, says St. Ambrose, to a cemetery, in which are buried the rich and poor, and see if you can discern among them who has been rich and who has been poor; all are naked, and nothing remains of the richest among them but a few withered bones. ” Respi sepulchra, die mihi, quis ibi dives, quis pauper sit vexam. . How profitable would the remembrance of death be to the man who lives in the world! shall be brought to the grave, and shall watch in the heap of the dead. At the sight of these dead bodies, he would remember death, and that he would one day be like them. Thus, he should be awakened from the deadly sleep in which perhaps he lives in a state of perdition. But the misfortune is that worldlings are unwilling to think of death until the hour comes when they must depart from this earth to go into eternity; therefore, they live as attached to the world as if they were never to be separated from it. But our life is short, and shall soon end: thus all things must end, and must soon end.
Friday, August 28, 2026
beheading of st. john the Baptist - AUGUST 29
beheading of st. john the Baptist
Besides the chief feast of St. John the Baptist, that of his nativity, the Church commemorates on the twenty-ninth of August, his glorious death and birth into Heaven. Ever since the Fourth Century in Africa, in the East, in Syria, and in many places all over the world, the beheading of St. John the Baptist has been commemorated on August 29th. When in 362, pagans violated the tomb and burned his remains, some parts were saved by monks, and taken to St. Athanasius at Alexandria. The head is said to have been preserved at Jerusalem, and may later have been brought to Rome.
The Gospel of the Mass recounts his martyrdom. He died because his sanctity as precursor of Christ was intolerable to the immoral Herodias. He anticipated in his death the humiliations of Calvary, but he was rewarded by having his praises spoken by the Savior Himself, even if Jesus and His disciples did not actually assist at his funeral, as some legends maintain.
There is a commemoration also of Saint Sabina, a Roman widow of high birth, suffered martyrdom under Emperor Hadrian, early in the Second Century, and was buried in the same grave with St. Seraphia, her maid-servant, who had instructed her in the Faith.
The Gospel of the Mass recounts his martyrdom. He died because his sanctity as precursor of Christ was intolerable to the immoral Herodias. He anticipated in his death the humiliations of Calvary, but he was rewarded by having his praises spoken by the Savior Himself, even if Jesus and His disciples did not actually assist at his funeral, as some legends maintain.
There is a commemoration also of Saint Sabina, a Roman widow of high birth, suffered martyrdom under Emperor Hadrian, early in the Second Century, and was buried in the same grave with St. Seraphia, her maid-servant, who had instructed her in the Faith.
Beheading of St John the Baptist / Commemoration St. Sabina, Martyr – Saturday in the Thirteenth Week after Penecost
Major Double / Red Vestments - Missa “Loquébar”
INTROIT: Ps. 118: 46, 47
I spoke of Thy testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed: I meditated also on Thy commandments, which I loved exceedingly.
Psalm 91: 2
It is good to give praise to the Lord; and to sing to Thy name, O Most High Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. I spoke of Thy testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed: I meditated also on Thy commandments, which I loved exceedingly.
COLLECTS
O Lord, that this solemn festival of St. John Baptist thy blessed Forerunner and Martyr: may effectually bestow upon us thy succour to the attainment of everlasting salvation. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Second Collect of St. Sabina, Martyr
O God, who among the manifold works of thine almighty power hast bestowed even upon the weakness of women strength to win the victory of martyrdom: grant, we beseech thee; that we, who on this day recall the heavenly birth of Saint Sabina thy Martyr, may so follow in her footsteps, that we may likewise attain unto thee. Through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
O God, who among the manifold works of thine almighty power hast bestowed even upon the weakness of women strength to win the victory of martyrdom: grant, we beseech thee; that we, who on this day recall the heavenly birth of Saint Sabina thy Martyr, may so follow in her footsteps, that we may likewise attain unto thee. Through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
EPISTLE: Jeremias 1: 17-19
In those days: The word of the Lord came to me, saying, Gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak to Juda all that I command thee. Be not afraid at their presence; for I will make thee not to fear their countenance. For behold I have made thee this day a fortified city, and a pillar of iron, and a wall of brass, over all the land, to the kings of Juda, to the princes thereof, and to the priests, and to the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee, and shall not prevail: for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.
GRADUAL: Psalm 91: 13
The righteous shall flourish like a palm-tree, and shall spread in the house of the Lord like a cedar in Lebanon.
To tell of thy loving-kindness early in the morning, and of thy truth in the night season.
ALLELUIA: Osee 14: 6
Alleluia, alleluia. The righteous shall grow as the lily: and flourish for ever before the Lord. Alleluia.
At that time: Herod sent and apprehended John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her. For John said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. Now Herodias laid snares for him, and was desirous to put him to death, and could not. For Herod feared John, knowing him to be a just and holy man, and kept him, and when he heard him did many things; and he heard him willingly. And when a convenient day was come, Herod made a supper for his birthday, for the princes, and tribunes, and chief men of Galilee. And when the daughter of the same Herodias had come in, and had danced, and pleased Herod, and them that were at table with him, the king said to the damsel, Ask of me what thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he swore to her, whatsoever thou shalt ask, I will give thee; though it be the half of my kingdom. Who, when she was gone out, said to her mother, What shall I ask? But she said, the head of John the Baptist. And when she was come in immediately with haste to the king,she asked, saying, I will that forthwith thou give me in a dish the head of John the Baptist. And the king was struck sad; yet because of his oath, and because of them that were with him at table, he would not displease her; but sending an executioner he commanded that his head should be brought in a dish. And he beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a dish, and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother. Which his disciples hearing, came, and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
OFFERTORY: Psalm 20: 2, 3
In thy strength, O Lord, the just man shall exult, and in Thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly: Thou hast given him his heart’s desire.
SECRET
The offerings which we bring, O Lord, in memory of the passion of Thy holy martyr, John the Baptist, we pray that, by his favor, they may profit us unto salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God…
Second Secret Prayer of St. Sabina,
Graciously receive, O Lord, the gifts which we offer on the solemnity of Thy virgin and martyr, Sabina, by whose patronage we trust to be delivered from all evil. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.
PREFACE Common Preface
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: through Christ our Lord. Through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.Pleni sunt cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis. BenedÃctus qui venit in nómine Dómini.Hosánna in excélsis.
COMMUNION: Psalm 20: 3O Lord, Thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones.
POSTCOMMUNION
May the solemn festival of St. John the Baptist bring us the grace, O Lord, both to venerate that which is signified in the great sacrament we have received, and to be joyful because this thing hath been more abundantly manifested in us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God…
May the solemn festival of St. John the Baptist bring us the grace, O Lord, both to venerate that which is signified in the great sacrament we have received, and to be joyful because this thing hath been more abundantly manifested in us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God…
Second Postcommunion of St. Sabina
May the mysteries we have received, help us, O Lord, and, by the intercession of blessed Sabina, Thy virgin and martyr, may they cause us to rejoice in everlasting protection. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God…
St. John’s head
Thursday, August 27, 2026
St. Joseph Calasanctius - August 27
August 27
Matins - Roman Breviary
Lesson is taken from the Book of Wisdom
Chapter 3: 22-26
22. Seek not the things that are too high for thee, and search not into things above thy ability: but the things that God hath commanded thee, think on them always, and in many of his works be not curious.
Lesson Two
27. A hard heart shall fear evil at the last: and he that loveth danger shall perish in it.
Lesson Three
31. The heart of the wise is understood in wisdom, and a good ear will hear wisdom with all desire.
34. And God provideth for him that sheweth favour: he remembereth him afterwards, and in the time of his fall he shall find a sure stay.
Today is also the Traditional feast of the Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are the Annunciation, the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, the Resurrection, the Ascension, Pentecost and Mary’s Coronation as Queen of Heaven and earth. You’ll note how the first two correlate with the Joyful Mysteries and four comprise the Glorious Mysteries. This originated with the Franciscans and balance the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Lesson 4
Joseph Calasanctius, called Of the Mother of God, was born to a noble family at Petralta in Aragon. From his tender years, he began to show that fondness for children and that gift of instructing them for which he was afterwards distinguished. He called them around him when he was still but a child himself, and taught them the mysteries of the faith and godly prayers. He was deeply learned in profane and sacred letters, and it was while he was studying theology at Valencia that he bravely overcame the wiles of a noble and powerful lady and, by a brilliant victory, kept untarnished that virginity which he had vowed to God. He became a priest in consequence of a vow and was summoned by many bishops in the kingdoms of New Castile, Aragon, and Catalonia to help them in their work, wherein he surpassed the hopes of all, correcting depraved manners, restoring the discipline of the Church, and marvelously putting an end to hatreds and bloody feuds. But in obedience to a vision from heaven and many warnings from the voice of God, he left Spain and went to Rome.
Lesson 5
In Rome, he afflicted his body with watching and with fasting, and so passed his days and nights in prayer and in the contemplation of heavenly things. He was used to visiting the Seven Churches almost every night, a custom which he kept for many years. Having joined several godly brotherhoods, it was strange how eagerly he relieved the poor by alms and every sort of kindness, choosing especially the sick and the imprisoned. When the city was ravaged by a pestilence, such was the charitable zeal with which he joined in the labours of St. Camillus de' Lellis, that besides the great help which he brought to the sick poor, he would even carry the bodies of the dead on his own shoulders to burial. Having understood from God that his call was to bring up children in godliness and good learning, he founded the Order of the Poor Regular Clerks of the Pious Schools of the Mother of God, who profess as the special object of their Institute a singular care for the teaching of the poor. This Institute received the warm approval of Clement VIII, Paul V, and other Popes, and in a short time obtained a marvellous extension through many provinces and kingdoms of Europe. In this work, Joseph Casalanz underwent so many toils and patiently bore so many griefs that he was proclaimed by all men a wonder of endurance and a very image of holy Job.
Lesson 6
Even when he was at the head of his whole order and toiling with all his might for the salvation of souls, he never ceased to teach children, especially the poor, to sweep out the schoolrooms and to accompany the scholars home. Thus, in spite of broken health, he worked on for two and fifty years, with the greatest long-suffering and lowliness. He won that God should glorify him by many miracles worked in the presence of his disciples, and that the most blessed Virgin should appear to him, with the Child Jesus in her arms, blessing them as they prayed. He refused wealthy preferments when they were offered to him. He was eminent for the gift of prophecy, for the power of reading the secrets of the heart, of knowing distant events, and of miracles. The Virgin Mother of God, for whom from his childhood he had had an especial love, and other heavenly ones, honoured him by often allowing him to see them. He foretold the day of his own death, and the restoration and growth of his Order, which seemed at that time to be almost entirely destroyed. He fell asleep in the Lord at Rome, upon the 25th day of August, in the year of salvation 1648, and of his own age the 92nd. A hundred years after his death, his heart and tongue were found whole and incorrupt. God glorified him by many miracles even after his death, and he was first crowned by Benedict XIV. with the honours paid to the Blessed, and then solemnly enrolled by Clement XIII among the Saints.
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