Luisa: As I was in my usual state, my sweet Jesus made Himself seen as a Little Baby - all numb with cold; and throwing Himself into my arms, He told me: “What cold, what cold! Warm Me, for pity’s sake - do not let Me freeze any more!” I pressed Him to my heart, telling Him: ‘In my heart I possess your Will, and Its heat is more than sufficient to warm You.’

…And Jesus, all content, told me:

“My daughter, my Will contains everything, and one who possesses It can give Me everything. My Will was everything for Me: It conceived Me, It formed Me, It made Me grow, and It made Me be born. If my Mama contributed by giving Me the Blood, She could do so because it was my Will absorbed within Her, that contained It. Had She not possessed my Will, She could not have contributed to form my Humanity. Therefore, my direct Will and That absorbed within my Mama, gave Me life. That which is human had no power over Me, to give Me anything; only the Divine Will nourished Me and delivered Me to light with Its breath.

But do you think it was the cold of the air that made Me freeze? Ah, no! It was the cold of the hearts that made Me grow numb; and it was ingratitude that made Me cry bitterly, at my very first coming out into the light Mother soothed. My beloved my crying, even though She too cried. Our tears mixed together; and exchanging the first kisses, We poured Ourselves out in love. But our life was to be sorrow and crying, so I had Her place Me in the manger to go back to crying, calling my children with my sobs and with my tears. I wanted to move them to pity with my tears and with my moans, so as to be listened.

But do you know who was the first, after my Mamma, whom I called with my tears to be close to Me in my own manger, in order to pour Myself out in love? It was you - the little Daughter of my Will. You were so little that I could keep you near Me, in my own manger, and I could pour my tears into your heart. These tears sealed my Will in you, and constituted you legitimate daughter of my Will. My Heart rejoiced in seeing everything that my Volition (Will) had delivered in Creation coming back whole, in my Will, within you. This was important and indispensable for Me - at my very first coming out into the light of this world, I was to restore the rights of Creation and receive the Glory, as if the creature had never departed from my Will. Therefore, the first kiss and the first gifts of my tender age, were for you.”

Luisa: And I: ‘My Love, how could this be, if then I did not exist on earth?’

Jesus said to me:

“In my Will everything existed, and all things were one single point for Me. I could see you then, just as I see you now, and all the graces I have given you are nothing other than the confirmation of what you had been given from eternity. And I could see not only you, but in you I saw my little family, which would live in my Will. How happy I felt! These soothed my crying, warmed Me, and surrounding Me like a crown, defended Me from the perfidy of the other creatures.”

I remained concerned and doubtful.

And Jesus:

“How is it? You doubt? I have told you nothing yet about the relations which exist between Me and the soul who lives in my Will. For now, I will tell you that my Humanity lived from the continuous outpouring of the Divine Will. Had I taken one breath alone which was not animated by the Divine Will, I would have degraded Myself, and decayed from my nobility. Now, the creature who lives in my Will is the closest to Me; she is the first among all to receive the fruits and the effects contained in everything that my Humanity did and suffered.“

Lesson of the Queen of Heaven to her child:

My dearest child, oh! how I long for you to be in my arms, to have the great contentment of being able to say to our little Baby King: “Do not cry, my pretty One. See, here with us is my little child, who wants to recognize You as King and give You dominion in her soul, to let You lay the Kingdom of your Will within her.”

Now, child of my Heart, while you are all intent on longing for the little Child Jesus, pay attention and listen to Me. You must know that it was midnight when the little newborn King came out of my maternal womb. But the night turned into day; He who was the Lord of light put to flight the night of the human will, the night of sin, the night of all evils; and as the sign of what He was doing in the order of souls, with His usual Omnipotent Fiat the midnight turned into most refulgent daylight. All created things ran to sing praise to their Creator in that little Humanity. The sun ran to give its first kisses of light to little Baby Jesus, and to warm Him with its heat; the ruling wind, with its waves, purified the air of the stable, and with its sweet moaning said to Him: “I love You”; the heavens were shaken from their very foundations; the earth exulted and trembled down to the abyss; the sea roared with its gigantic waves. In sum, all created things recognized that their Creator was now in their midst, and they all competed in singing His praises. The very Angels, forming light in the air, with melodious voices which could be heard by all, said: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will. The Celestial Baby is now born in the grotto of Bethlehem, wrapped in poor swaddling clothes…” - so much so, that the shepherds who were in vigil, listened to the angelic voices and ran to visit the little Divine King.

My dear child, continue to listen to Me. As I received Him into my arms and gave Him my first kiss, I felt the need of love to give something of my own to my Baby Son; and offering Him my breast, I gave Him abundant milk – milk formed in my person by the Divine Fiat Itself, in order to nourish little King Jesus. But who can tell you what I experienced in doing this; and the seas of grace, of love, of sanctity, that my Son gave to Me in return? Then I wrapped Him in poor but clean little clothes, and I placed Him in the manger. This was His Will, and I could not do without executing It. But before doing this, I shared Him with dear Saint Joseph, placing Him in his arms; and – oh! how he rejoiced. He pressed Him to his heart, and the sweet little Baby poured torrents of grace into his soul. Then, together with Saint Joseph, we arranged a little hay in the manger, and detaching Him from my maternal arms, I laid Him in it. And your Mamma, enraptured by the beauty of the Divine Infant, remained kneeling before Him most of the time. I put all my seas of love into motion, which the Divine Will had formed in Me, to love Him, adore Him, and thank Him.

And what did the Celestial little Child do in the manger? A continuous act of the Will of our Celestial Father, which was also His; and emitting moans and sighs, He wailed, cried and called to everyone, saying in His loving moans: “Come all of you, children of mine; for love of you I am born to sorrow and to tears. Come all of you, to know the excess of my love. Give Me shelter in your hearts.” And there was a coming and going of shepherds, who came to visit Him, and to all He gave His sweet gaze and His smile of love, amid His very tears.

Now, my child, a little word to you: you must know that all my joy was to hold my dear Son Jesus on my lap, but the Divine Will made Me understand that I should place Him in the manger, at everyone’s disposal, so that whoever wanted to, could caress Him, kiss Him, and take Him in his arms, as if He were his own. He was the little King of all, therefore they had the right to make of Him a sweet pledge of love. And I, in order to fulfill the Supreme Volition, deprived Myself of my innocent joys, beginning, with works and sacrifices, the office of Mother, of giving Jesus to all.

My child, the Divine Will is demanding and wants everything, even the sacrifice of the holiest things; and according to the circumstances, the great sacrifice of depriving oneself of Jesus Himself; but this, in order to extend Its Kingdom even more, and to multiply the life of Jesus Himself. In fact, when the creature, out of love for Him, deprives herself of Him, her heroism and sacrifice is so great, as to have the virtue of producing a new life of Jesus, to be able to form another dwelling for Jesus. Therefore, dear child, be attentive and, under any pretext, never deny anything to the Divine Will.

The soul:

Holy Mamma, your beautiful lessons confound me; but if You want me to put them into practice, do not leave me alone, so that, when You see me succumb under the enormous weight of the divine privations, You may press me to your maternal Heart; and I will feel the strength never to deny anything to the Divine Will.

Little Sacrifice:

Today, to honor Me, you will come as many as three times to visit little Baby Jesus, and to kiss His tiny little hands; and you will say to Him five acts of love, to honor His tears and to calm His crying.

Ejaculatory Prayer:

Holy Mamma, pour the tears of Jesus into my heart, that He may dispose in me the triumph of the Will of God.

Christ in Red Robe by Gary Kapp

Feast of Christ the King

History of the Feast of Christ the King

Pope Pius XI instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King on 11 December 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas. At that time he saw the rise of atheistic communism and secularism as a direct result of man’s turning away from Christ’s sovereignty, and man’s denying of the authority of Christ’s Church. This result was “disorder” or a move away from the Divine Order. The Feast of Christ the King was set on the last Sunday in October.

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS Xl DECEMBER 11, 1925: QUAS PRIMAS

After the Second Vatican Council, the calendar reforms of 1969 moved the date of the Feast of Christ the King to the last Sunday before the next liturgical year’s Advent (Advent marking the start of the liturgical year and beginning four Sundays before Christmas Day). Before this change, the Sunday before Advent bore the designation “Last Sunday After Pentecost” and had its own special Mass, regardless of the number of Sundays there were between Pentecost and Advent (23 to 28) in that particular year.

Current practice

In the revised calendar, the feast will fall on whichever day from November 20 through November 26, all inclusive, is a Sunday in a given year. It is reckoned as the 34th and last Sunday of Ordinary Time, and all previous Sundays from Pentecost onward are counted back from this number, which more than half the time results in one week of Ordinary Time (always from the 5th through the 10th) being omitted in that year; and since Pentecost, Trinity Sunday and, in the United States, the solemnity of Corpus Christi take the place of the first three such Sundays, this means four Sundays in Ordinary Time will be missing from the calendar in most years and three in the others.

In the calendar used for the older rite, the feast falls on whichever day from October 25 through October 31 inclusive is a Sunday. It takes precedence over the occurring Sunday after Pentecost, which, until the 1962 reform, was commemorated. The Mass of that Sunday, rather than the Mass of Christ the King, is said during the week if days which are not feast days occur. Depending on the date of Easter, this can be the 20th, 21st, 22nd, or 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, or (as the 24th Sunday) 3rd Sunday after Epiphany.

White vestments are worn at masses on this Sunday, rather than the green that prevails during the rest of Ordinary Time or the Time after Pentecost, except for feasts that call for either white or red.

Novena to Christ the King

Recite One Our Father, One Hail Mary and One Glory Be per day followed by the Novena Prayer:

O Lord our God, You alone are the Most Holy King and Ruler of all nations.

pray to You, Lord, in the great expectation of receiving from You, O Divine King, mercy, peace, justice and all good things.

Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our birth.

Guard us we pray Most Faithful One.

Protect us from our enemies and from Your Just Judgment

Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against you.
Jesus, You are a King of Mercy.

We have deserved Your Just Judgment
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us.

We trust in Your Great Mercy.

O most awe-inspiring King, we bow before You and pray;

May Your Reign, Your Kingdom, be recognized on earth.

Amen.

Almighty and merciful God, you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord, have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us, Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

God, our Heavenly Father, Who has made firm for all ages your Son’s Throne, Have mercy on us.

God the Son, Jesus, our Victim-High Priest, True Prophet, and Sovereign King, Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, poured out upon us with abundant newness, Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, Three Persons yet One God in the Beauty of Your Eternal Unity, Have mercy on us.

O Jesus, our Eternal King, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, Most Merciful King, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, extending to us the Golden Scepter of Your Mercy, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, in Whose Great Mercy we have been given the Sacrament of Confession, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, Loving King Who offers us Your Healing Grace, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, our Eucharistic King, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, the King foretold by the prophets, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King of Heaven and earth, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King and Ruler of All Nations, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, Delight of the Heavenly Court, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Most Compassionate toward Your subjects, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King from Whom proceeds all authority, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, in whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, we are One, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Whose Kingdom is not of this world, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Whose Sacred Heart burns with Love for all mankind, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Who is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Who has given us Mary, the Queen, to be our dear Mother, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Who will come upon the clouds of Heaven with Power and Great Glory, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Whose Throne we are to approach with confidence, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Who made Mary the Mediatrix of All Graces, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Who made Mary Co-Redemptrix, Your partner in the Plan of Salvation, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Who desires to heal us of all division and disunity, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King wounded by mankind’s indifference, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Who gives the balm of Your Love with which to console Your Wounded Heart, Reign in our hearts.

O Jesus, King Who is the Great I AM within us, our Wellspring of Pure Delight, Reign in our hearts.

Jesus, King of All Nations, True Sovereign of all earthly powers, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, subjecting under Your feet forever the powers of hell , May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, the Light beyond all light, enlightening us in the darkness that surrounds us, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Whose Mercy is so Great as to mitigate the punishments our sins deserve, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, recognized by the Magi as the True King, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, the Only Remedy for a world so ill, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Who blesses with Peace those souls and nations that acknowledge You as True King, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Who Mercifully sends us your Holy Angels to protect us, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Whose Chief Prince is Saint Michael the Archangel, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Who teaches us that to reign is to serve, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Just Judge Who will separate the wicked from the good, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, before Whom every knee shall bend, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Whose Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Lamb who will Shepherd us, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Who after having destroyed every sovereignty, May we serve You. authority and power, will hand over the Kingdom to Your God and Father,

Jesus, King of All Nations, Whose Reign is without end, May we serve You.

Jesus, King of All Nations, Whose kindness toward us is steadfast, and whose fidelity endures forever, May we serve You.

Eternal Father, Who has given us Your Only Begotten Son, to be our Redeemer,

One True Mediator, and Sovereign King, We praise and thank You.

Loving Jesus, Sovereign King, Who humbled Yourself for Love of us and took the form of a servant, , We praise and thank You.

Holy Spirit, Third Person of the Trinity, Love of the Father and the Son, Who sanctifies us and gives us Life, We praise and thank You.

Mary, our Queen and Mother, who mediates to Jesus on our behalf, Pray for us.

Mary, our Queen and Mother, through whom all Grace come to us, Pray for us.

Mary, our Queen and Mother, Singular Jewel of the Holy Trinity, We love You.

Holy Angels and Saints of our Divine King, Pray for us and Protect us.

Amen.

QUAS PRIMAS

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI
ON THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

TO OUR VENERABLE BRETHREN THE PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES,
ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES
IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.

Venerable Brethren, Greeting and the Apostolic Benediction.

In the first Encyclical Letter which We addressed at the beginning of Our Pontificate to the Bishops of the universal Church, We referred to the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring. And We remember saying that these manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ; and that We promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ, that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of the Empire of Our Lord. We were led in the meantime to indulge the hope of a brighter future at the sight of a more widespread and keener interest evinced in Christ and his Church, the one Source of Salvation, a sign that men who had formerly spurned the rule of our Redeemer and had exiled themselves from his kingdom were preparing, and even hastening, to return to the duty of obedience.

2. The many notable and memorable events which have occurred during this Holy Year have given great honor and glory to Our Lord and King, the Founder of the Church.

3. At the Missionary Exhibition men have been deeply impressed in seeing the increasing zeal of the Church for the spread of the kingdom of her Spouse to the most far distant regions of the earth. They have seen how many countries have been won to the Catholic name through the unremitting labor and self-sacrifice of missionaries, and the vastness of the regions which have yet to be subjected to the sweet and saving yoke of our King. All those who in the course of the Holy Year have thronged to this city under the leadership of their Bishops or priests had but one aim - namely, to expiate their sins - and at the tombs of the Apostles and in Our Presence to promise loyalty to the rule of Christ.

4. A still further light of glory was shed upon his kingdom, when after due proof of their heroic virtue, We raised to the honors of the altar six confessors and virgins. It was a great joy, a great consolation, that filled Our heart when in the majestic basilica of St. Peter Our decree was acclaimed by an immense multitude with the hymn of thanksgiving, Tu Rex gloriae Christe. We saw men and nations cut off from God, stirring up strife and discord and hurrying along the road to ruin and death, while the Church of God carries on her work of providing food for the spiritual life of men, nurturing and fostering generation after generation of men and women dedicated to Christ, faithful and subject to him in his earthly kingdom, called by him to eternal bliss in the kingdom of heaven.

5. Moreover, since this jubilee Year marks the sixteenth centenary of the Council of Nicaea, We commanded that event to be celebrated, and We have done so in the Vatican basilica. There is a special reason for this in that the Nicene Synod defined and proposed for Catholic belief the dogma of the Consubstantiality of the Only begotten with the Father, and added to the Creed the words “of whose kingdom there shall be no end,” thereby affirming the kingly dignity of Christ.

6. Since this Holy Year therefore has provided more than one opportunity to enhance the glory of the kingdom of Christ, we deem it in keeping with our Apostolic office to accede to the desire of many of the Cardinals, Bishops, and faithful, made known to Us both individually and collectively, by closing this Holy Year with the insertion into the Sacred Liturgy of a special feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This matter is so dear to Our heart, Venerable Brethren, that I would wish to address to you a few words concerning it. It will be for you later to explain in a manner suited to the understanding of the faithful what We are about to say concerning the Kingship of Christ, so that the annual feast which We shall decree may be attended with much fruit and produce beneficial results in the future.

7. It has long been a common custom to give to Christ the metaphorical title of “King,” because of the high degree of perfection whereby he excels all creatures. So he is said to reign “in the hearts of men,” both by reason of the keenness of his intellect and the extent of his knowledge, and also because he is very truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind. He reigns, too, in the wills of men, for in him the human will was perfectly and entirely obedient to the Holy Will of God, and further by his grace and inspiration he so subjects our free-will as to incite us to the most noble endeavors. He is King of hearts, too, by reason of his “charity which exceedeth all knowledge.” And his mercy and kindness[1] which draw all men to him, for never has it been known, nor will it ever be, that man be loved so much and so universally as Jesus Christ. But if we ponder this matter more deeply, we cannot but see that the title and the power of King belongs to Christ as man in the strict and proper sense too. For it is only as man that he may be said to have received from the Father “power and glory and a kingdom,”[2] since the Word of God, as consubstantial with the Father, has all things in common with him, and therefore has necessarily supreme and absolute dominion over all things created.

8. Do we not read throughout the Scriptures that Christ is the King? He it is that shall come out of Jacob to rule,[3] who has been set by the Father as king over Sion, his holy mount, and shall have the Gentiles for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession.[4] In the nuptial hymn, where the future King of Israel is hailed as a most rich and powerful monarch, we read: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter of righteousness.”[5] There are many similar passages, but there is one in which Christ is even more clearly indicated. Here it is foretold that his kingdom will have no limits, and will be enriched with justice and peace: “in his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace…And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.”[6]

9. The testimony of the Prophets is even more abundant. That of Isaias is well known: “For a child is born to us and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God the mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace. He shall sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever.”[7] With Isaias the other Prophets are in agreement. So Jeremias foretells the “just seed” that shall rest from the house of David - the Son of David that shall reign as king, “and shall be wise, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”[8] So, too, Daniel, who announces the kingdom that the God of heaven shall found, “that shall never be destroyed, and shall stand for ever.”[9] And again he says: “I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and, lo! one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven. And he came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he gave him power and glory and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him. His power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed.”[10] The prophecy of Zachary concerning the merciful King “riding upon an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass” entering Jerusalem as “the just and savior,” amid the acclamations of the multitude,[11] was recognized as fulfilled by the holy evangelists themselves.

10. This same doctrine of the Kingship of Christ which we have found in the Old Testament is even more clearly taught and confirmed in the New. The Archangel, announcing to the Virgin that she should bear a Son, says that “the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”[12]

11. Moreover, Christ himself speaks of his own kingly authority: in his last discourse, speaking of the rewards and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the damned; in his reply to the Roman magistrate, who asked him publicly whether he were a king or not; after his resurrection, when giving to his Apostles the mission of teaching and baptizing all nations, he took the opportunity to call himself king,[13] confirming the title publicly,[14] and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given him in heaven and on earth.[15] These words can only be taken to indicate the greatness of his power, the infinite extent of his kingdom. What wonder, then, that he whom St. John calls the “prince of the kings of the earth”[16] appears in the Apostle’s vision of the future as he who “hath on his garment and on his thigh written ‘King of kings and Lord of lords!’.”[17] It is Christ whom the Father “hath appointed heir of all things”;[18] “for he must reign until at the end of the world he hath put all his enemies under the feet of God and the Father.”[19]

12. It was surely right, then, in view of the common teaching of the sacred books, that the Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ on earth, destined to be spread among all men and all nations, should with every token of veneration salute her Author and Founder in her annual liturgy as King and Lord, and as King of Kings. And, in fact, she used these titles, giving expression with wonderful variety of language to one and the same concept, both in ancient psalmody and in the Sacramentaries. She uses them daily now in the prayers publicly offered to God, and in offering the Immaculate Victim. The perfect harmony of the Eastern liturgies with our own in this continual praise of Christ the King shows once more the truth of the axiom: Legem credendi lex statuit supplicandi. The rule of faith is indicated by the law of our worship.

candles Lit for an Offering, Volterra, Italy
Artist: Barry Slaven

13. The foundation of this power and dignity of Our Lord is rightly indicated by Cyril of Alexandria. “Christ,” he says, “has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature.”[20] His kingship is founded upon the ineffable hypostatic union. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures. But a thought that must give us even greater joy and consolation is this that Christ is our King by acquired, as well as by natural right, for he is our Redeemer. Would that they who forget what they have cost their Savior might recall the words: “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled.”[21] We are no longer our own property, for Christ has purchased us “with a great price”;[22] our very bodies are the “members of Christ.”[23]

14. Let Us explain briefly the nature and meaning of this lordship of Christ. It consists, We need scarcely say, in a threefold power which is essential to lordship. This is sufficiently clear from the scriptural testimony already adduced concerning the universal dominion of our Redeemer, and moreover it is a dogma of faith that Jesus Christ was given to man, not only as our Redeemer, but also as a law-giver, to whom obedience is due.[24] Not only do the gospels tell us that he made laws, but they present him to us in the act of making them. Those who keep them show their love for their Divine Master, and he promises that they shall remain in his love.[25] He claimed judicial power as received from his Father, when the Jews accused him of breaking the Sabbath by the miraculous cure of a sick man. “For neither doth the Father judge any man; but hath given all judgment to the Son.”[26] In this power is included the right of rewarding and punishing all men living, for this right is inseparable from that of judging. Executive power, too, belongs to Christ, for all must obey his commands; none may escape them, nor the sanctions he has imposed.

15. This kingdom is spiritual and is concerned with spiritual things. That this is so the above quotations from Scripture amply prove, and Christ by his own action confirms it. On many occasions, when the Jews and even the Apostles wrongly supposed that the Messiah would restore the liberties and the kingdom of Israel, he repelled and denied such a suggestion. When the populace thronged around him in admiration and would have acclaimed him King, he shrank from the honor and sought safety in flight. Before the Roman magistrate he declared that his kingdom was not of this world. The gospels present this kingdom as one which men prepare to enter by penance, and cannot actually enter except by faith and by baptism, which, though an external rite, signifies and produces an interior regeneration. This kingdom is opposed to none other than to that of Satan and to the power of darkness. It demands of its subjects a spirit of detachment from riches and earthly things, and a spirit of gentleness. They must hunger and thirst after justice, and more than this, they must deny themselves and carry the cross.

16. Christ as our Redeemer purchased the Church at the price of his own blood; as priest he offered himself, and continues to offer himself as a victim for our sins. Is it not evident, then, that his kingly dignity partakes in a manner of both these offices?

17. It would be a grave error, on the other hand, to say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs, since, by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the Father, all things are in his power. Nevertheless, during his life on earth he refrained from the exercise of such authority, and although he himself disdained to possess or to care for earthly goods, he did not, nor does he today, interfere with those who possess them. Non eripit mortalia qui regna dat caelestia.[27]

18. Thus the empire of our Redeemer embraces all men. To use the words of Our immortal predecessor, Pope Leo XIII: “His empire includes not only Catholic nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus Christ.”[28] Nor is there any difference in this matter between the individual and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society. “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved.”[29] He is the author of happiness and true prosperity for every man and for every nation. “For a nation is happy when its citizens are happy. What else is a nation but a number of men living in concord?”[30] If, therefore, the rulers of nations wish to preserve their authority, to promote and increase the prosperity of their countries, they will not neglect the public duty of reverence and obedience to the rule of Christ. What We said at the beginning of Our Pontificate concerning the decline of public authority, and the lack of respect for the same, is equally true at the present day. “With God and Jesus Christ,” we said, “excluded from political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the very basis of that authority has been taken away, because the chief reason of the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated. The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation.”[31]

19. When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. Our Lord’s regal office invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious significance; it ennobles the citizen’s duty of obedience. It is for this reason that St. Paul, while bidding wives revere Christ in their husbands, and slaves respect Christ in their masters, warns them to give obedience to them not as men, but as the vicegerents of Christ; for it is not meet that men redeemed by Christ should serve their fellow-men. “You are bought with a price; be not made the bond-slaves of men.”[32] If princes and magistrates duly elected are filled with the persuasion that they rule, not by their own right, but by the mandate and in the place of the Divine King, they will exercise their authority piously and wisely, and they will make laws and administer them, having in view the common good and also the human dignity of their subjects. The result will be a stable peace and tranquillity, for there will be no longer any cause of discontent. Men will see in their king or in their rulers men like themselves, perhaps unworthy or open to criticism, but they will not on that account refuse obedience if they see reflected in them the authority of Christ God and Man. Peace and harmony, too, will result; for with the spread and the universal extent of the kingdom of Christ men will become more and more conscious of the link that binds them together, and thus many conflicts will be either prevented entirely or at least their bitterness will be diminished.

20. If the kingdom of Christ, then, receives, as it should, all nations under its way, there seems no reason why we should despair of seeing that peace which the King of Peace came to bring on earth - he who came to reconcile all things, who came not to be ministered unto but to minister, who, though Lord of all, gave himself to us as a model of humility, and with his principal law united the precept of charity; who said also: “My yoke is sweet and my burden light.” Oh, what happiness would be Ours if all men, individuals, families, and nations, would but let themselves be governed by Christ! “Then at length,” to use the words addressed by our predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, twenty-five years ago to the bishops of the Universal Church, “then at length will many evils be cured; then will the law regain its former authority; peace with all its blessings be restored. Men will sheathe their swords and lay down their arms when all freely acknowledge and obey the authority of Christ, and every tongue confesses that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.”[33]

21. That these blessings may be abundant and lasting in Christian society, it is necessary that the kingship of our Savior should be as widely as possible recognized and understood, and to the end nothing would serve better than the institution of a special feast in honor of the Kingship of Christ. For people are instructed in the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of religion far more effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more learned among the faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but once, the latter speak every year - in fact, forever. The church’s teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and heart, and have a salutary effect upon the whole of man’s nature. Man is composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities so that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate him to drink more deeply of the fountain of God’s teaching, that he may make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual life.

22. History, in fact, tells us that in the course of ages these festivals have been instituted one after another according as the needs or the advantage of the people of Christ seemed to demand: as when they needed strength to face a common danger, when they were attacked by insidious heresies, when they needed to be urged to the pious consideration of some mystery of faith or of some divine blessing. Thus in the earliest days of the Christian era, when the people of Christ were suffering cruel persecution, the cult of the martyrs was begun in order, says St. Augustine, “that the feasts of the martyrs might incite men to martyrdom.”[34] The liturgical honors paid to confessors, virgins and widows produced wonderful results in an increased zest for virtue, necessary even in times of peace. But more fruitful still were the feasts instituted in honor of the Blessed Virgin. As a result of these men grew not only in their devotion to the Mother of God as an ever-present advocate, but also in their love of her as a mother bequeathed to them by their Redeemer. Not least among the blessings which have resulted from the public and legitimate honor paid to the Blessed Virgin and the saints is the perfect and perpetual immunity of the Church from error and heresy. We may well admire in this the admirable wisdom of the Providence of God, who, ever bringing good out of evil, has from time to time suffered the faith and piety of men to grow weak, and allowed Catholic truth to be attacked by false doctrines, but always with the result that truth has afterwards shone out with greater splendor, and that men’s faith, aroused from its lethargy, has shown itself more vigorous than before.

23. The festivals that have been introduced into the liturgy in more recent years have had a similar origin, and have been attended with similar results. When reverence and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament had grown cold, the feast of Corpus Christi was instituted, so that by means of solemn processions and prayer of eight days’ duration, men might be brought once more to render public homage to Christ. So, too, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was instituted at a time when men were oppressed by the sad and gloomy severity of Jansenism, which had made their hearts grow cold, and shut them out from the love of God and the hope of salvation.

24. If We ordain that the whole Catholic world shall revere Christ as King, We shall minister to the need of the present day, and at the same time provide an excellent remedy for the plague which now infects society. We refer to the plague of anti-clericalism, its errors and impious activities. This evil spirit, as you are well aware, Venerable Brethren, has not come into being in one day; it has long lurked beneath the surface. The empire of Christ over all nations was rejected. The right which the Church has from Christ himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all that pertains to their eternal salvation, that right was denied. Then gradually the religion of Christ came to be likened to false religions and to be placed ignominiously on the same level with them. It was then put under the power of the state and tolerated more or less at the whim of princes and rulers. Some men went even further, and wished to set up in the place of God’s religion a natural religion consisting in some instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some nations who thought they could dispense with God, and that their religion should consist in impiety and the neglect of God. The rebellion of individuals and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable consequences. We lamented these in the Encyclical Ubi arcano; we lament them today: the seeds of discord sown far and wide; those bitter enmities and rivalries between nations, which still hinder so much the cause of peace; that insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a pretense of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many private quarrels; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek nothing but their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by these; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society in a word, shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin. We firmly hope, however, that the feast of the Kingship of Christ, which in future will be yearly observed, may hasten the return of society to our loving Savior. It would be the duty of Catholics to do all they can to bring about this happy result. Many of these, however, have neither the station in society nor the authority which should belong to those who bear the torch of truth. This state of things may perhaps be attributed to a certain slowness and timidity in good people, who are reluctant to engage in conflict or oppose but a weak resistance; thus the enemies of the Church become bolder in their attacks. But if the faithful were generally to understand that it behooves them ever to fight courageously under the banner of Christ their King, then, fired with apostolic zeal, they would strive to win over to their Lord those hearts that are bitter and estranged from him, and would valiantly defend his rights.

25. Moreover, the annual and universal celebration of the feast of the Kingship of Christ will draw attention to the evils which anticlericalism has brought upon society in drawing men away from Christ, and will also do much to remedy them. While nations insult the beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim his kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm his rights.

26. The way has been happily and providentially prepared for the celebration of this feast ever since the end of the last century. It is well known that this cult has been the subject of learned disquisitions in many books published in every part of the world, written in many different languages. The kingship and empire of Christ have been recognized in the pious custom, practiced by many families, of dedicating themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; not only families have performed this act of dedication, but nations, too, and kingdoms. In fact, the whole of the human race was at the instance of Pope Leo XIII, in the Holy Year 1900, consecrated to the Divine Heart. It should be remarked also that much has been done for the recognition of Christ’s authority over society by the frequent Eucharistic Congresses which are held in our age. These give an opportunity to the people of each diocese, district or nation, and to the whole world of coming together to venerate and adore Christ the King hidden under the Sacramental species. Thus by sermons preached at meetings and in churches, by public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and by solemn processions, men unite in paying homage to Christ, whom God has given them for their King. It is by a divine inspiration that the people of Christ bring forth Jesus from his silent hiding-place in the church, and carry him in triumph through the streets of the city, so that he whom men refused to receive when he came unto his own, may now receive in full his kingly rights.

27. For the fulfillment of the plan of which We have spoken, the Holy Year, which is now speeding to its close, offers the best possible opportunity. For during this year the God of mercy has raised the minds and hearts of the faithful to the consideration of heavenly blessings which are above all understanding, has either restored them once more to his grace, or inciting them anew to strive for higher gifts, has set their feet more firmly in the path of righteousness. Whether, therefore, We consider the many prayers that have been addressed to Us, or look to the events of the Jubilee Year, just past, We have every reason to think that the desired moment has at length arrived for enjoining that Christ be venerated by a special feast as King of all mankind. In this year, as We said at the beginning of this Letter, the Divine King, truly wonderful in all his works, has been gloriously magnified, for another company of his soldiers has been added to the list of saints. In this year men have looked upon strange things and strange labors, from which they have understood and admired the victories won by missionaries in the work of spreading his kingdom. In this year, by solemnly celebrating the centenary of the Council of Nicaea. We have commemorated the definition of the divinity of the word Incarnate, the foundation of Christ’s empire over all men.

28. Therefore by Our Apostolic Authority We institute the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be observed yearly throughout the whole world on the last Sunday of the month of October - the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints. We further ordain that the dedication of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which Our predecessor of saintly memory, Pope Pius X, commanded to be renewed yearly, be made annually on that day. This year, however, We desire that it be observed on the thirty-first day of the month on which day We Ourselves shall celebrate pontifically in honor of the kingship of Christ, and shall command that the same dedication be performed in Our presence. It seems to Us that We cannot in a more fitting manner close this Holy Year, nor better signify Our gratitude and that of the whole of the Catholic world to Christ the immortal King of ages, for the blessings showered upon Us, upon the Church, and upon the Catholic world during this holy period.

29. It is not necessary, Venerable Brethren, that We should explain to you at any length why We have decreed that this feast of the Kingship of Christ should be observed in addition to those other feasts in which his kingly dignity is already signified and celebrated. It will suffice to remark that although in all the feasts of our Lord the material object of worship is Christ, nevertheless their formal object is something quite distinct from his royal title and dignity. We have commanded its observance on a Sunday in order that not only the clergy may perform their duty by saying Mass and reciting the Office, but that the laity too, free from their daily tasks, may in a spirit of holy joy give ample testimony of their obedience and subjection to Christ. The last Sunday of October seemed the most convenient of all for this purpose, because it is at the end of the liturgical year, and thus the feast of the Kingship of Christ sets the crowning glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ already commemorated during the year, and, before celebrating the triumph of all the Saints, we proclaim and extol the glory of him who triumphs in all the Saints and in all the Elect. Make it your duty and your task, Venerable Brethren, to see that sermons are preached to the people in every parish to teach them the meaning and the importance of this feast, that they may so order their lives as to be worthy of faithful and obedient subjects of the Divine King.

30. We would now, Venerable Brethren, in closing this letter, briefly enumerate the blessings which We hope and pray may accrue to the Church, to society, and to each one of the faithful, as a result of the public veneration of the Kingship of Christ.

31. When we pay honor to the princely dignity of Christ, men will doubtless be reminded that the Church, founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state; and that in fulfilling the task committed to her by God of teaching, ruling, and guiding to eternal bliss those who belong to the kingdom of Christ, she cannot be subject to any external power. The State is bound to extend similar freedom to the orders and communities of religious of either sex, who give most valuable help to the Bishops of the Church by laboring for the extension and the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. By their sacred vows they fight against the threefold concupiscence of the world; by making profession of a more perfect life they render the holiness which her divine Founder willed should be a mark and characteristic of his Church more striking and more conspicuous in the eyes of all.

32. Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience to Christ. It will call to their minds the thought of the last judgment, wherein Christ, who has been cast out of public life, despised, neglected and ignored, will most severely avenge these insults; for his kingly dignity demands that the State should take account of the commandments of God and of Christian principles, both in making laws and in administering justice, and also in providing for the young a sound moral education.

33. The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God.[35] If all these truths are presented to the faithful for their consideration, they will prove a powerful incentive to perfection. It is Our fervent desire, Venerable Brethren, that those who are without the fold may seek after and accept the sweet yoke of Christ, and that we, who by the mercy of God are of the household of the faith, may bear that yoke, not as a burden but with joy, with love, with devotion; that having lived our lives in accordance with the laws of God’s kingdom, we may receive full measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and faithful servants, we may be rendered partakers of eternal bliss and glory with him in his heavenly kingdom.

34. Let this letter, Venerable Brethren, be a token to you of Our fatherly love as the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ draws near; and receive the Apostolic Benediction as a pledge of divine blessings, which with loving heart, We impart to you, Venerable Brethren, to your clergy, and to your people.

Given at St. Peter’s Rome, on the eleventh day of the month of December, in the Holy Year 1925, the fourth of Our Pontificate.

PIUS XI

The Presentation of Mary in the Temple

The commemoration of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple is on 21st November. It has been kept at least from the 7thC. in the Orthodox tradition. Emperor Justinian built a splendid church dedicated to Mary in the Temple area in Jerusalem. It was dedicated on November 21, 543 but was destroyed by the Persians within a century. Many of the early church Fathers such as St. Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople and St. John Damascene, his contemporary, preached magnificent homilies on this feast referring to Mary as that special plant or flower which was being nurtured for better things. “She was planted in the House of God, nourished by the Holy Spirit and kept her body and soul spotless to receive God in her bosom. He Who is all-holy rests among the holy.”

In the Byzantine Church this feast is considered one of the twelve great feasts of the liturgical year, called the Dodecaorton. By the 9thC. it is celebrated in the monasteries of southern Italy which had been influenced by the traditions of the Byzantine churches, and by the 14thC. it had spread to England. However it was not until 1472 that Pope Sixtus IV extended its celebration to the Western church.

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The source for the presentation is the Protoevangelium of James. Like Hannah, Anna has promised that any child she had would be offered as a gift to the Lord and presented in the Temple to serve Him. Tradition tells us that the Anna and Joachim took Mary to the Temple when she was three years old.

Mary served in the Temple where she was fed miraculously by the angels until she was twelve. Then Zachariah, prompted by the message of an angel, betrothed her to one of the widowers who was indicated by the Lord.

AdelaMaria, BSP: It is filling and proper, therefore, to present the rest of the story

In 1974, Pope Paul VI wrote a document on devotion to Mary, which continues to be the norm for Marian devotion. The following articles dwelt on the topic,

Marialis Cultus: The Holy Spirit and Marian

Spirit and Mary (MC 26, 27). The first (article 26) shows the rich symbolism developed by the Father to describe the relation between Mary and the Holy Spirit:

26. It seems to us useful to add to this mention of the Christological orientation of devotion to the Blessed Virgin a reminder of the fittingness of giving prominence in this devotion to one of the essential facts of the Faith: the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. Theological reflection and the liturgy have in fact noted how the sanctifying intervention of the Spirit in the Virgin of Nazareth was a culminating moment of the Spirit’s action in the history of salvation. Thus, for example, some Fathers and writers of the Church attributed to the work of the Spirit the original holiness of Mary, who was as it were “fashioned by the Holy Spirit into a kind of new substance and new creature.” [LG 56] Reflecting on the Gospel texts — “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with his shadow” (Lk. 1:35) and “Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit…. She has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 1:18, 20) — they saw in the Spirit’s intervention an action that consecrated and made fruitful Mary’s virginity and transformed her into the “Abode of the King” or “Bridal Chamber of the Word,” the “Temple” , or “Tabernacle of the Lord,” the “Ark of the Covenant” or “the Ark of Holiness,” titles rich in biblical echoes. Examining more deeply still the mystery of the incarnation, they saw in the mysterious relationship between the Spirit and Mary an aspect redolent of marriage, poetically portrayed by, Prudentius. “The unwed Virgin espoused the Spirit,” and they called her the “Temple of the Holy Spirit,” an expression that emphasizes the sacred character of the Virgin now the permanent dwelling of the Spirit of God. Delving deeply into the doctrine of the Paraclete, they saw that from Him as from a spring there flowed forth the fullness of grace (cf. Lk. 1:28) and the abundance of gifts that adorned her. Thus they attributed to the Spirit the faith, hope and charity that animated the Virgin’s heart, the strength that sustained her acceptance of the will of God, and the vigor that upheld her in her suffering at the foot of the cross. In Mary’s prophetic canticle (cf. Lk. 1:4655) they saw a special working of the Spirit who had spoken through the mouths of the prophets.” Considering, finally, the presence of the Mother of Jesus in the Upper Room, where the Spirit came down upon the infant Church (cf Acts 1:12-14; 2:14), they enriched with new developments the ancient theme of Mary and the Church. Above all they had recourse to the Virgin’s intercession in order to obtain from the Spirit the capacity for engendering Christ in their own soul, as is attested to by Saint Ildephonsus in a prayer of supplication, amazing in its doctrine and prayerful power: “I beg you, holy Virgin, that I may have Jesus from the Holy Spirit, by whom you brought Jesus forth. May my soul receive Jesus through the Holy Spirit by whom your flesh conceived Jesus…. May I love Jesus in the Holy Spirit in whom you adore Jesus as Lord and gaze upon Him as your Son.”

Note that Pope Paul VI has quoted 30 Fathers of the Church and Church writers by using the above expressions.

27. It is sometimes said that many spiritual writings today do not sufficiently reflect the whole doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit. It is the task of specialists to verify and weigh the truth of this assertion, but it is our task to exhort everyone, especially those in the pastoral ministry and also theologians, to meditate more deeply on the working of the Holy Spirit in the history of salvation, and to ensure that Christian spiritual writings give due prominence to His life-giving action. Such a study will bring out in particular the hidden relationship between the Spirit of God and the Virgin of Nazareth, and show the influence they exert on the Church. From a more profound meditation on the truths of the Faith will flow a more vital piety.

There can be no doubt that the Second Vatican Council — when we are speaking of the discussion between Mary and the Holy Spirit — stayed in the framework of traditional Mariology, which has officially taught that dogmatically there can be no doubt that every experience of faith is an experience of the Spirit, and that our relationship to Mary is also possible only through the mediation of Christ’s Spirit.

What Pope Paul VI explains in various sources is capsuled in the words hidden relationship. What the Church says about the action of the Holy Spirit in, through, and on the Church is what the Church has already said about Mary. In Mary, the Church sees itself fulfilled.

Recent Magisterial Teachings on the Holy Spirit and Mary

On Mary and the Holy Spirit, in general

Letter to Members of Consecrated Life,
Pope John Paul II,
May 22, 1988
Mary’s motherhood is to be transferred from her as a “model” to the whole Church, which will be revealed to the world on the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

On Mary Overshadowed by the Holy Spirit

On the Dignity and Vocation of Women,
Pope John Paul II,
August 15, 1988
» Only by the power of the Holy Spirit, who “overshadowed” her, was Mary able to accept what is “impossible with men, but not with God” (cf. Mk 10:27).
» The particular union of the “Theotokos” with God … is a pure grace and, as such, a gift of the Spirit.
» Explanation: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” -your motherhood will not be the consequence of matrimonial “knowledge,”: but will be the work of the Holy Spirit: the “power of the Most High” will “overshadow” the mystery of the Son’s conception and birth… 17 [See Also 20]
» This “prophetic” character of women in their femininity finds its highest expression in the Virgin Mother of God. She emphasizes, in the fullest and most direct way, the intimate linking of the order of love - which enters the world of human persons through a Woman - with the Holy Spirit. At the Annunciation Mary hears the words: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (Lk 1:35). [29]

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994

» The Apostles’ Creed: He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
» The Nicene Creed: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
» 437 … God called Joseph to “take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit,” so that Jesus, “who is called Christ,” should be born of Joseph’s spouse into the messianic lineage of David. (Mt 1:20 et al)
» 456 With the Nicene Creed, we answer by confessing: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.”
» 504 Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary’s womb because he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: “The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.” (1 Cor 15:45, 47) From his conception, Christ’s humanity is filled with the Holy Spirit, for God “gives him the Spirit without measure.” (Jn 3:34) From “his fullness” as the head of redeemed humanity “we have all received, grace upon grace.” (Jn 1:16; cf. Col 1:18)
» 695 Anointing. … But Jesus is God’s Anointed in a unique way: the humanity the Son assumed was entirely anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit established him as “Christ.” (Cf.. Lk 4:18-19)The Virgin Mary conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit who, through the angel, proclaimed him the Christ at his birth, and prompted Simeon to come to the temple to see the Christ of the Lord. … (cf. Lk 2:11, 26-27)
» 697 Cloud and light. These two images occur together in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. … In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and “overshadows” her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus. … (Lk 1:35)
» 723 In Mary, the Holy Spirit fulfills the plan of the Father’s loving goodness. With and through the Holy Spirit, the Virgin conceives and gives birth to the Son of God. By the Holy Spirit’s power and her faith, her virginity became uniquely fruitful. (Cf.. Lk 1:26-38)
[See also 494]

On Mary’s Whole Existence Fashioned by the Holy Spirit

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994

» 493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia) and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature.” (LG 56) By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.
» 722 The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by his grace. It was fitting that the mother of him in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2:9) should herself be “full of grace.” She was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin as the most humble of creatures, the most capable of welcoming the inexpressible gift of the Almighty. It was quite correct for the angel Gabriel to greet her as the “Daughter of Zion”: “Rejoice.” (Cf.. Zeph 3:14; Zech 2:14) It is the thanksgiving of the whole People of God, and thus of the Church, which Mary in her canticle (cf. Lk 1:46-55) lifts up to the Father in the Holy Spirit while carrying within her the eternal Son.
» 744 In the fullness of time the Holy Spirit completes in Mary all the preparations for Christ’s coming among the People of God. By the action of the Holy Spirit in her, the Father gives the world Emmanuel, “God-with-us” (Mt 1:23).

On Mary’s Fullness of Grace

On the Dignity and Vocation of Women,
Pope John Paul II,
1988
» [the Annunciation] is clearly interpersonal in character: it is a dialogue. We can only understand it fully if we place the whole conversation between the angel and Mary in the context of the words: “full of grace.” (Cf.. RM 7-11)
» [supernatural event] Grace never casts nature aside or cancels it out, but rather perfects and ennobles it. Therefore the “fullness of grace” that was granted to the Virgin of Nazareth, with a view to the fact that she would become “Theotokos,” also signifies the fullness of the perfection of “what is characteristic of woman,” of “what is feminine.”
» the culminating point, the archetype, of the personal dignity of women. [5]
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994

» 721Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church’s Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. (Cf.. Prov 8:1-9; Sir 24) Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the “Seat of Wisdom.” In her, the “wonders of God” that the Spirit was to fulfill in Christ and the Church began to be manifested.

The Holy Spirit and Mary in Iconography

Iconography is evidence of the belief of the Church. Iconography of Mary and the Holy Spirit is found relatively late, and it is only just prior to the Renaissance that the themes emerge. Below are some of the images frequently used in the Church to teach of Mary’s relationship to the Holy Spirit:

Apocrypha:
The conception of Ann and Joachim; Ann learns that her child would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. This image was used as an interpretation of the Immaculate Conception, especially in the 1500s.

Immaculata:

The Annunciation
Juan Correa de Vivar, ca. 1600
Located at the Prado in Madrid

The dove frequently is depicted above the Immaculata, that is, depictions of Mary conceived without sin. Often the Father is seen in the background, giving his blessing.

The Baroque period interpretations of the Annunciation:
A ray of light streams from the dove through a mirror to the heart of the Virgin.

Wedding of Mary and Joseph:
A dove is often depicted above the union.

Visitation:
A dove is frequently depicted above both women.

Nativity, Adoration of the Magi:

Nativity
School of Stephan Lochner
ca. 1410-1451
Munich, Bavarian state collection

Images often portray a dove hovering above.

Death of Mary:
A dove is often depicted above her bed.

Asssumption:

Coronation of Mary, detail
Gentile da Fabriano
1370-1450
Vienna Art Academy

The Trinity welcomes Mary on her arrival into heaven. The Holy Spirit usually is depicted hovering between the Father and Son and over the head of Mary.

In portrayals of the Litany of Loreto, the title, Mother of Fair Love, is usually painted with the dove. There is a painting based on a sermon by Petrus Damiani (11th century) where the house of Nazareth rests on seven pillars, which represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which Mary possessed. Another very early 11th century painting shows Christ on his throne, Mary stands next to him, her breastplate has a dove on it, representing the spirit of wisdom. The image is surrounded by six other shields with the gifts radiating light to Mary and from her.

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Sources: Pope John Paul II, On the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World [Encyclical Letter, Dominum et Vivificantem, Boston: St. Paul Books & Media, 1986; Pope John Paul II, The Spirit, Giver of Life and Love: A Catechesis on the Creed, Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 1996, 459 pp, ISBN 0-8198-6987-2; Pope Paul VI, For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary [Encyclical Letter, Marialis Cultus, 1974; Pope Paul VI, The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin [Letter to Cardinal Léon Jozef Suenens], May 13, 1975, TPS 19-20 (1974-75); K. Wittkemper, “Heiliger Geist, II: Dogmatik” und F. Zeilinger, “Heiliger Geist, I Exegese:” Marienlexikon, Band 3.

Print by Irina Ilina.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

Washington, DC—October 3, 1863

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The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom

.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony .whereof I have hereunto set my hand; and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Abraham Lincoln

By the President:
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Adela Maria: Much has changed in America since that Proclamation…and much is still the same….we are now a Godless nation…our industry has been defiled and raped….our national treasures depleted…and our valiant warriors still go on in the battlefield! Does anyone under the age of 50 even think of God? What does Thanksgiving mean to anyone and everyone in America today? ..Is there still a “chicken in every pot and a car in every garage”? W’hat has happened to the greatness of this land and it’s leaders?

A Thanksgiving Prayer
Samuel F. Pugh

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“O God, when I have food,

help me to remember the hungry;

When I have work,

help me to remember the jobless;

When I have a home,

help me to remember those who have no home at all;

When I am without pain,

help me to remember those who suffer,

And remembering,

help me to destroy my complacency;

bestir my compassion,

and be concerned enough to help;

By word and deed,

those who cry out for what we take for granted.

Amen.”

The Plymouth Thanksgiving Story

When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, they landed on the rocky shores of a territory that was inhabited by the Wampanoag (Wam pa NO ag) Indians. The Wampanoags were part of the Algonquian-speaking peoples, a large group that was part of the Woodland Culture area. These Indians lived in villages along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They lived in round- roofed houses called wigwams. These were made of poles covered with flat sheets of elm or birch bark. Wigwams differ in construction from tepees that were used by Indians of the Great Plains.

The Wampanoags moved several times during each year in order to get food. In the spring they would fish in the rivers for salmon and herring. In the planting season they moved to the forest to hunt deer and other animals. After the end of the hunting season people moved inland where there was greater protection from the weather. From December to April they lived on food that they stored during the earlier months.

The basic dress for men was the breech clout, a length of deerskin looped over a belt in back and in front. Women wore deerskin wrap-around skirts. Deerskin leggings and fur capes made from deer, beaver, otter, and bear skins gave protection during the colder seasons, and deerskin moccasins were worn on the feet. Both men and women usually braided their hair and a single feather was often worn in the back of the hair by men. They did not have the large feathered headdresses worn by people in the Plains Culture area.

There were two language groups of Indians in New England at this time. The Iroquois were neighbors to the Algonquian-speaking people. Leaders of the Algonquin and Iroquois people were called “sachems” (SAY chems). Each village had its own sachem and tribal council. Political power flowed upward from the people. Any individual, man or woman, could participate, but among the Algonquins more political power was held by men. Among the Iroquois, however, women held the deciding vote in the final selection of who would represent the group. Both men and women enforced the laws of the village and helped solve problems. The details of their democratic system were so impressive that about 150 years later Benjamin Franklin invited the Iroquois to Albany, New York, to explain their system to a delegation who then developed the “Albany Plan of Union.” This document later served as a model for the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States.

These Indians of the Eastern Woodlands called the turtle, the deer and the fish their brothers. They respected the forest and everything in it as equals. Whenever a hunter made a kill, he was careful to leave behind some bones or meat as a spiritual offering, to help other animals survive. Not to do so would be considered greedy. The Wampanoags also treated each other with respect. Any visitor to a Wampanoag home was provided with a share of whatever food the family had, even if the supply was low. This same courtesy was extended to the Pilgrims when they met.

We can only guess what the Wampanoags must have thought when they first saw the strange ships of the Pilgrims arriving on their shores. But their custom was to help visitors, and they treated the newcomers with courtesy. It was mainly because of their kindness that the Pilgrims survived at all. The wheat the Pilgrims had brought with them to plant would not grow in the rocky soil. They needed to learn new ways for a new world, and the man who came to help them was called “Tisquantum” (Tis SKWAN tum) or “Squanto” (SKWAN toe).

Squanto was originally from the village of Patuxet (Pa TUK et) and a member of the Pokanokit Wampanoag nation. Patuxet once stood on the exact site where the Pilgrims built Plymouth. In 1605, fifteen years before the Pilgrims came, Squanto went to England with a friendly English explorer named John Weymouth. He had many adventures and learned to speak English. Squanto came back to New England with Captain Weymouth. Later Squanto was captured by a British slaver who raided the village and sold Squanto to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands. A Spanish Franciscan priest befriended Squanto and helped him to get to Spain and later on a ship to England. Squanto then found Captain Weymouth, who paid his way back to his homeland. In England Squanto met Samoset of the Wabanake (Wab NAH key) Tribe, who had also left his native home with an English explorer. They both returned together to Patuxet in 1620. When they arrived, the village was deserted and there were skeletons everywhere. Everyone in the village had died from an illness the English slavers had left behind. Squanto and Samoset went to stay with a neighboring village of Wampanoags.

One year later, in the spring, Squanto and Samoset were hunting along the beach near Patuxet. They were startled to see people from England in their deserted village. For several days, they stayed nearby observing the newcomers. Finally they decided to approach them. Samoset walked into the village and said “welcome,” Squanto soon joined him. The Pilgrims were very surprised to meet two Indians who spoke English.

The Pilgrims were not in good condition. They were living in dirt-covered shelters, there was a shortage of food, and nearly half of them had died during the winter. They obviously needed help and the two men were a welcome sight. Squanto, who probably knew more English than any other Indian in North America at that time, decided to stay with the Pilgrims for the next few months and teach them how to survive in this new place. He brought them deer meat and beaver skins. He taught them how to cultivate corn and other new vegetables and how to build Indian-style houses. He pointed out poisonous plants and showed how other plants could be used as medicine. He explained how to dig and cook clams, how to get sap from the maple trees, use fish for fertilizer, and dozens of other skills needed for their survival.

By the time fall arrived things were going much better for the Pilgrims, thanks to the help they had received. The corn they planted had grown well. There was enough food to last the winter. They were living comfortably in their Indian-style wigwams and had also managed to build one European-style building out of squared logs. This was their church. They were now in better health, and they knew more about surviving in this new land. The Pilgrims decided to have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate their good fortune. They had observed thanksgiving feasts in November as religious obligations in England for many years before coming to the New World.

The Algonquian tribes held six thanksgiving festivals during the year. The beginning of the Algonquian year was marked by the Maple Dance which gave thanks to the Creator for the maple tree and its syrup. This ceremony occurred when the weather was warm enough for the sap to run in the maple trees, sometimes as early as February. Second was the planting feast, where the seeds were blessed. The strawberry festival was next, celebrating the first fruits of the season. Summer brought the green corn festival to give thanks for the ripening corn. In late fall, the harvest festival gave thanks for the food they had grown. Mid-winter was the last ceremony of the old year. When the Indians sat down to the “first Thanksgiving” with the Pilgrims, it was really the fifth thanksgiving of the year for them!

Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims, invited Squanto, Samoset, Massasoit (the leader of the Wampanoags), and their immediate families to join them for a celebration, but they had no idea how big Indian families could be. As the Thanksgiving feast began, the Pilgrims were overwhelmed at the large turnout of ninety relatives that Squanto and Samoset brought with them. The Pilgrims were not prepared to feed a gathering of people that large for three days. Seeing this, Massasoit gave orders to his men within the first hour of his arrival to go home and get more food. Thus it happened that the Indians supplied the majority of the food: Five deer, many wild turkeys, fish, beans, squash, corn soup, corn bread, and berries. Captain Standish sat at one end of a long table and the Clan Chief Massasoit sat at the other end. For the first time the Wampanoag people were sitting at a table to eat instead of on mats or furs spread on the ground. The Indian women sat together with the Indian men to eat. The Pilgrim women, however, stood quietly behind the table and waited until after their men had eaten, since that was their custom.

For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the Pilgrims. It was a special time of friendship between two very different groups of people. A peace and friendship agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of Plymouth.

It would be very good to say that this friendship lasted a long time; but, unfortunately, that was not to be. More English people came to America, and they were not in need of help from the Indians as were the original Pilgrims. Many of the newcomers forgot the help the Indians had given them. Mistrust started to grow and the friendship weakened. The Pilgrims started telling their Indian neighbors that their Indian religion and Indian customs were wrong. The Pilgrims displayed an intolerance toward the Indian religion similar to the intolerance displayed toward the less popular religions in Europe. The relationship deteriorated and within a few years the children of the people who ate together at the first Thanksgiving were killing one another in what came to be called King Phillip’s War.

It is sad to think that this happened, but it is important to understand all of the story and not just the happy part. Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving. There are still Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts. In 1970, they asked one of them to speak at the ceremony to mark the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrim’s arrival. Here is part of what was said:

“Today is a time of celebrating for you — a time of looking back to the first days of white people in America. But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my People. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags, welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end. That before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a tribe. That we and other Indians living near the settlers would be killed by their guns or dead from diseases that we caught from them. Let us always remember, the Indian is and was just as human as the white people.

Although our way of life is almost gone, we, the Wampanoags, still walk the lands of Massachusetts. What has happened cannot be changed. But today we work toward a better America, a more Indian America where people and nature once again are important.”

Reference:
The Fourth World Documentation Project
A Service Provided By
The Center For World Indigenous Studies
The Fourth World Documentation Project Archives

Once I was in Victoria, and I saw a very large house. They told me it was a bank, and that the white men place their money there to be taken care of, and that by and by they got it back, with interest. We are Indians, and we have no such bank; but when we have plenty of money or blankets, we give them away to other chiefs and people, and by and by they return them, with interest, and our hearts feel good. Our way of giving is our bank.

~ Maquinna, Nootka Chief, early nineteenth century ~

www.albany.net
Iroquois Prayer of Thanksgiving
imagery by Artist Melanie Printup Hope
words linked to audio of prayer recited by
Howard Hill in Tuscarora language

Month of the Poor Souls in Purgatory

AdelaMaria: My Lord and My God, I bring all of humanity and all of creation into Thy Holy and Divine Will. Look upon the innocence of our childhood; our crucified innocence; look upon all as you see it before the stain of Original Sin; before the fall of the angels; before the ruination of the earth by man; before the abomination of abominations. I beg you Most Holy Trinity; look upon the forgiveness of sin by the Word made Flesh; by the Fiat of Our Blessed Mother; by the Holy and Divine Will of the Third Fiat! Forgive us in Thy Holy and Merciful Justice. Save us from the enemy within. Save us from germ and nuclear warfare. Forgive our sinfulness, heal our brokenness and make us one with the Holy Spirit in Thy Holy and Divine Will. Restore America to a holy nation; bless us with love of Thee; give us back the gift of faith; heal our land; purify our waters; raise up our leaders to know, love and serve Thee; heal the children; comfort their souls; chasten our minds, bodies and souls. We are an uncleane nation….forgive us Lord….look upon the crucified Face of Thy Beloved Son…and see us as we were cleansed. This I beg of Thee …Put Thy mark on our foreheads…let the avenging angel pass us by…With the Blood of Thy Cross…send the angel with the purifying coals to mark our boundaries…Lord…hear my prayer…Lord…I cry unto Thee…Have mercy….

Guardian Angel
Fine Art Print
by Elvira Amrhein

Prayer to Disarm the Divine Justice

Taken From The Nineteenth Hour
of
The Hours of the Passion
From 11 AM to 12 AM

Jesus is Crucified.

First Part: The Crucifixion.

My Love, Jesus, they have already stripped You of your garments; your Most Holy Body is so lacerated that You look like a skinned lamb. I see You all shivering, and my heart breaks with pain in seeing You dripping Blood from all parts of your Most Holy Body! Your enemies, tired, but not filled up with tormenting You, in stripping You, tear the crown of thorns off of your head, to your unspeakable pain, and then again, they drive it onto You, making You feel unheard-of pains, as they add new, more painful wounds, to the previous ones.

Ah, my Jesus, in this third crowning, You repair for the perfidy of man, and for his obstinacy in sin!

My Jesus, if love had not wanted You to suffer greater pains than these, You would certainly have died from the sharpness of the pain You suffered in this third crowning with thorns. But now I see that You can no longer bear that pain, and with your eyes covered with Blood, You gaze to see whether one, at least, would come close to You to sustain You in so much suffering and in such great confusion.

My sweet Good, my dear Life, here You are not alone as You were last night. There is your sorrowful Mama, who, heart pierced by intense sorrow, suffers as many deaths, for as many pains as You suffer! There also, are loving Magdalene and faithful John, who are mute with sorrow at the sight of your sufferings. Tell me, my Love, who do You want to sustain You in so much pain? Oh, please, let me come to You – I, who more than anyone else, feel the need to be near You in these moments. Dear Mama and the others give me their place - and here I am, O Jesus, I come to You. I hug You, and I beg You to lean your head upon my shoulder, to let me feel the piercing of your thorns, in order to repair for all the offenses that creatures commit in their thoughts. My Love, please, hold me to Yourself; I want to kiss, one by one, the drops of Blood which flow down your Most Holy Face, and I ask of You that each one of these drops may be light to every mind of creature, so that no one may offend You with evil thoughts.

Meanwhile, my Jesus, You look at the Cross that your enemies are preparing for You. You hear the blows of the hammer with which your executioners are forming the holes into which they will drive the nails that will hold You crucified. And your Heart beats, more and more strongly, jumping with divine inebriation, yearning to lay Yourself upon that bed of suffering, to seal with your death the salvation of our souls. And I hear You say: “Please, O Cross, receive Me soon into your arms, I am impatient of waiting! Holy Cross, upon you I shall come to give completion to all. Hurry, O Cross, fulfill the burning desire that consumes Me, to give life to souls. Delay no more; I anxiously yearn to lay Myself upon you in order to open the Heavens to all my children.

Oh Cross, it is true that you are my martyrdom, but in a little while you will also be my victory and my most complete triumph; and through you I will give abundant inheritances, victories, triumphs and crowns to my children.”As Jesus is saying this, His enemies order Him to lay Himself upon it; and promptly He obeys, to repair for our disobedience. My Love, before You lay Yourself on the Cross, allow me to hold You more tightly to my heart, and to kiss your loving and bleeding wounds. Hear me, O Jesus, I don’t want to leave You; I want to come with you to lay myself on the Cross and remain nailed to It with You. True love cannot tolerate separation, and You will forgive the daring of my love. Concede that I be crucified with You. See, my tender Love, I am not the only one to ask this of You, but also your sorrowful Mama, inseparable Magdalene, faithful John: we all say to You that it would be more bearable to be nailed with You to Your Cross, than to see You crucified alone! Therefore, together with You I offer myself to the Eternal Father, identified with your Will, with your Heart, with your reparations and with all your pains.Ah, it seems that my adorable Jesus says to me: “My child, you have anticipated my love; this is my Will: that all those who love Me be crucified with Me. Ah, yes, come and lay yourself on the Cross with Me; I will give you life with my life, I will hold you as the beloved of my heart.” now, my sweet Good, You lay Yourself on the Cross, looking with so much love and with so much sweetness at your executioners, who already hold nails and hammers in their hands, ready to pierce You; a sweet invitation to hasten the crucifixion. With inhuman fury, they grab your right hand, hold the nail on your palm, and with blows of the hammer, make it come out the opposite side of the Cross. The pain You suffer is so great that You shiver, O my Jesus; the light of your beautiful eyes eclipses, and your most holy Face turns pale and looks like death.

Blessed right hand of my Jesus, I kiss you, I compassionate you, I adore you and I thank you for myself and for all. For as many blows as you receive, so many souls do I ask You to free, in this moment, from eternal damnation. As many drops of Blood as You shed, so many souls do I beg You to wash in this most precious Blood of Yours. O my Jesus, for the bitter pain You suffer, I ask You to open the Heavens to all, and to bless all creatures. May your blessing call all sinners to conversion, and all heretics and unbelievers to the light of the Faith.

Oh Jesus, my sweet Life, your torment has only begun - and here they are, your executioners, having finished the nailing your right hand, with unheard-of cruelty grab your left hand, and in order to make it reach the mark of the hole, with violence, pull it so much that the joints of your arms and shoulders are dislocated, and by the force of the pain, your legs too, are contracted and convulsed. Then, with untiring fury, they nail it to the Cross as they did with the right one.

Left hand of my Jesus, I kiss you, I compassionate you, I adore you, I thank you, and, for the blows you receive and for the bitter pains You suffer while they drive the nail through, I ask you to concede liberation from Purgatory to the purging souls, in this moment. Yes, O Jesus, for the Blood You shed from this hand, I beg You to extinguish the flames that burn these souls. May this Blood be of refreshment. and a healthy bath for all, such as to purge them from any stain and dispose them to the beatific vision. My Love and my all, for this sharp pain You suffer, I ask You to close hell to all souls, and to hold back the lightening of divine Justice, provoked unfortunately by our own sins! O Jesus, let divine Justice be appeased, so that the divine chastisements may not pour down upon the Earth, and so treasures of divine Mercy may be open for the benefit of all. My Jesus, I place the world and all generations into your arms, and I beg You, O my sweet Love, with the voices of your own Blood, to deny no one your forgiveness, and for the merits of your most precious Blood, to concede to all the salvation of their souls! Do not leave anyone out, O Jesus!

My Love, Jesus, your enemies are not yet content. With diabolical fury, they grab your most holy feet, contracted by the great pain suffered in the tearing of your arms, and they pull them so much that your knees, your ribs and all the bones of your chest, are dislocated. My heart cannot bear this, my dear Good; I see your beautiful eyes eclipsed and veiled with Blood, for the intensity of the pain. Your livid lips contort, your cheeks hollow, your teeth chatter, while your chest pounds in rapid pulses. Ah, my Love, how willingly would I take your place to spare You so much pain! I want to place on every part of You a relief, a kiss, a comfort, a reparation for all.

My Jesus, they put your feet one on top of the other, and drive through them a nail without a point. Blessed feet of my Jesus, I kiss you, I adore you, I thank you; and for the most bitter pains you suffer, for the tearing and for the Blood you shed, I beg you to enclose all souls in your most sacred wounds.

O Jesus, do not disdain anyone! May your nails crucify our powers, so that they may not move away from You. May they crucify our hearts, so that they may always be fixed in You alone; may they crucify all our feelings, so that they may have no taste which does not come from You. Oh my crucified Jesus, I see You all bleeding, as though swimming in a bath of Blood, which asks continuously for souls. By the power of this Blood, I ask You, O Jesus, that not one of them may escape You ever again!

Oh Jesus, I come close to your tortured Heart; I see that You cannot take it any more, but Love cries out more loudly: “Pains, pains, more pains”.

My Jesus, I hug You, I kiss You, I compassionate You, I adore You and I thank You for me and for all. Jesus, I want to place my head upon your Heart, to feel what You feel in this painful Crucifixion. Ah, I hear every blow of the hammer echoing in It; everything is centered in It – from It do your pains begin, and in It do they end. Ah, if it were not already decreed that a lance would pierce your Heart, the flames of your love would make their way, and would make It explode! These flames call loving souls to find a happy residence in your Heart, and I, O Jesus, for the sake of your most precious Blood, ask You for sanctity for these souls. Please, do not ever allow them to go out from your Heart, and with your grace, multiply the vocations of victim souls, who may continue your life upon Earth. You wanted to give a distinct place in your Heart to the victim souls; let them never lose this place. Oh Jesus, may the flames of your Heart burn me and consume me; may your Blood embellish me; may your love keep me always crucified to It, through suffering and reparation.

O my Jesus, the executioners have now nailed your hands and feet to the Cross, and turning It over in order to bend the nails, they force your adorable Face to touch the ground, soaked with your own Blood; and You, with your divine lips, kiss it. With this kiss, O my sweet Love, You intend to kiss all souls and bind them to your love, placing a seal on their salvation. O Jesus, let me take your place, and while your executioners pound on the nails, let these blows wound me as well, and crucify me completely to your love.

My Jesus, as the thorns are driven more and more into your head, I want to offer You, O my sweet Good, all my thoughts, that, like loving kisses, may console You and soothe the bitterness of your thorns.

O Jesus, I see that your enemies are not yet filled up with insulting You and deriding You, and I want to comfort your divine gazes with my gazes of love.

Your tongue is almost attached to your palate because of the bitterness of the bile and your ardent thirst. In order to quench your thirst, O my Jesus, You would want all the hearts of creatures overflowing with love, but not having them, You burn more and more for them. My sweet Love, I intend to send You rivers of love, to soothe in some way the bitterness of the bile and your burning thirst. O Jesus, I see that at every movement You make, your wounds rip open more and more and the pain becomes more intense and sharp. My dear Good, to relieve and soothe this pain, I offer You the holy works of the creatures. O Jesus, how much You suffer in your most holy feet! It seems that each movement of your most sacred Body pounds in them, and nobody is near You to sustain You, and somehow soothe the bitterness of your sufferings! My most sweet Life, I would want to reunite the steps of creatures of all generations, past, present and future, and direct them all to You, to come to console You in your hard pains.

O my Jesus, alas, how tortured is your poor Heart! How to comfort so much pain? I will diffuse myself in You, O will place my heart in Yours, my ardent desires in Yours, so that any evil desire may be destroyed. I will diffuse my love in Yours, so that, by means of your fire, the hearts of all creatures may be burned up, and the profaned loves destroyed. Your most sacred Heart will be comforted, and from now on, I promise You, O Jesus, always to remain nailed to this most loving Heart, with the nails of your desires, of your love and of your Will.

O my Jesus – Crucified, You; crucified, I in you. Do not allow me, even slightly, to unnail myself from You, but let me always be crucified to You, to be able to love You and repair You for all, and to relieve the pain which other creatures give You with their sins.

Second Part: Jesus Crucified. With Him we disarm Divine Justice.

My good Jesus, I see that your enemies lift the heavy wood of the Cross and let It drop into the hole they had prepared; and You, my sweet love, remain suspended between Heaven and earth. In this solemn moment, You turn to the Father, and with weak and feeble voice, You say to Him: “Holy Father, here I am, loaded down with all the sins of the world. There is not one sin which does pour upon Me; therefore, do no longer unload the scourges of your divine Justice upon man, but upon Me, your Son. O Father, allow Me to bind all souls to this Cross, and to plead forgiveness for them with the voices of my Blood and of my wounds. O Father, do You not see how I have been reduced? By this Cross, by virtue of these pains, concede true conversion, peace, forgiveness and sanctity to all. Arrest your fury against poor humanity, against my children. They are blind, and know not what they are doing. Look well at Me, how I have reduced Myself because of them; if you are not moved to compassion for them, may You at least be softened by this Face of mine, dirtied with spit, covered with Blood, bruised and swollen by the so many slaps and blows received. Have pity, my Father! I was the most beautiful of all, and now I am all disfigured, to the point that I no longer recognize Myself. I have become the abject of all; and so, at any cost, I want to save the poor creature!”

My Jesus, how is it possible that You love us so much? Your love crushes my poor heart. Oh, I would to go into the midst of all creatures to show this Face of Yours, so disfigured because of them, to move them to compassion for their own souls and for your Love; and with the light that your Face emanates, and with the enrapturing power of your love, make them understand Who You are, and who they are, who dare to offend You, so that they may prostrate themselves before You, to adore You and glorify You.

My Jesus, adorable Crucified, the creature continues to provoke Divine Justice, and with her tongue, she makes resound the echo of horrible blasphemies, voices of curses and maledictions, and evil discourses. Ah, all these voices deafen the earth, and penetrating even into the Heavens, while deafening the divine hearing, they curse and ask for revenge and justice against her! Oh, how Divine Justice feels pressed to unleash Its scourges! Oh, how the many horrid blasphemies ignite Its fury against the creature! But You, O my Jesus, loving us with highest love, face these deadly voices with your omnipotent and creative voice, and shout for mercy, graces and love for the creature. In order to appease the indignation of the Father, all love, You say to Him: “My Father, look at Me once again, do not listen to voices of the creatures, but to Mine; I am the One Who satisfies for all. Therefore I beg You to look at the creature, and to look at her in Me; if You look at her outside of Me, what will happen to her? She is weak, ignorant, capable only of doing evil, and full of miseries. Have pity – pity on the poor creature. I respond for her with my tongue embittered by bile, parched by thirst, dried and burned by love.”

My embittered Jesus, my voice in Yours wants to face all these offenses, all the blasphemies, in order to change all human voices into voices of blessings and praises.

My Crucified Jesus, to so much love and pain of yours, the creature does not yet surrender; on the contrary, she despises You and adds sins to sins, committing enormous sacrileges, murders, suicides, duels, frauds, deceits, cruelties and betrayals. Ah, all these evil works weigh on the arms of your celestial Father; so much so, that unable to sustain their weight, He is about to lower them and pour fury and destruction upon the earth. And You, O my Jesus, to snatch the creature from the divine fury, fearing to see her destroyed - You stretch your arms to the Father, You disarm Him, and prevent Divine Justice from taking Its course. And to move Him to compassion for miserable Humanity and to soften Him, You say to Him with the most charming voice: “My Father, look at these hands, ripped open, and the nails that pierce them, that nail them together with all these evil works. Ah, in these hands I feel all the spasms that these evil works give to Me. Are You not content, O my Father, with my sufferings? Am I perhaps not capable of satisfying You? Yes, my dislocated arms will always be chains to hold the poor creatures tightly, so that they may not escape from Me, except for those who would want to struggle free by live force. These arms of mine will be loving chains that will bind You, my Father, to prevent You from destroying the poor creature. Even more, I will draw You closer and closer to her, that You may pour your graces and mercy upon her!”

My Jesus, your love is a sweet enchantment for me, and pushes me to do what You do. Together with You, at the cost of any pain, I want to prevent divine Justice from taking Its course against poor Humanity. With the Blood that pours out of your hands, I want to extinguish the fire of sin that ignites It and calm Its fury. Allow me to place in your arms, the sufferings and the torments of all men, and the many hearts, grieving and oppressed. Allow me to go among all creatures and press them all into your arms, so that all of them may return to your Heart. By the power of your creative hands, allow me to stop the current of so many evil works, and to hold everyone back from doing evil.

My adorable crucified Jesus, the creature is not yet satisfied in offending You. She wants to drink, to the bottom, all the filth of sin, and she runs almost wildly along the path of evil. She falls from sin to sin, disobeys all your Laws, and denying You, rebels against You - almost out of spite, she wants to go to hell. Oh, how indignant becomes the Supreme Majesty! And You, O my Jesus, triumphant over all, even over the obstinacy of creatures, in order to appease the Divine Father, You show Him all your Most Holy Humanity, lacerated, dislocated, tortured in a horrible way. You show your Most Holy Feet, pierced, twisted by the atrocity of the spasms, and I hear your voice, more moving than ever, as though in act of breathing its last, wanting to win over the creature by force of love and suffering, and to triumph over the Paternal Heart: “My Father, look at Me, from head to foot; there is not one part of Me which is left whole, I do not know where else to let them open more wounds and to procure more sufferings. If You do not appease Yourself at this sight of love and suffering, who will ever be able to appease You? O creatures, if you do not surrender to so much Love, what hope remains for you to convert? These wounds and Blood of Mine will be voices that constantly call from Heaven to earth, graces of repentance, forgiveness and compassion for you!”

My Jesus, Crucified lover, I see that You can take no more. The terrible tension that You suffer on the Cross, the continual creaking of your bones that dislocate more and more at every tiny movement, your flesh that rips open more and more, the burning thirst that consumes You, the interior pains that suffocate You with bitterness, pain and love - and, with so many martyrdoms, the human ingratitude that insults You and penetrates, like an impetuous wave, into your pierced Heart, oppress You so much that your Most Holy Humanity, unable to bear the weight of so many martyrdoms, is about to end, and in a delirium of love and suffering, cries out for help and pity! Crucified Jesus, is it possible that You, Who rule everything and give life to all, ask for help? Ah, how I wish to penetrate into each drop of your most precious Blood, and to pour out my own in order to soothe every wound, to lessen and render less painful the pricks of each thorn; and to pour it into every interior pain of your Heart to relieve the intensity of your bitterness. I wish I could give You life for life. If it were possible, I would want to unnail You from the Cross and put myself in your place; but I see that I am nothing and can do nothing - I am too insignificant. Therefore, give me Yourself; I will take life in You, and in You, I will give You Yourself. In this way You will satisfy my yearning. Tortured Jesus, I see that your Most Holy Humanity is ending, not for your sake, but to fulfill our Redemption in everything. You need divine aid, and so You throw Yourself into the Paternal arms and ask for help and assistance. Oh, how moved is the Divine Father in looking at the horrible torture of your Most Holy Humanity, the terrible crafting that sin has made upon your Most Holy Members! And to satisfy your yearnings of love, He holds You to His paternal Heart, and gives You the necessary help to accomplish our Redemption; and as He holds You tightly, You feel again in your Heart, more intensely, the blow of the nails, the lashes of the scourging, the tearing of the wounds, the pricking of the thorns. Oh, how struck remains the Father! How indignant He becomes in seeing that all these pains are given to You, up to your innermost Heart, even by souls consecrated to You! In His sorrow, He says to You: “Is it possible, my Son, that not even the part chosen by You is wholly with You? On the contrary, it seems that these souls ask for refuge and a hiding place in your Heart in order to embitter You and give You a more painful death. And even more, all these sufferings they give to You, are hidden and covered by hypocrisy. Ah, Son, I can no longer contain my indignation at the ingratitude of these souls, who grieve Me more than all other creatures together!”

But You, O my Jesus, triumphant over all, defend even these souls, and with the immense love of your Heart, form a shield against the waves of bitterness and piercing that these souls send to You. And to appease the Father, You say to Him: “My Father, look at this Heart of mine. May all these pains satisfy You; and the more bitter they are, the more powerful may they be over your Heart of Father, to plead for them graces, light and forgiveness. My Father, do not reject them; they will be my defenders that will continue my life upon earth.”

My Life, Crucified Jesus, I see You still agonizing on the Cross, because your love is not yet satisfied – not enough to give completion to all. I too, yes, agonize together with You. And all of you, Angels and Saints – come to Mount Calvary, to admire the excesses, and the follies of the love of a God! Let us kiss His bleeding wounds; let us adore them. Let us sustain those lacerated limbs; let us thank Jesus for the accomplished Redemption. Let us turn our gaze to the pierced Mother, who feels pains and deaths in Her Immaculate Heart, for as many pains as She sees in Her God Son. Her own clothes are soaked with His Blood; Mount Calvary is all covered with It. Together, let us take this Blood, let us ask the sorrowful Mother to unite Herself to us; let us divide ourselves throughout the whole world, and bring help to all. Let us help those who are in danger, that they may not perish; those who have fallen, that they may stand up again; those who are about to fall, that they may not fall. Let us give this Blood to the many poor blind ones, that the light of truth may shine in them. In a special way, let us go into the midst of the poor soldiers, to be their vigilant sentries, and if they are about to be struck by the lead of the enemy, let us receive them into our arms, to comfort them. And if they are abandoned by all, if they are desperate in their sad destiny, let us give them this Blood that they may be resigned, and the atrocity of the pain lessened. And if we see that there are souls who are about to fall into hell, let us give them this divine Blood, which contains the price of Redemption - let us snatch them from Satan! And while I hold Jesus tightly to my heart in order to defend Him and shelter Him from everything, I will draw all to this Heart, so that all may obtain effective grace of conversion, strength and salvation.

Meanwhile, O Jesus, I see that your Blood flows in torrents from your hands and from your feet. The Angels, weeping, surrounding You as a crown, admire the portents of your immense love. I see your sweet Mama, pierced by the pain, at the foot of the Cross; your dear Magdalene, beloved John – all taken by ecstasy of astonishment, love and pain! O Jesus, I unite myself to You and I cling to your Cross; I take all the drops of your Blood and I pour them into my heart.

When I see your Justice provoked against sinners, I will show You this Blood in order to appease You. When I want the conversion of souls obstinate in sin, I will show You this Blood, and by virtue of It You will not reject my prayer, because I hold its pledge in my hands. And now, my Crucified Good, in the name of all generations, past, present and future, together with your Mama and with all the Angels, I prostrate myself before You and say: “We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.”

The Italian language editions of this book have received the following imprimaturs:

Prima Edizione (20-II-1915)
Revisione arcivescovile: Napoli, 20-II-1915
Nihil Obstat: Francesco Sorrentino (Revisore eccl.)
Imprimatur: A. Can. Laviano, V.G.

Seconda Edizione (1916)
Revisione arcivescovile: Napoli, 1916
Nihil Obstat: Francesco Sorrentino (Revisore eccl.)
Imprimatur: A. Can. Laviano, V.G.

Treza Edizione (1917)
Reimprimatur: Francesco Sorrentino (Revisore eccl.)

Quarta Edizone (1924)
Nihil Obstat: D. Prestifillipo, SJ;
Messina, 8-VIII-1924

Quinta Edizione (1934)
Nilil Obstat: Taranto, Curia Archiepiscopale,
28-VIII-1934
Delegato dal Arcivescovo, Giuseppe Blandamura

From divinewill.org

Powerful Prayer of Jesus at His Scourging
Volume 17: July 1, 1924

“My Father, I offer You this, my Blood. Oh, let this cover all the intelligences of creatures and render hollow all their evil thoughts; quench the fire of their passions and make reappear holy intelligences. Let this Blood cover their eyes and veil their sight so that the appeal of evil pleasures does not enter their eyes, and they not be defiled with the mud of the earth. Let my Blood cover and fill their mouths and render their lips dead to blasphemies, imprecations and all their wicked words. My Father, let this Blood cover their hands; make it be such that so many disgraceful acts become repulsive to man. Let this Blood circulate in our Eternal Will to cover everyone and defend everyone. Let it be the creature’s defensive armor before the rights of our Justice.”

Prayer of Protection
from “Intergenerational Healing”
by Fr. Robert DeGrandis, S.S.J.

I place myself in the presence of Jesus Christ and submit to His Lordship. I “Put on God’s armor so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics” (Ephesians 6:10-11). I stand my ground, “with truth buckled around my waist and integrity for a breastplate…” (Ephesians 6:14). I carry the “shield of faith” to “put out the burning arrows of the evil one…” (Ephesians 6:16). I accept “salvation from God to be my helmet and receive the word of God from the spirit to use as a sword” (Ephesians 6:17).

In the name of Jesus Christ crucified, died and risen, I bind all spirits of the air, the atmosphere, the water, the fire, the wind, the ground, the underground, and the nether world. I also bind the influence of any lost or fallen soul who may be present, and all emissaries of the satanic headquarters or any coven of witches or warlocks or satan worshipers who may be present in some preternatural way. I claim the blood of Jesus on the air and atmosphere, the water, the fire, the wind, the ground and their fruits all around us, the underground and the nether world.

In the name of Jesus Christ I forbid every adversary mentioned to communicate with or help