He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob.
He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector and my refuge: my God, in Him will I trust
(Ps 90)
I recently posted concerning Saturday's feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and mentioned that it was on that day in 1224 that St. Francis received the stigmata or imprint of the wounds of Christ. The Franciscan Order soon initiated a distinct feast in honour of the event, which was celebrated on the first available day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which was the 17th. of September. The feast was eventually made universal and added to the Roman Calendar by Pope Clement IX in 1669.
Please pray again for the suffering Church and for our Holy Father, Pope Francis.
Today is the feast of two of the martyrs of the early Church: St. Cornelius, the legitiamate successor of Peter, who faced the schism of the first antipope, Novantian; and St. Cyprian, a former lawyer and later Bishop of Carthage, a great leader of the African Church in the Third Century. The two are linked both in a shared feast-day and by being mentioned jointly in the Roman Canon, as Cyprian was martyred on the day in 258 when Cornelius' relics were transferred to Rome.
This Sunday the feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady is commemorated.
Our Lady of Sorrows
For those not familiar with this devotion, the Seven Sorrows (or Seven Dolours) are as follows:
The Prophecy of Simeon (at the Presentation, when the old man, Simeon, told Our Lady that her heart would be pierced with a sword of sorrow)
The Flight into Egypt (particularly pertinent at the present time with the large number of refugees leaving Syria, and the troubles in Egypt itself)
The Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (culminating in the Finding in the Temple. A child going missing must be every mother's worst nightmare)
The Meeting of Jesus and His Blessed Mother on the way to Calvary
The Death of Jesus on the Cross
The Piercing of the Side of Jesus, and the Placing of His body in His Mother's arms
The Burial of Jesus
The Seven Sorrows
Devotion to these Mysteries is particularly associated with the Servite Order, notably through two objects, the Black Scapular of the Seven Sorrows (not to be confused with the Passionist Black Scapular. The Servite Black Scapular forms part of the Fivefold Scapular - I'll try and write posts about these sometime), and the Dolour Rosary - this consists of seven sets of seven beads, separated by medals depicting the Seven Sorrows, and a 'tail' of three beads and a medal of Our Lady of Sorrows, which commemorates the tears of Our Lady. The 'Our Father' is said on each medal (including the large one on the 'tail') and the 'Hail Mary' on each bead. Meditate upon each Dolour, as you would on each of the Mysteries of the Rosary. An Act of Contrition should be made before saying the Dolour Rosary, and there is a concluding prayer as follows:
V. Pray for us, O Most Sorrowful Virgin
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ
Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and at the hour of our death, the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of Thy Passion with a sword of grief. Grant us this favour, O Saviour of the world, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
Dolour Rosary
Sequence 'Stabat Mater' for the feast of the Seven Sorrows
"This Feast on September 14 was celebrated originally soley to honour the anniversary of the discovery of the Holy Cross by St. Helena and the dedication of the basilicas consecrated at Jerusalem on September 14, 335, on the very site of the Holy Sepulchre and of Calvary. But today'sfeast is also the commemoration of another event - the return of the the Holy Cross by the Persians in 629. It had been carried off years ealier on the occasion of a Persian victor and was brought back in triumph by the Emperor Heaclius who ad defeated the Persia armies.
The Liturgy of the Cross is a triumphant liturgy; in it the Church celebrates the emblem of our Redemption. The bronze serpent lifted up by Moses over the people was a foreshadowng of he salvation thatwas to come when Jesus was lifted up on the Cross.
Alleluia verse from the Mass of the Exultation of the Holy Cross (E.F.)
We should unite ourselves in spirit with the faithful who, in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem at Rome, today venerate th relics of the sacred wood on which wrought the triumphant work of the redemption of humanity."
Today, I would extend this to suggest we unite ourselves also with the Christians of the Middle East and other parts of the world who are still sharing, in a very real and tragic way, the sufferngs of Christ - may thay also have a share in His Resurrection.
As well as the celebrations of the western Latin Church, this is also one of the great feast of the Eastern Rites, so again an for us to be close in spirit with our brethren in the Middle East, and perhaps also an occasion to pray for a healing of the schism between Catholic and Orthodox.
St Francis receiving the stigmata
Finally, it was also on this feast day in 1224 that St. Francis received the stigmata - again occasioning us to pray for the suffering Church, and for our Holy Father, Pope Francis.
Further to my recent post on Religious Habits, either I am becoming more observant, or there is definitely a resurgence in Catholics willing to show their Faith in public.
Sunday: another habited Capuchin Friar, this time waiting at a bus stop.
Today: I wasn't the only person to cross myself and say grace before eating my lunch in the canteen (I have been making an effort to do this for a while, ever since Annie Elizabeth put me to shame by doing so before eating a take away burger on Charing Cross Station when a group of us were coming home following a talk by Michael Voris). Today, it was particularly busy and an elderly gentleman asked if I minded him sharing my table; once he had joined me, his first action was to make the Sign of the Cross and say grace - will remember him in my prayers.
