SACRED ART: "The Sistine Madonna" by Raphael
(Left-click twice on the picture to see the painting at closer range)
PRAYER: Litany of Loreto ***OPTIONAL***
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
God our Father in heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Most honored of virgins, pray for us.
Mother of Christ, pray for us.
Mother of the Church, pray for us.
Mother of divine grace, pray for us.
Mother most pure, pray for us.
Mother of chaste love, pray for us.
Mother and virgin, pray for us.
Sinless mother, pray for us.
Dearest of mothers, pray for us.
Model of motherhood, pray for us.
Mother of good counsel, pray for us.
Mother of our Creator, pray for us.
Mother of our Savior, pray for us.
Virgin most wise, pray for us.
Virgin rightly praised, pray for us.
Virgin rightly renowned, pray for us.
Virgin most powerful, pray for us.
Virgin gentle in mercy, pray for us.
Faithful Virgin, pray for us.
Mirror of justice, pray for us.
Throne of wisdom, pray for us.
Cause of our joy, pray for us.
Shrine of the Spirit, pray for us.
Glory of Israel, pray for us.
Vessel of selfless devotion, pray for us.
Mystical Rose, pray for us.
Tower of David, pray for us.
Tower of ivory, pray for us.
House of gold, pray for us.
Ark of the covenant, pray for us.
Gate of heaven, pray for us.
Morning Star, pray for us.
Health of the sick, pray for us.
Refuge of sinners, pray for us.
Comfort of the troubled, pray for us.
Help of Christians, pray for us.
Queen of angels, pray for us.
Queen of patriarchs and prophets, pray for us.
Queen of apostles and martyrs, pray for us.
Queen of confessors and virgins, pray for us.
Queen of all saints, pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us.
Queen assumed into heaven, pray for us.
Queen of the rosary, pray for us.
Queen of families, pray for us.
Queen of peace, pray for us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Pray for us, Holy Mother of God, that we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.
Eternal God,
Let your people enjoy constant health in mind and body.
Through the intercession of the Virgin Mary,
Free us from the sorrows of this life,
And lead us to happiness in the life to come.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
SACRED ART: "Pentecost" by Jean Restout
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_II_Restout#/media/File:Jean_II_Restout_-_Pentecôte.jpg
PRAYER: Invocation of the Holy Spirit ***REQUIRED***
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful,
And enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Lord, send forth your Spirit,
And you will renew the face of the earth.
O God,
Who instructs the hearts of your faithful
With the light of your Holy Spirit,
Make us responsive to his inspirations
So that we may be truly wise and
Ever rejoice in his consolations,
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
SACRED ART: "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
(Left-click once on the picture to get a clearer view)
SCRIPTURE: Luke 2: 6-7 ***REQUIRED***
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
SACRED ART: "Founder Statue of St. Louis de Montfort" by Giacomo Parsini
(Left-click once or twice on the picture to get a closer view)
REFLECTION BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT: True Devotion to Mary (#157) ***REQUIRED***
Mary is the most perfect and most holy of all creatures, and Jesus, who came to us in a perfect manner, chose no other road for his great and wonderful journey. The Most High, the Incomprehensible One, the Inaccessible One, He Who Is, deigned to come down to us poor earthly creatures who are nothing at all. How was this done? The Most High God came down to us in a perfect way through the humble Virgin Mary, without losing any of his divinity or holiness. It is likewise through Mary that we poor creatures must ascend to Almighty God in a perfect manner without having anything to fear. God, the Incomprehensible, allowed himself to be contained by the humble Virgin Mary without losing anything of his immensity. So we must let ourselves be perfectly contained and led by the humble Virgin without any reserve on our part. God, the Inaccessible, drew near to us and united himself closely, perfectly and even personally to our humanity through Mary without losing anything of his majesty. So it is also through Mary that we must draw near to God and unite ourselves with him perfectly, intimately and without fear of being rejected. Lastly, He Who Is deigned to come down to us who are not and turned our nothingness into God, or He Who Is. He did this perfectly by giving and submitting himself entirely to the young Virgin Mary, without ceasing to be in time He Who Is from all eternity. Likewise it is through Mary that we, who are nothing, may become like God by grace and glory. We accomplish this by giving ourselves to her so perfectly and so completely as to remain nothing, as far as self is concerned, and to be everything in her, without any fear of illusion.
RESOLUTION ***REQUIRED***
As St. Louis de Montfort shows us, when we confide our lives into the care of Mary we experience a profound union with Jesus Christ because we are participating in the most profound and most basic movement of his life. In your prayer today, ask Jesus for a great confidence in and submission to the Virgin Mary.
SACRED ART: "The Visitation" by Raphael and Giulio Romano or Giovanni Francesco Penni
(Either leave the picture as it is, or you may left-click on the minus sign once or twice in order to get a farther view)
PRAYER: Jesus Living in Mary ***REQUIRED***
O Jesus living in Mary,
Come and live in your servant,
In the Spirit of your holiness,
In the fullness of your gifts,
In the perfection of your ways,
In the truth of your virtues,
In the communion of your mysteries.
Subdue within me
The power of flesh and demon
By your Holy Spirit,
For the glory of God the father.
Amen.
SACRED ART: "Madonna of the Magnificat" by Sandro Botticelli
https://www.wikiart.org/en/sandro-botticelli/madonna-of-the-magnificat-1481
(Left-click twice on the picture to get a closer view)
PRAYER: St. Louis de Montfort’s Rosary Prayer ***REQUIRED***
Hail Mary,
Beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Admirable Mother of the Son,
Faithful Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
August Temple of the most Holy Trinity,
Hail, Sovereign Princess,
To whom all owe subjection
In Heaven and on earth!
Hail, sure refuge of sinners,
Our Lady of Mercy,
Who has never refused any request.
All sinful though I am,
I cast myself at your feet
And beseech you to obtain from Jesus,
Your Beloved Son,
Contrition and pardon for all my sins,
As well as the gift of divine wisdom.
I consecrate myself entirely to you
With all that I have.
I choose you today
For my Mother and Mistress.
Treat me, then, as the least of your children,
And the most obedient of your servants.
Listen, my princess,
Listen to the sighs of a heart
That desires to love and serve you faithfully.
Let it never be said
That of all those who have had recourse to you,
I was the first to be abandoned.
O my hope, O my life,
O my faithful and Immaculate Virgin Mary,
Defend me, nourish me,
Hear me, teach me, and save me.
Amen.
PRAYER: Five Decades of the Holy Rosary ***OPTIONAL***