Rosa Mystica by Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins 1. The rose in a mystery, where is it found? Is it anything true? Does it grow upon ground? — It was made of earth’s mould but it went from men’s eyes And its place is a secret and shut in the skies. Refrain — In the gardens of God, in the daylight divine Find me a place by thee, mother of mine.2.But where was it formerly? which is the spot That was blest in it once, though now it is not? — It is Galilee’s growth: it grew at God’s will And broke into bloom upon Nazareth hill. In the gardens of God, in the daylight divine I shall look on thy loveliness, mother of mine. 3. What was its season then? how long ago? When was the summer that saw the bud blow? — Two thousands of years are near upon past Since its birth and its bloom and its breathing its last. In the gardens of God, in the daylight divine I shall keep time with thee, mother of mine.…
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The Immaculate Conception 2022
The day breaks, and like my fellow Catholics throughout the world, I remember the Most Holy Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, on her grand feast day. For this delightful day, I am posting an article which was printed on Rorate Caeli, and was written by Fr. Serafino M. Lanzetta, titled: The Primacy of Mary as Immaculate Conception. The source of this piece will be cited at its conclusion. It is not too long of a read, and is well worth it. The article now begins: “Christ is first In order to execute a project, or to turn a vision into action, one first needs to have an idea or a plan. The idea precedes the action, as the intention precedes the actual achieving of the goal. Likewise, an artist, to give an example very expressive of this reality, must first conceive in mind what he wants then to depict on a canvas. If his intelligence is uninspired, it is higly likely that the canvas will not represent anything. And in order to paint something in on a large scale,…
Saint Catherine Laboure, November 28
Today, the Roman Catholic Church commemorates the French saint Catherine (Zoe) Laboure (b. 1806- d. 1876). Catherine was a farmer’s daughter who grew up in turbulent times; and, besides the cultural upheaval around her, the little Zoe, as she was known to her family, experienced personal turbulence when she lost her mother to death at the age of nine. At the time of her mother’s death, Zoe took the Blessed Virgin Mary as her own mother, and retained a deep love of the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout her entire life. Zoe eventually pursued a religious vocation and joined the Daughters of Charity in Paris in her early twenties. Zoe, as I noted in a post about the Miraculous Medal, was the recipient of a great honor, decreed by God, when, in 1830, she received several visits from the Blessed Virgin Mary. During these visits, the Blessed Virgin Mary entrusted to her the mission of promulgating what is now known as the Miraculous Medal (image, above). What I find interesting about the life of St. Catherine Laboure, and you might, too, is that…
Visiting Catholic Cemeteries in November
During the month of November, when Catholics pray for their deceased relatives and friends, a traditional Catholic activity, which you might like to consider adding to your schedule, is a visit to a Catholic cemetery. At this time of the year, when we are thinking about those who have gone before us, it is good to recall that our beloved dead are in the hands of The Good King as noted in a poem (to follow) by G.K. Chesterton. But, first to cemetery visits: the following prayer, attributed to St. Gertrude, is often used on such occasions (details of this prayer in link below*): Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood Of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my own family. Amen. Now, the short poem by G.K. Chesterton which is fitting for this month is called The Skeleton. Thinking of the smiling face of our skeletons, Chesterton…
Our Lady of the Rosary 2022
“The joys experienced on the other Feasts of the Mother of God are all gathered up and resumed in this one for us, for the Angels, and for our Lady herself. Like the Angels, then, let us offer, together with Mary, the homage of our just delight to the Son of God, her Son, her King and ours.” ~ Dom Prosper Gueranger, see below Today, on the seventh day of October, the Roman Catholic Church commemorates Our Lady of the Rosary. Dom Prosper Gueranger (b. 1805- d. 1875) in his work, The Liturgical Year, expounds on this feast in the following: It is customary with men of the world to balance their accounts at the end of the year, and ascertain their profits. The Church is now preparing to do the same. We will soon see her solemnly numbering her elect, taking an inventory of their holy relics, visiting the tombs of those who sleep in the Lord, and counting the sanctuaries, both old and new, that have been consecrated to her divine Spouse. But today’s reckoning is a…