MONTH OF THE HOLY ANGELS - TWENTY-FOURTH DAY

 

Twenty-Fourth Day

The guardian angels have certain duties to perform, and we can put them down in this wise. First, the angel guardian defends us from all evil. He can put thoughts into our minds which will put us on our guard against sin. Second, the angels oppose the cunning of the devil, who wants to destroy us. The devil argues in a very crafty manner, and unless we are strengthened by the love and the goodness of God, we would be led astray by the devil's superior intelligence. But our guardian angel brings light to the mind, and holds the soul in the desire of good. Third, they offer our prayers to almighty God, as we read in the Apocalypse, There was given to [the angel] much incense, ... and the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God, from the hand of the angel. Our angel intercedes for us with God, with a personal and special interest, and we, on account of our great sinfulness, need an angel to help us obtain grace and mercy from almighty God.

Prayer

O angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom His love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and to guide.

 

MONTH OF THE HOLY ANGELS - TWENTY-THIRD DAY

 

MONTH OF THE HOLY ANGELS

Twenty-Third Day

Not only the just, but also sinners, have guardian angels. Indeed, it would appear that sinners and infidels need them more, for the sinner is so wayward, and yet God in His kindness wishes to bring him back to good ways, and so the gentle persuasion of a guiding spirit is necessary. The Scriptures do not limit the attendance of the guardian angels to those only who are in a state of grace; therefore, it is likely that even after sin the ministering angel remains. While we are good, we hardly need the presence of a good spirit; it is when we have turned to evil that we need that precious guide. The belief that a guardian angel attends us ought to impress itself deeply on our minds; we are never alone, we are taken care of by the ministers of God Our Father, and we have nothing to fear. Even though the world has turned against us, and we are surrounded by trouble on all sides, we are sure that this angel will bring comfort to us. Children should be taught from their early childhood that a guardian angel attends them; it will have a very good effect in shaping their lives.

Prayer

O angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom His love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and to guide.

NOVENA TO ST. JUDE - FOURTH DAY

 

Novena to St. Jude

October 19 – October 27

  Fourth Day

Saint blessed Jude, you were called to be one of Christ’s chosen apostles and labored to bring men to a knowledge and love of God; listen with compassion to those gathered together to honor you and ask your intercession. In this troubled world of ours we have many trials, difficulties, and temptations. Plead for us in the heavenly court, asking that our petitions may be answered, especially the particular one we have in mind at this moment.

  (Mention your request)

May it please God to answer our prayers in the way that he knows best, giving us grace to see his purpose in all things. Amen. St. Jude, pray for us. My Jesus, mercy. 

MONTH OF THE HOLY ANGELS - TWENTY- SECOND DAY

 

Month of the Holy Angels

Twenty-Second Day

To each man an angel is appointed for his care: this we can prove from the Scriptures. Their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father Who is in heaven. St. Paul says, Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?” Fallen man needed some help, and almighty God entrusted him to the care of the angels. Even God's power, God's wisdom, and God's mercy demand it. First of all, the power of God demanded that the angels should not only serve Him, but serve His glory in His creatures. God's wisdom demanded that each human being coming into the world should receive a guardian; for the devil has great power over us, and we would not be able to battle against the devil or the flesh without help. God desires to preserve His work: hence God's mercy moves Him in favor of the fallen or those in danger of a fall, like unto a mother full of tenderness for her children. God gave His only Son for the redemption of mankind; precious, indeed, then, is this human soul, if worthy to be purchased by the blood of the Lamb; certainly precious enough, too, to be guarded with care by a superior intelligence.

Prayer

O angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom His love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and to guide.

MONTH OF THE HOLY ANGELS - TWENTY-FIRST DAY

 

Twenty-first Day

In the book of the Apocalypse, we read of the activity of the angels. We see them coming from heaven to earth; they bring down from almighty God orders for salvation as well as for punishment; hence the angels are called ministering spirits, sent for the ministry of our salvation. Especially, may we conceive that in the service of the Church the angels are particularly active—that there are angels who intervene in the oblation and bear it to the sublime altar of Jesus Christ, angels who are called angels of prayer, and who present before God the petitions of the faithful. St. Michael is the defender of the Church. The ancient Jewish people were also protected by St. Michael. Other nations had their superior spirits, which are mentioned in the Scriptures as protectors; for the prophet Daniel speaks of the prince of the Greeks, the prince of the Persians, angels who preside spiritually and invisibly over these nations. Are we not also important as a nation, in the designs of God? Whom has God appointed over the affairs of our country? We know there is such a spirit; let us pray to him even without knowing him, for we are sure that our prayers will reach the one appointed by God to protect us.

Prayer

O angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom His love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and to guide.

 

Novena to St. Jude - Third day

 

         Third Day

O holy St. Jude, apostle of Jesus Christ, you who have so faithfully and devotedly helped to spread his Gospel of Light, we who are gathered together today in your honor, ask and petition you to remember us and our needs. Especially do we pray for.

    (Mention your request)

May it also please our Lord to lend an ear to your supplications in our behalf. Grant that we may ever pray with fervor and devotion, resigning ourselves humbly to the divine will, seeing God’s purpose in all our trials and knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered in some way. Amen. St. Jude, pray for us. My Jesus, mercy.

Month of the Holy Angels - Twentieth Day

 

 Twentieth Day

It is a belief which we may prove from the Scriptures, which is corroborated by many facts in the history of the world and by the belief of ancient people, that God governs the world, even the natural world, through the agency of spirits; to each of whom He was pleased to depute certain offices. He made use of the good angels to maintain order in general, to watch over empires, to protect men, to carry His blessings to them, and to be the executors of His justice. Everywhere Scripture recalls this wonderful ministry of the angels; and there is not an epoch of time in which such a tradition did not exist. We read in the Gospel that Our Lord Himself was tempted by the devil, the fallen angel. Our blessed Lord teaches us that little children are dearer to Him than they are to their own mothers, and He has appointed angels to be their guardians. So great is a human soul in the eyes of God. We have to struggle not alone against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against those who have dominion in this world, and against evil spirits scattered in the air. But in this struggle, we shall be assisted by the good spirits whom God commissions to look after His beloved creatures.

Prayer

O angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom His love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and to guide.

 

NOVENA TO ST. JUDE - SECOND DAY

 

 

Virgin and Child with SS. Simon and Jude  

Novena St. Jude

October 19 – October 27

         Second Day

O blessed apostle Jude, who has been instrumental in gathering us here together this day, grant that we may always serve Jesus Christ as he deserves to be served, giving of our best efforts in living as he wishes us to live. May we dispose our hearts and minds so that God will always be inclined to listen to our prayers and petitions, especially those petitions which we entrust to your care and for which we ask you to plead for us.

    (Mention your request)

Grant that we may be enlightened as to what is best for us, in the present and future, not forgetting the blessings we have received in the past. Amen. St. Jude, pray for us. My Jesus, mercy.

MONTH OF THE HOLY ANGELS - NINETEENTH DAY

Nineteenth Day

The third choir of the hierarchy of the angels are the virtues, archangels, and angels. The virtues are the first of these, and represent the acts of God towards individuals. Those works of God which surpass the power of man, such as miracles, or inward movements of grace, are performed by the virtues of the Most High; they hold an intermediate station between heaven and earth. 

Archangels are the great messengers, whom God has sent to His intelligent creation. The name is given because the goodness and kindness of God have distinguished them from the myriads of other angels, and given them an office, that of bearing to men the words of God; they also carry the prayers of the faithful on earth, and lay them before God's throne in heaven; and they are sent to conduct souls to the portals of heavenly bliss. The archangels have the duty of protecting the Church; those who occupy high positions in the Church or State are said to be under the guidance of an archangel. In this manner, the higher grade of archangels represents the higher degree of providence shown by God toward individuals. Let us unite ourselves with the choir of the archangels and praise God in them—those glorious spirits who have so perfectly conveyed God's messages to men.

Prayer

O angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom His love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and guide.

St. Peter of Alcantara, Confessor - Mass Propers

 

            October 19

St. Peter of Alcantara, Confessor

Peter, while still a youth, left his home at Alcantara , in Spain, and entered a convent of Discalced Franciscans. He rose quickly to high posts in the Order, but his thirst for penance was still unappeased, and in 1539, being then forty years old, he founded the first convent of the “ Strict Observance.” The cells of the friars resembled graves rather than dwelling-places. That of St. Peter himself was four feet and a half in length, so that he could never lie down; he ate but once in three days; his sack cloth habit and a cloak were his only garments, and he never covered his head or feet. In the bitter winter he would open the door and window of his cell that, by closing them again, he might experience some sensation of warmth. Amongst those whom he trained to perfection was St. Teresa. He read her soul, approved of her spirit of prayer, and strengthened her to carry out her reforms. St. Peter died, with great joy, kneeling in prayer, October 18, 1562, at the age of sixty-three.

Monday in the Twenty-First Week 

        After Pentecost

Double/White Vestments        

Missa 'Justus Ut Palma'

 

INTROITUS - Psalm 91: 13,14,2

Justus ut palma florebit: sicut cedrus Libani multiplicabitur: plantatus in domo Domini: in atriis domus Dei nostri. Ps. Bonum est confiteri Domino: et psallere nomini tuo, Altissime. Gloria Patri.

INTROIT

The just shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus: planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Ps. It is good to give praise to the Lord: and to sing to Thy name, O Most High. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

God, Who didst vouchsafe to make blessed Peter, Thy Confessor, glorious by the gift of a wonderful spirit of penance and most lofty contemplation: grant us, we beseech Thee, that, through his interceding merits, being mortified in the flesh, we may the more easily understand the things of heaven. Through Our Lord.

EPISTLE - Philippians 3: 7-12

Brethren, the things that were gain to me, the same I have counted loss for Christ. Furthermore, I count all things to be but loss, for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may win Christ; and may be found in Him, not having my justice, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Christ Jesus, which is of God, justice in faith; that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings; being made conformable to His death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection which is from the dead; not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect; but I follow after, if I may by any means apprehend wherein I am also apprehended by Christ Jesus.

GRADUAL - Psalm 36: 30-31

The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment. The law of His God is in his heart: and his steps shall not be supplanted.

 

ALLELUIA - Psalm 111: 1

Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in His commandments. Alleluia.

GOSPEL - Luke 12: 32-34

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom. Sell what you possess, and give alms. Make to yourselves bags which grow not old, a treasure in Heaven which faileth not: where no thief approacheth, nor moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

OFFERTORY - Psalm 20: 2-3

In Thy strength, O Lord, the just man shall joy, and in Thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly: Thou hast given him his heart’s desire.

SECRET

Grant us, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the offering we humbly bring may be pleasing to Thee in honour of Thy Saints, and purify us alike in body and soul. Through Our Lord.

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, eternal God: through Christ our Lord. through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, Dominations worship, 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…

COMMUNION  Matthew 19:28, 29

Amen I say to you, that you, who have left all things and followed Me, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. 

POSTCOMMUNION

We beseech Thee, almighty God, that we, who have received heavenly nourishment, may thereby, at the intercession of blessed Peter, Thy Confessor, be defended against all adversity. Through our Lord.