SACRED ART: "Pietà" by Michelangelo
(Left-click once or twice on the picture to see the painting at closer range)
PRAYER: Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary ***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.
Chosen daughter of the Father, pray for us.
Mother of Christ the King, pray for us.
Glory of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.
Virgin daughter of Zion, pray for us.
Virgin poor and humble, pray for us.
Virgin gentle and obedient, pray for us.
Handmaid of the Lord, pray for us.
Mother of the Lord, pray for us.
Helper of the Redeemer, pray for us.
Full of grace, pray for us.
Fountain of beauty, pray for us.
Model of virtue, pray for us.
Finest fruit of the redemption, pray for us.
Perfect disciple of Christ, pray for us.
Untarnished image of the Church, pray for us.
Woman transformed, pray for us.
Woman clothed with the sun, pray for us.
Woman crowned with stars, pray for us.
Gentle Lady, pray for us.
Gracious Lady, pray for us.
Our Lady, pray for us.
Joy of Israel, pray for us.
Splendor of the Church, pray for us.
Pride of the human race, pray for us.
Advocate of peace, pray for us.
Minister of holiness, pray for us.
Champion of God’s people, pray for us.
Queen of love, pray for us.
Queen of mercy, pray for us.
Queen of peace, 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 all the earth, pray for us.
Queen of heaven, pray for us.
Queen of the universe, pray for us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, spare us O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, hear us O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Pray for us O glorious Mother of the Lord, that we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.
God of mercy,
Listen to the prayers of your servants
Who have honored your handmaid Mary
As mother and queen;
Grant that by your holy grace
We may serve you and our neighbor on earth
And be welcomed into your eternal kingdom;
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
SACRED ART: "The Baptism of Christ" by Antoine Coypel
(Left-click the white slider bar in the mini picture, then drag the white slider bar left or right to find your preferred size — you might have to play with it because it’s a little tricky)
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: "The Supper at Emmaus" by Peter Paul Rubens
SCRIPTURE: Philippians 2: 5-11 ***REQUIRED***
Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
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: The Secret of the Rosary (#65) ***REQUIRED***
The chief concern of the Christian should be to tend to perfection. Be faithful imitators of God as his well-beloved children, the great Apostle tells us…. Saint Gregory of Nyssa makes a delightful comparison when he says that we are all artists and that our souls are blank canvasses which we have to fill in. The colors which we use are the Christian virtues and the original which we have to copy is Jesus Christ, the perfect living image of God the Father. Just as a painter who wants to do a life-like portrait places the model before his eyes and looks at it before making each stroke, so the Christian must always have before his eyes the life and virtues of Jesus Christ, so as never to say, think or do anything which is not in conformity with his model.
QUESTIONS ***REQUIRED***
Having come this far, how do you feel? Are you ready to surrender yourself completely to Christ through the hands of Mary?
RESOLUTION ***REQUIRED***
Tomorrow, or during the next few days, make the Act of Total Consecration and honor the Blessed Virgin by means of a sacrifice, an almsgiving or of the saying of an extra rosary. Make a firm decision to remain faithful to the obligation of growing in this spirituality of consecration.
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: "The Resurrection" by Carl Bloch
https://www.wikiart.org/en/carl-bloch/resurrection-of-christ-1875
(Left-click twice on the picture to get a closer view)
PRAYER: Prayer of St. Augustine ***REQUIRED***
O Jesus Christ,
You are my father,
My merciful God,
My great king,
My good shepherd,
My only master,
My best helper,
My beloved friend
Of overwhelming beauty,
My living bread,
My eternal priest;
You are my guide
To my heavenly home,
My one true light,
My holy joy,
My true way,
My shining wisdom,
My unfeigned simplicity,
The peace and harmony
Of my soul,
My perfect safeguard,
My bounteous inheritance,
My everlasting salvation;
My loving Lord,
Jesus Christ,
Why have I ever loved or desired
Anything else in my life but you, my God?
Where was I
When I was not in communion with you?
From now on,
I direct all my desires
To be inspired by you
And centered on you;
I direct them to press forward
For they have tarried long enough,
To hasten towards their goal,
To seek the one they yearn for;
O Jesus,
Let him who does not love you
Be accursed,
And filled with bitterness;
O gentle Jesus,
Let every worthy feeling of mine
Show you love,
Take delight in you
And admire you;
O God of my heart
And my inheritance,
Christ Jesus,
May my heart mellow
Before the influence of your spirit
And may you live in me;
May the flame of your love
Burn in my soul;
May it burn incessantly
On the altar of my heart;
May it glow
In my innermost being;
May it spread its heat
Into the hidden recesses
Of my soul
And on the day
Of my consummation
May I appear before you
Consumed in your love.
Amen.
SACRED ART: "The Holy Family with St. Elizabeth and the Infant St. John the Baptist" by Pompeo Batoni
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Hermitagebatoniholyfamily.jpg
(Either leave the picture as it is, or you may left-click once on the picture to get a closer view)
PRAYER: Ave Maris Stella ***REQUIRED***
Hail, bright star of ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave,
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva’s name.
Break the captives’ fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a Mother;
May the the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus,
Joy forevermore.
Through the highest heaven,
To the Almighty Three,
Father, Son, and Spirit,
One same glory be.
Amen.
SACRED ART: "Sacred Heart of Jesus" by Pompeo Batoni
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Heart_of_Jesus_(Batoni)#/media/File:SacredHeartBatoni.jpg
(Left-click once or twice on the picture to get a closer view)
PRAYER: Litany of the Sacred Heart ***REQUIRED***
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.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, one with the eternal Word, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, infinite in majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, wellspring of all virtue, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, worthy of all praise, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, treasure house of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom there dwells the fullness of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, from whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the eternal hills, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, generous to all who turn to you, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, atonement for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with insults, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, broken for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, victim of our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust in you, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in you, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints, 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.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Jesus, gentle and humble of heart,
Touch our hearts and make them like your own.
Father,
We rejoice in the gifts of love
We have received
From the heart of Jesus your Son;
Open our hearts to share his life
And continue to bless us
With his love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.