Friday, 8 December 2023

In Conceptione Immaculata Beatæ Mariæ Virginis

 

Our Lady of Lourdes.
Crowned by Pius IX in 1879
Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful." 

Pope Pius IX issued the Papal Bull “Ineffabilis Deus” in 1854.

With fervent prayers to our gentle Queen and Mother for the author and his family on this day which is also the anniversary of a great blessing received in Corpus Christi Church (Covent Garden) in 1981. With prayers too for the repose of the soul of the officiating priest, Fr. Henry Dodd (1921-1992) R.I.P.



MEMORARE, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a sæculo, quemquam ad tua currentem præsidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia, esse derelictum. Ego tali animatus confidentia, ad te, Virgo Virginum, Mater, curro, ad te venio, coram te gemens peccator assisto. Noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea despicere; sed audi propitia et exaudi. Amen.

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
S
UB
 tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.






Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Thursday, 30 November 2023

In memoriam matris meæ dilectissimæ

On 30 November 1977, on the feast of St Andrew, patron saint of her native Scotland, my dear mother passed away after a long battle with cancer. The local priest had administered the last rites some time previously. Although she had seemed barely conscious, I could see her lips moving slightly after he had invited her to join him in saying one ''Hail Mary'' . She received Holy Communion and she seemed then to be very much at peace. The priest, a serious, taciturn but tender-hearted man, noted that this was often the case.

✠ Requiescas in pace, mater dilectissima! ✠


Three poems


I was living in Cambridge during this sad time in 1977. For no particular reason that I can recall, I felt prompted to make the train journey across country to pay a visit to my mother in north Warwickshire. I prepared the following poem en route, not knowing that my mother would depart this world only a matter of days after my arrival. She was sitting near the fireside when I arrived, nursing a hot water bottle. I read my poem to her and I could see that she was listening intently. When I had finished, she said: 'Well, how lovely!' She then retired to her bedroom and never left her bed again before her death some days later.

Kirsty bheag is the Scots Gaelic for 'little Kirsty'. She was called 'little' to distinguish her from her mother, who was also called Kirsty. I completed the pen and ink drawing of the boat (21cm x 21cm) several years later and named it 'Kirsty' in honour of my mother. RIP.

Kirsty Bheag


Kirsty. PB

Alone sate she in soft and muted shade,
A fairy child of woodland ferns and flowers,
A slender sylph from Spring's most sacred glade,
A smiling sprite of silent, scented bowers.

Her careless hair was gold as sun-gold corn,
In breeze-blessed streams and tresses lightly flowing;
Her eyes were the smiling blue of a sky-blue morn,
Her cheeks with cheerest roses ever-glowing.

Withal a shape so supple, slim and svelte
As like a willow-sapling's lithely grace;
A light and happy spirit therein dwelt,
Whose dancing smiles did play upon her face.


Upon her lap an open book she lay,
Whose lines she scanned with fond and eager gaze;
Then 'loud the alien words she 'gan to say,
In heart to grave for all her mortal days.

Alone sate she, this darling Highland child,
In woods, in fields, by many a mountain stream;
But now in time long-lived to old age mild,
Of these her girlhood joys she doth but dream.

Envoi

Learn friends, this fairest She, she is no other
Than my own dear, beloved mother.
 © PB 1977


My mother was to suffer enormously from cancer before she died on the 30th November. As someone born in the Scottish Highlands, it was altogether fitting that she should have passed on the Feast of St Andrew. I wrote 'Curse' mindful of the echoing metre used by the witches in the "Scottish play."


Curse


Burn in Brimni's blazing bane,
Die in cruel and crazing pane!

Slowly burning, slowly maiming,
Never easing, never resting,
Bitter raw with deadly fest'ring;
Vicious jaws within thee gnawing,
Biting, ripping, tearing, savage,
These thy entrails hotly ravage.

Burn in Brimni's blazing bane,
Die in cruel and crazing pain!
© PB 1977



In this same year, my mother had already lost her first-born son (aged 44) as well as a favourite brother. This triple loss inspired the following lines.


This Weeping Year


This weeping year,
This year of ache and pain;
This heart-sore year,
This year with sorrow stain'd.

O woeful year,
Unweary of thy ever-wearing woes;
Black-visaged year,
Unyielding midst thy yield of deadly throes.

The Fates, they three,
This fated year of three,
Death-fated three
And dealt three fatally.

© PB 1977

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
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UB
 tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 


Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.


Monday, 27 November 2023

Ad Jesum per te, Maria!

The Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal


Today is the anniversary of my Baptism, which took place when I was three weeks old, on Friday the 27th of November 1953, the feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, in the church of St Theresa of the Child Jesus (Perry Bar, Birmingham). I discovered this very late in life and, Deo volente, I shall never cease to thank Our Lord for everything He did to make this possible on His Mother's feast day and in a church dedicated to Ste Thérèse de l’Enfant Jésus. 

Laudetur Jesus Christus et Maria Immaculata!

The Traditional Rite of Baptism


See here for a PDF showing the powerful words and actions that the Church included in the traditional rite of Baptism before the tragic excisions and alterations that followed in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.


A small gift to the Holy Mother of God



The Holy Mother of God.
FaceMePLS from The Hague. CC BY 2.0.
Whilst listening to a "Song to the Moon" from Antonin Dvorak's lyric fairy tale Russalka (1901), I was overwhelmed by the the haunting melody, the Czech lyrics and the beautiful voice of Patricia Janečková. The emotion grew when reflecting on this singer's heart-breaking death from cancer at the tragically young age of 25 (on the 1st of October this year).

👈    The image shown is venerated in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania. Some sources trace this painting to the 14th century (or earlier) in Crimea. Although there is no agreement on the date, both the Orthodox and the Catholics lay claim to this image, proof of the deep and ancient tradition of veneration and love for the Holy Mother of God found in both wings of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Let us pray that our holy Mother will intercede for all her faithful sons so that, from East to West, they may be united as they once were.

    The painting features prominently a crescent moon, which is quite common in images of the Blessed Virgin, recalling the words of St John in Chapter xii of the Apocalypse:
And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet... [Apoc. xii. 1]
and echoing the words from the Canticle of Canticles:
Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair [pulchra] as the moon ... terrible as an army set in array? [Canticles (Solomon) vi. 9].

    The word "woman" used by St John in the Apocalypse recalls the word used by Christ on the Cross, entrusting the beloved disciple to His Holy Mother:
When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son... Behold thy mother.   [John xix. 26-27]

    I felt moved to conceive a paraphrase, slightly adapting the original lyrics and re-interpreting or super-interpreting them in the form of a prayer to the Blessed Virgin, praying for her help in drawing closer to her Divine Son. This prayer is reproduced below under the title Ad Jesum per te, Maria! ("To Jesus through thee, O Mary"). These words form part of the motto that I have used in recent years as a personal seal to close posts and written work (see close of post).  Scriptural references have been included in the Footnotes after the prayer, together with the original Czech lyrics for those who wish to follow the sung performance.
 

Patricia Janečková.1998-2023. 
👈 Here is a picture of the soprano, taken from her recording of Mozart's Laudate Dominum.

✠ REQUIEM æternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. ✠
ETERNAL rest grant unto her , O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her . May she rest in peace. Amen.



Here is a link to an audio-file of her performance:


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Below is the poem-prayer which I wrote and which I offer as a gift to our gentle Queen and Mother on this her feast day, the anniversary of my baptism. There is, providentially, a full moon this evening!

Ad Jesum per te, Maria!

To Jesus through thee, O Mary!


Hail O beautiful moon,[1] our Mother in the highest heaven,
Whose gentle gaze sees far and wide;
The light of thy maternal love streams down
Upon thy children here below.

O radiant moon, our Queen, please pause awhile
And tell me, O tell me where He is who hath so loved me; [2]

Help me to tell Him, O Heavenly Mother,
To tell Him my heart yearns for us to draw close;
How I pray that for a little while
I may be present to His thoughts;

With the light of Grace, I ask thee to show me His distant dwelling, [3]
Tell Him, O tell Him that someone is seeking Him...

And knocking for His attention; [4]
May this little plea prompt a recollection;
Beautiful moon, our gentle Queen and Mother, don't leave me, don't leave me...

Don't leave me!




[1] Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?  [Canticles (Solomon) vi. 9].
And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet... [Apoc. xii. 1] 
[2] For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; [John iii. 16]
Father ... I have made known thy name to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them.
[John xvii. 25-26]
[3] Who only hath immortality, and inhabiteth light inaccessible, whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and empire everlasting. Amen. [1 Tim. vi. 16]
[4]  Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.
For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. [Matt. vii. 7-8]

Song to the Moon : Czech lyrics


Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém,
světlo tvé daleko vidí,
po světě bloudíš širokém,
díváš se v příbytky lidí.

Měsíčku, postůj chvíli,
řekni mi, řekni, kde je můj milý!

Řekni mu, stříbrný měsíčku,
mé že jej objímá rámě,
aby si alespoň chviličku
vzpomenul ve snění na mě.

Zasvit' mu do daleka, zasviť mu,
řekni mu, řekni, kdo tu naň čeká!

O mně-li duše lidská sní,
af se tou vzpomínkou vzbudí!
Měsíčku, nezhasni, nezhasni!

Měsíčku, nezhasni!


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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
S
UB
 tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 


Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.


Thursday, 2 November 2023

In Commemoratione Omnium Fidelium Defunctorum : All Souls Day 2023

The Dies Iræ was sung at St Bede's today during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the souls of all the faithful departed. As part of our prayers for all deceased family members, friends and benefactors, we are re-publishing a study which first appeared in 2022.

To read the study, please click here for the PDF: 👉  Dies Iræ.  


ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
S
UB
 tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
 


Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.



Sunday, 29 October 2023

On the Feast of Christ the King

The Holy Infant of Prague 
Fotobanka ČTK, René Fluger; CC BY-SA 3.0
Today, on the great feast of Christ the King, we launch the first of a new series of posts on the life of Christ according to the Gospel of St Luke. You can read this Life (and others in the series) by clicking here: 👉 The Life of Christ Our Lord.

The Life includes the Douay-Rheims [1] and Vulgate texts of the Gospel, followed by annotations which make extensive use of the commentary by Cornelius Cornelii a Lapide (1567-1637). The illustrations are by Jacques-Joseph Tissot (1836-1902), except where otherwise stated.

[1] With revisions by Bishop Richard Challoner, 1749-52. Taken from a hardcopy of the 1899 Edition by the John Murphy Company. See here for DRBO site.

The Holy Infant of Prague


👈 
This is the original statue of the Holy Infant, Lord Jesus Christ our King.   It was given by Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz to the Discalced Carmelites in 1628 and is now located in the Discalced Carmelite Church of Our Lady of Victories in Prague. The author is blessed to have a statue of the Holy Infant received as a gift from the late Fr Dodd, parish priest of Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane (Covent Garden).

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The Icon of Vladimir. ?12th century.
 
 Church of St. Nicholas, Moscow.
I offer our work on St Luke's Gospel as a gift to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, our gentle Queen and Mother, with a petition that she present it as an act of reparation to her Divine Son so that He, in His mercy, may heal the wounds, repair the damage and undo the scandal caused by sins.

O Lord Jesus Christ our King who hast said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened,"[1] through the intercession of Mary, Your Most Holy Mother, I knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be granted.

Domine Jesu Christe, Rex noster, qui dixisti: Petite, et dabitur vobis; quærite, et invenietis; pulsate, et aperietur vobis,[1] per intercessionem Mariæ Sanctissimæ Matris Tuæ, pulso, quæro et peto ut deprecationes meas exaudias.

[1] [Luc. xi. 19]




The Icon of Vladimir


This ancient Icon of the Mother of God is said to be based on one painted by the Evangelist St Luke himself on a board taken from the table used by the Holy Family in Nazareth. In 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod. In 1155, it was brought to the city of Vladimir and was installed in the Dormition cathedral. It was from this time that the icon received its name of the Vladimir Icon. The icon was first brought to Moscow in 1395 where it is now housed in the Church of St. Nicholas.

Let us pray that our Blessed Mother will gather together her faithful sons from the East and the West so as to be reunited as once they were in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God;
 despise not our petitions in our necessities,
 but deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
 
SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix.
 Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus,
sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper,
 Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 



Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Tuesday, 24 October 2023

The Life of Christ : St Matthew

Three Archangels with Tobias. c.1471 Uffizi, Florence. 
Today, the feast of St Raphael, sees the last posting on the Life of Christ according to the Gospel of St Matthew on The Life of Christ website. I established the Life of Christ site in 2019 to provide a platform for presenting and illustrating the life of Christ. This was in response to an idea which seemed to speak from the last line of the motto I had adopted as a seal in the same year (see below and at the end of each post):


Ad Jesum per Mariam.

It also reflects the emphasis found in the opening lines of The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis:


     He that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, saith Our Lord. (John viii.12). These are the words of Christ, by which we are admonished, that we must imitate His life and manners, if we would be truly enlightened, and delivered from all blindness of heart. Let it then be our chief study to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. [From The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis (c. 1418–1427); translated by Bishop Richard Challoner (1755)]
     Qui sequitur me non ambulat in tenebris dicit Dominus. Hæc sunt verba Christi, quibus admonemur quatenus vitam eius et mores imitemur, si volumus veraciter illuminari, et ab omni cæcitate cordis liberari. Summum igitur studium nostrum, sit in vita Jesu meditari.
     Celui qui me suit, ne marche point dans les ténèbres, dit le Seigneur. Ce sont les paroles de Jésus-Christ, par lesquelles il nous exhorte à imiter sa conduite et sa vie, si nous voulons être vraiment éclairés et délivrés de tout aveuglement du cœur. Que notre principale étude soit donc de méditer la vie de Jésus-Christ. [L'Imitation de Jésus-Christ, traduction avec des réflections par M l'Abbé F De Lamenais (1859)]

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Here is a summary of the projects completed to date:

  1. The first Life followed the format of The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ by the remarkable artist James J. Tissot (1897). The posts began on the 14th of October 2019 and concluded on the feast of the Ascension, the 21st of May 2020.
  2. The second Life followed the work of l'Abbé Constant Fouard:  La Vie de N-S Jésus-Christ (1880). The first post was published on the feast of Corpus Christi (11th of June 2020) and the series concluded on the 4th of October 2020.
  3. The third Life followed the Gospel of St Mark, making use of a work by Madame Cecilia published in 1904 entitled The Gospel according to St Mark. This Life opened on the Feast of St Mark (25th April 2022) and concluded on the 26th of June 2022.
  4. The fourth project featured the Acts of the Apostles and also made use of Madame Cecilia's work published in 1907 entitled The Acts of the Apostles. The series began on the 29th June 2022 and concluded on the 11th of September in the same year.
  5. The most recent project featured the Gospel of St Matthew.  Making use of Madame Cecilia's commentaries published in 1906, it began on the 29th of June 2023, the feast of St Peter and St Paul, and concluded today, the 24th of October, on the feast of St Raphael.

I offer this work to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, our gentle Queen and Mother, with a petition that she present it as an act of reparation to her Divine Son's most Sacred Heart so that He, in His mercy, may heal the wounds, repair the damage and undo the scandal caused by sins.

O Lord, graciously send Your holy Archangel Raphael to help us, that he who we know stands ever in the presence of Your Majesty, may present our humble prayers for Your blessing.
Dirigere dignáre, Dómine Deus, in adiutórium nostrum sanctum Raphaélem Archángelum: et, quem tuæ maiestáti semper assístere crédimus, tibi nostras exíguas preces benedicéndas assígnet.


Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Wednesday, 4 October 2023

St Francis of Assisi

Today is the Feast of saint, Francis of Assisi, whose name I chose for my Confirmation[1]. This post begins with a painting by Rubens: The Virgin Mary and Saint Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger. It seems fitting to include this not only because the month of October is dedicated to Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, but also because of the dark and troubling times in which we live.


Rubens shows Our Lord ready to punish the earth with the thunderbolts of His justice on account of the widespread evil present almost everywhere. The Prince of this world is coiled like a serpent around the globe. Our Lady seeks to restrain her Son; she exposes her virginal breast as if to recall the tender babyhood of her Son, imploring mercy for us all. St Francis too, shielding the earth, seeks to protect us by praying that Our Lord in His mercy should stay His hand. The rainbow appears over Mary's figure, sign of the Covenant between God and mankind:

"And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, and shall remember the everlasting covenant, that was made between God and every living soul of all flesh which is upon the earth." [Genesis ix.16.]

👈The Virgin Mary and Saint Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger. 1614. Peter Paul Rubens. (Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels).


[1]  Sunday 25th June 1961, in St Benedict's Church, Atherstone, Warwickshire. By Bishop Bright, John Boland being sponsor: R.I.P.



Below is a prayer to Our Lady which is attributed to St Francis : 

Ave Domina


Hail Lady, Holy Queen, Holy Mary Theotokos,
who art the Virgin made church
and the one chosen by the Most Holy Father of Heaven,
whom He consecrated with His Most Holy Beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete;
in whom there was and is all fullness of grace and every good.

Hail His Palace; Hail His Tabernacle; Hail His Home.
Hail His Vestment; Hail His Handmaid; Hail His Mother
and hail all you holy virtues,
which through the grace and illumination of the Holy Spirit
are infused into the hearts of the faithful,
so that from those unfaithful you make them faithful to God.


Salutatio Beatæ Mariæ Virginis

Ave Domina, sancta Regina, sancta Dei genitrix Maria,
Quæ es virgo ecclesia facta et electa a sanctissimo Patre de cælo,
quam consecravit cum sanctissimo dilecto Filio suo
et Spiritu sancto Paraclito, in qua fuit et est omnis plenitudo gratiæ et omne bonum.

Ave palatium eius,
Ave tabernaculum eius;
Ave domus eius.
Ave vestimentum eius;
Ave ancilla eius;
Ave mater eius;
et vos omnes sanctæ virtutes,
quæ per gratiam et illuminationem Spiritus Sancti
infundimini in corda fidelium,
ut de infidelibus fideles Deo faciatis.


A meditation by St Francis on the Lord's Prayer


Our Father: Most Holy, our Creator and Redeemer, our Saviour and our Comforter.

Who art in Heaven: in the angels and the saints. Who givest them light so that they may have knowledge, because Thou, Lord, art Light. Who inflames them so that they mayest love, because Thou, Lord, art Love. Who lives continually in them and who fills them so that they may be happy, because Thou, Lord, art the Supreme Good, the Eternal Good, and it is from Thee that all good comes, and without Thee there is no good.

Hallowed be Thy Name: May our knowledge of Thee become ever clearer, so that we may realize the extent of Thy benefits, the steadfastness of Thy promises, the sublimity of Thy Majesty and the depth of Thy judgments.

Thy Kingdom come: so that Thou may reign in us by Thy grace and bring us to Thy Kingdom, where we shall see Thee clearly, love Thee perfectly, be blessed in Thy company and enjoy Thee forever.

Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven: so that we may love Thee with our whole heart by always thinking of Thee; with our whole mind by directing our whole intention towards Thee and seeking Thy glory in everything; and with all our strength by spending all our powers and affections of soul and body in the service of Thy Love alone. And may we love our neighbours as ourselves, encouraging them all to love Thee as best we can, rejoicing as the good fortune of others, just as it were our own, and sympathizing with their misfortunes, while giving offence to no one.

Give us this day our daily bread: Thine own beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to remind us of the love He showed for us and to help us understand and appreciate it and everything that he did or said or suffered.

And forgive us our trespasses: in Thine infinite Mercy, and by the power of the Passion of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, together with the merits and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all your saints.

As we forgive those who trespass against us: and if we do not forgive perfectly, Lord, make us forgive perfectly, so that we may indeed love our enemies for love of Thee, and pray fervently to Thee for them, returning no one evil for evil, anxious only to serve everybody in Thee.

And lead us not into temptation: hidden or obvious, sudden or unforeseen. But deliver us from evil: Present, past, or to come.

Amen.

[This translation is based on that of Benen Fahy, OFM, as it appeared in "The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi," Burnes & Oates, London, 1964].



Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.