Day 3: St. Jacinta and St. Francisco Marto Novena & Making God as our Goal, and seeking the means to obtain a life of Holiness
February 20th is the celebration for young Saints of Fátima, reminding us of the call to be Saints: to reach sanctified perfection, master the virtues, and take on the mission to stop offending God.
THEHOLYROSARY.SUBSTACK.COM | THE HOLY ROSARY by RHP
“Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended”
~ Our Lady of Fátima, October 13, 1917
“We must avoid sin in order not to offend God or lose the right to eternal life”
(Sister Lúcia, “Calls,” pg. 159)
The Third Meditation by: St. Francis de Sales
“On the benefits of God”
Preparation
1. Place yourself in the presence of God.
2. Beseech him to inspire you.
Considerations
1. Consider the corporal graces which God has bestowed upon you; what a body, what conveniences to maintain it, what health and lawful recreations to entertain it, what friends and assistances!
But consider all this with respect to many other persons much more worthy than yourself, who are destitute of all these blessings; some spoiled in their bodies, health, and limbs; others abandoned to the mercy of reproaches, contempts, and dishonors; others oppressed with poverty; and God has not suffered you to become so miserable.
2. Consider the gifts of mind.
How many are in the world stupid, frantic, or mad; and why are not you of this number?
God has favored you.
How many are there who have been brought up rudely and in gross ignorance? and by God’s providence you have been educated liberally and honorably.
3. Consider the spiritual graces. [O _________ ], you are a child of the Catholic church; God has taught you to know him even from your most tender age.
How often has he given you his sacraments?
How many inspirations, internal illuminations, and reprehensions for your amendment?
How frequently has he pardoned you your faults?
How often has he delivered you from the occasions of casting yourself away to which you were exposed?
And were not all these years past given you as a time and opportunity to advance the good of your soul?
Consider in particular how good and gracious God has always been to you.
Affections and Resolutions
1. Admire the goodness of God. O how good is my God towards me!
O how gracious is he!
How rich is thy heart, O Lord, in mercy, and liberal in clemency!
O my soul, let us recount forever how many favors he has done us.
2. Be astonished at your ingratitude. But what am I, O Lord, that thou art so mindful of me!
Ah! how great is my unworthiness! Alas, I have even trodden thy blessings under foot. I have dishonoured] thy graces, perverting them into abuse and contempt of thy sovereign goodness. I have opposed the depth of my ingratitude to the height of thy grace and favour.
3. Stir yourself up to acknowledgement.
Walk then, my heart, be now no more unfaithful, ungrateful, and disloyal to this great benefactor. And how shall not my soul henceforth be wholly subject to God, who has done so many wonders and favors to me and for me?
4. Ah! withdraw then your body, [__________], from such and such sensualities; and consecrate it to the service of God, who has done so much for it.
Apply your soul to know and acknowledge him by such exercises as shall be requisite for that purpose.
Employ diligently the means which you have in the church to save your soul, and love Almighty God.
Yes, O my God, I will be diligent in prayer; I will hear thy holy word, and put in practice thy inspirations and counsels.
Conclusion
1. Thank God for the knowledge he hath now give you of your duty, and for the benefits hitherto received.
2. Offer him your heart with all your resolutions.
3. Pray to Him, that he will strengthen you to practice them faithfully through the merits of his Son’s death.
Implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin [Mary], and of the saints.
Pater. Ave. Credo.
Make your little spiritual nosegay as before.
RHP: Pray the Rosary now — the Joyful Mysteries on Our Lady’s Saturday.
"In every way you can; offer sacrifice as an act of reparation for sin, which offends Him, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. In this way, draw down peace down upon your country. I am her Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering that the Lord sends to you." (Memories of Ven. Lúcia)
PRAY THE MEU DEUS with Padre Nuno here:
Now pray the JOYFUL MYSTERIES, and if you like, with the Rosary Hour Podcast:
Teach others to Pray the “First Joyful Mystery” with Fr. Peter Turrone
The Second Joyful Mystery can be prayed using the chart above (coming soon).
Pray the Third Joyful Mystery with Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC on our YouTube Channel:
The Presentation in the Temple with Fr. Thad Lancton and Spiritual Directors of the Rosary Hour Podcast.
“The Finding in the Temple”, coming soon.
READ SISTER LÚCIA’S MEMOIR HERE:
END THE ROSARY with the ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY: SHORT
LEADER 2: “Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
LEADER 2 / ALL: My Queen and my Mother,
I give myself entirely to you;
and to show my devotion,
I consecrate to you this day
my eyes,
my ears,
my mouth,
my heart,
my soul,
my whole being without reserve.
Wherefore, good Mother, as I am yours,
keep me, and guard me, as your own property and possession. Your own devoted child. Amen.
LEADER 1 (ADULT): + In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
LONG FORM CONSECRATION
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/prayers/documents/20220325-atto-consacrazione-cuoredimaria.htmlWHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO BECOME HOLY?
We must obtain EXCELLENCE IN GRACE (OBTAINING A LOT OF IT) and MOVING BEYOND SPIRITUAL MEDIOCRITY | “THE SPIRITUAL LIFE” by Fr. RIPPENGER
Man cannot rise from sin without grace.
How to get a lot of grace? 1
Fr. Chad notes of St. Louis Marie de Montfort that Our Lady has more sanctifying grace in one sigh than all the saints combined due to her never offending God. All acts performed increased her grace, and every single thing she did increased her virtue. Fr. Chad notes that “to accomplish something from God”, we go to the holiest person to bring about that request. He notes the importance of intentionally building a life of virtue, focusing on 64 virtues.
He notes that in the Summa, St. Thomas Aquinas explores the role of grace in our lives:
AQUINAS:
7. Man cannot rise from sin without grace. By serious sin, man stains his soul, brings disorder into his natural powers, and incurs the debt of everlasting punishment. And man cannot, without grace, remove these evil consequences of grave sin.
8. Nor, without grace, can a man avoid sin. For the fall of Adam has left man prone to sin, and has dulled his natural powers of alertness and ready opposition to its attacks. Without supernatural aid, man must certainly succumb to some of the assaults of temptation. Hence, man needs grace to avoid sin.
9. Once he has attained grace, man is not thereby permanently equipped for doing good and avoiding evil. He needs new graces, constantly supplied. True, once grace is attained, man's nature is healed and made capable of meritorious acts; his soul has the state or habit of sanctifying grace. But, in addition to this habitual grace, man needs special helps to meet continual emergencies, unruly tendencies and urges in his nature, darkness of mind and weakness of will in particular cases where he needs to know what to do and needs prompt strength to doit valorously. Man in the state of sanctifying grace needs an unfailing supply of actual graces. Just so, a man in robust health needs an unfailing supply of food and the other things that will keep him in health.
10. Perseverance in God's grace to the end of life requires the sustained giving of graces by almighty God, and is itself a special grace. The fact that a man has obtained grace is not a guarantee that he will never lose it, nor is it guarantee that, if lost, grace will be recovered and possessed at the time of death. Yet it is of paramount importance that man have grace at the moment of death. He is required to "persevere unto the end," if he is to be saved. Hence man needs the special gift and grace of God which is called "the grace of final perseverance,"and for this gift and grace he must ever pray.
9 GRADES OF PRAYER that bring us closer to sanctifying grace and allow us to give glory to God were given to us by St. Teresa of Avila. These grades in the Spiritual Life are:
ASCETICAL STAGES
Vocal Prayer
Mental Prayer (Meditation)
Affective Prayer (burning desire for God)
Prayer of Simplicity (focus on God for a long period of time)
MYSTICAL STAGES:
Infused or Mystical Contemplation
Prayer of Quiet
Prayer of Union
Prayer of Conforming Union
Prayer of Transforming Union
Learn more with Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC with the following video:
FOOTNOTES
https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I