Marisma

“ For the haunts aforesaid are precisely those areas of the earth’s surface which are the most repugnant to man, and least suited to his existence.
In crowded England there survive but few of those dreary estuaries where miles of oozy mud-flats separate sea and land, treacherous of foot-hold, exposed to tide-ways and to every gale that blows. Such only are the haunts of British wildfowl, though how many men in a million have ever seen them? To wilder Spain, with its 50 per cent of waste, and its vast irreclaimed marismas, come the web-footed race in quantities undreamt at home. ”

“ How unhappy should we be if we had not Mary; but, O my Queen, how many souls are lost? And why? Because they do not have recourse to thee. Who would ever be lost that had recourse to thee?
Prayer of St. Anselm.
HELP us, O Queen of mercy, without regarding the multitude of our sins. Remember that our Creator took of thee a human body, not to condemn, but to save sinners. Hadst thou been chosen to be the Mother of God for thy own benefit alone, thou mightest then be said to have no particular interest in our salvation; but God clothed himself in thy flesh for the sake of all mankind. ”

“ GRANT, we beseech thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, thy Mother, may intercede for us before the throne of thy mercy, now and at the hour of our death, through whose most holy soul in the hour of thine own Passion the sword of sorrow passed. Through thee, Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost for ever and ever. ”

“ For this end let us all suppliantly, with humble prayer, implore the help of the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary, that, our hearts being quickened to the obedience of faith, she may show herself our mother and our helper. With equal earnestness let us ask the princes of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, the destroyers of heresies, the sowers of the seed of truth, to save the human race by their powerful patronage from the deluge of errors that is surging afresh. ”

“ I praise and glorify Thee, O Eternal Wisdom of the Father, for the marvellous condescension of Thy unapproachable Majesty in entering the vile prison of our mortal frame, and for Thy most pure Conception, by the operation of the Holy Ghost upon Mary; in whose virgin womb the Power of the most Highest, overshadowing her, formed Thy most sacred Body from the undefiled flesh of a pure virgin. For Thou, being at the same time true God, consubstantial with the Eternal Father, wast made one flesh with us, without spot of sin, to make us one spirit with Thee, through the adoption of the sons of God. ”

“ MIRROR of holy purity, Mary, Virgin immaculate, great is my joy while I consider that, from thy immaculate conception, the most sublime and perfect virtues were infused into thy soul, and with them all the gifts of the Holy Ghost. I thank and praise the Most Holy Trinity, who bestowed on thee these high privileges. I pray thee, gentle Mother, obtain for me grace to practise virtue, and to make me worthy to become partaker of the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost. ”

“ Let not one of us die without the holy sacraments. Bless us, that we may always openly confess our faith which is to sanctify us, that we may never falter in out hope, even amid pain and affliction, that we may ever grow in love for Thee and in charity toward our neighbor.
O Jesus, bless us, protect us.
O Mary, Mother of grace and mercy, bless us, protect us against the evil spirit; lead us by the hand through this vale of tears; reconcile us with thy divine Son; commend us to Him, that we may be made worthy of His promises. ”

“ For one moment, let us calmly weigh the import of these words:—Is it any thing short of robbing the Eternal Father of the brightest jewel in his crown, and sharing his glory with another? Is it not encouraging us to turn our eyes from the God of mercy as a stern and ruthless judge, and habitually to fix them upon Mary as the dispenser of all we want for the comfort and happiness of our souls? ”

“ Virgin most obedient, at thy Presentation in the Temple thou didst willingly offer the accustomed sacrifice of women ; enable us so to follow thy example, that we may make ourselves a living sacrifice to God, by practising every virtue. Hail Mary.
3. Virgin most pure, thou didst despise the reproach of men whilst observing the precept of the law ; ask for us grace always to keep our hearts pure, whatever the world may think us. Hail Mary. ”

“ By thine anointed heralds duly crowned,
As kings and priests Thy war to wage?
Then fearless walk we forth,
Yet full of trembling, Messengers of God:
Our warrant sure, but doubting of our worth,
By our own shame alike and glory awed.
Dread Searcher of the hearts,
Thou who didst seal by Thy descending Dove
Thy servant’s choice, O help us in our parts,
Else helpless found, to learn and teach Thy love.
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
And the Angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. ”

“ I am firmly resolved, with the help of Thy grace, to amend my life, and to strive more earnestly than ever after perfection in the following of Christ and in the imitation of the saints. Accept, O Lord, my good will; grant me Thy blessing, that I may do Thy holy will and please Thee this day in all my thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings, which I offer and consecrate to Thee, for Thy greater glory, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the immaculate Heart of Mary. ”

“ Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
I ADORE Thee, eternal Son, and I thank Thee for the infinite love which caused Thee to become man for me, to be born in a stable, to live in poverty, to suffer hunger, thirst, heat, cold, fatigue, hardships, contempt, persecutions, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and a cruel death upon the hard wood of the cross. I thank Thee, with the Church militant and triumphant, for the infinite love with which Thou didst institute the Most Blessed Sacrament to be the food of my soul. ”

“ Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we Thy faithful people, who rejoice in the name and protection of the most holy Virgin Mary, may by her loving intercession be delivered from all evils here on earth, and be made worthy to attain eternal glory in the life to come. ”

“ To the most holy and undivided Trinity, to the manhood of our crucified Lord Jesus Christ, to the fruitful virginity of the most blessed and glorious Mary, ever a virgin, to the entire assembly of the saints, be ascribed everlasting praise, honor, power, and glory, by every creature ”

“ Rejoice, O Virgin Mary,* alone thou hast destroyed all heresies throughout the world.
PSALM XCV
An exhortation to all creatures to praise God
O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, and bless His name: tell forth His salvation from day to day.
Tell forth His glory among the Gentiles: His wonders amongst all peoples.
For the Lord is great, and highly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils; but the Lord made the heavens. ”

“ Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Three Persons and One God, we devoutly adore Thee, and with all our heart we love Thee and we praise Thee for the high gifts and glories granted to Mary most holy in her glorious and Immaculate Conception. ”

“ O JESUS, living in Mary! come and live in Thy servants, in the spirit of Thy sanctity, in the fulness of Thy power, in the perfection of Thy ways, in the truth of Thy virtues, in the communion of Thy mysteries, triumph over all adverse powers in Thy Holy Spirit, for the glory of Thy Father. ”

“ O Holy Ghost, Who didst prepare the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by the infusion of sanctity, to be a worthy habitation of the body of the divine Infant Jesus, prostrate before Thee I beg that Thy grace may also render my soul and body worthy to receive the body of Christ, that I may receive Him with purity and faith, and may through the reception lay a foundation of sanctity, which will entitle me to enter the glorious kingdom of heaven. ”

“ We conjure Thee, O Lord, to listen favorably to our humble prayers, to receive the vows and supplications we offer. We desire to adore, praise, and glorify Thee, and to give Thee thanks for Thy great glory, joining our hearts and voices with all the blessed in heaven, and with Thy whole Church upon earth. O Mary, Mother of mercy! Ask Jesus to give us the ineffable grace of appreciating, imitating, and loving Him until death—that Jesus sacrificed by love, and immolated perpetually for us upon our altars. ”

“ O merciful Redeemer, Who didst vouchsafe to remain in the chaste cloister of Mary's womb, hidden and unknown, though Thou wast the Eternal Word, and the wisdom of the Father; grant that we may learn from Thee to love solitude and silence, and escape the evils that are found in the tumult and distractions of the world; grant us greater purity of mind and of heart; grant that we may glorify Thee, and edify others by our purity and modesty. ”

“ God, then, who in His infinite mercy has been pleased to provide for all our needs, desires through Mary to console us, to comfort us, to remove all distrust, to strengthen our hope. How consoling to him who calls upon God in sore distress, or implores His pardon for sins committed, is the thought that at the throne of divine Mercy he has in Mary an advocate as mighty as she is gracious, who supplements his great unworthiness by her sublime dignity, and who makes good the defects of his prayer by her intercession! ”

“ To this bright page of the annals of the work of grace belongs the name of the Mother Mary of the Incarnation, whose history is about to engage us.
As we follow the progress of the great work of God in her soul, noting, on the one hand, the rich abundance of heavenly inspiration, and, on the other, the perfection of her fidelity, let us not be satisfied with simply admiring the one, but let us set ourselves in earnest to imitate the other, according to our measure and degree. ”

“ GLORY OF MARY AFTER DEATH.
In her patronage of man.
LET us meditate how glorious Mary is in heaven, by reason of her patronage of man, and for the power she has to aid him, with great watchfulness in all his necessities; wherefore with lively confidence, in having for our patroness the very Mother of our God, let us with all our hearts present our supplications to her:
1. Mary, our most powerful patroness, whose glory it is in heaven to be the advocate of men; oh, preserve us thy children from the touch of the enemy of man, and place us safe in the arms of our God and our Creator. ”

“ Behold Him stretching out His arms to embrace you, and waiting until you should come to yourself and turn unto Him, and throw yourself before Him, and say, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, and am no more worthy to be called Thy son." Let these considerations touch your heart with love for Him Who loves you so much, and love will beget true contrition, most acceptable to God.
Say an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory to obtain true contrition. Then add the following: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee! ”

“ Like scenes of some wondrous drama these Mysteries set before us the joys of the life of our Saviour. One by one the scenes are unfolded—each telling its story, conveying its Gospel lesson to the human soul. Before our mental view pass the personages mentioned in God's Book. Here are Mary the humble, Joseph the obedient, Elizabeth the prayerful, Simeon the just, the angels on earth and in heaven—all bending in lowly reverence before Jesus, the grand central figure of the Rosary devotion. ”

“ No one doubted that their salvation was owing to the prayers which had been addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary."'—Univers, 30th November, 1856.
Prayer.—O most humble of Virgins, holy Mother of God, Mistress of life and Lady of the universe, teach me humility and the true love of this precious virtue. How great is the pride of my heart, who am but dust and ashes; I have eagerly sought for the praises of men, when shame and confusion for my innumerable infidelities should have made me feel my nothingness! ”

“ Teach me to be poor in spirit; to place no value upon the world's transitory pleasures and honors; to be meek and humble of heart and in patience to possess my soul; to love Thee more and more and to walk always in Thy presence; to be kind and generous to my neighbor; to strive earnestly to advance every day in holiness and perfection. May Thy holy will be accomplished in me. Grant me, above all, the grace of final perseverance, that I may become a saint.
O Mary, immaculate Mother of God! All ye angels and saints of heaven! ”

“ O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. ”

“ Through the prayers and merits of the blessed, eternal Virgin Mary, of the blessed archangel Michael, the blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all saints—may the Almighty God have mercy upon you, may your sins be forgiven you, and may Jesus Christ lead you to eternal life. ”

“ How infinitely blessed are you that you are singled out from the herd of those who prosper in the world, and have all men speaking well of them, and are permitted to walk in the way by which alone we can attain to the kingdom set before us. Remember the most blessed and {209} glorious Virgin, Mary, of all creatures the most beloved and most worthy to be loved of God, who was saluted by an angel as full of grace, and is now in heaven, Queen of Angels, and Prophets, and Apostles, and Martyrs. ”