Mater Dolorosa

Ecce Homo - Murillo

A Prayer of the Suffering

This is another day, O Lord.
I know not what it will bring forth,
but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be.
If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.
If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently.
And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.
Make these words more than words,
and give me the Spirit of Jesus.
Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer 1979
USA

A Prayer of Humiliation

For the Church or Nation

Dan. ix.

O LORD, the great and dreadful GOD,
which keepest covenant and mercy
with them that love Thee
and keep Thy commandments :
We have sinned and have dealt perversely,
and have done wickedly and have rebelled,
even turning aside from Thy precepts
and from Thy judgements.
O LORD, righteousness belongeth unto Thee,
but unto us confusion of face as at this day,
because we have sinned against Thee.

To the LORD our GOD
belong mercies and forgivenesses,
but we have rebelled against Him :
neither have we obeyed
the voice of the LORD our GOD,
to walk in His laws which He set before us.
O LORD, according to all Thy righteousness,
let Thine anger and Thy fury, I pray Thee,
be turned away ;
because for our sins
and for the iniquities of our fathers
Thy people are become a reproach
to all that are round about us.

Now therefore, O our GOD,
hearken unto the prayer
of Thy servant, and to his supplications,
and cause Thy face to shine
upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate.
O my GOD, incline Thine ear and hear :
open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations,
and the city, which is called by Thy name.
For we do not present our supplications
before Thee for our righteousnesses,
but for Thy great mercies.

O LORD, hear : O LORD, forgive :
O LORD, hearken and do : defer not :
For Thine own sake, O my GOD ;
Because Thy city and Thy people are called
by Thy name.

from Sursum Corda
A Handbook of Intercession and Thanksgiving
W.H. Frere & A. A. Illingworth
October 1898

The Month of St. Joseph

St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us.

St. Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us.

Facing God

Turning Towards the Lord

Hymn for Lent 2: O Christ the King

O Christ the King, the royal banners rise.
Thy Cross, thy standard we raise to the skies,
And hail thee, “Lord!” and bow before thine eyes.
Praise_ to Jesus! All praise and glory!

Transfigured thou upon the mountain’s height
Revealed the glory of the Bridegroom’s face
And showed to them thy purpose and thy Light.
Praise_ to Jesus! All praise and glory!

The Cross, thy throne where thou wast lifted high
Embracing all the broken world’s dark heart
Till blood and water gushed when pierced was thine.
Praise_ to Jesus! All praise and glory!

Death could not hold thee, nor a tomb contain,
O Love and Life, who now from heav’n dost reign,
The King of kings, the Lord who healeth pain.
Praise_ to Jesus! All praise and glory!

____________________________
Copyright © 2006 by Vincent Uher,
Lenten version Copyright © 2007 by Vincent Uher
This text is sung to the tune Sine Nomine

St. Leo the Great, pray for us.

From the Office of Readings, Second Sunday in Lent, Pope St. Leo the Great on the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ:

The Lord reveals his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses. His body is like that of the rest of mankind, but he makes it shine with such splendour that his face becomes like the sun in glory, and his garments as white as snow.

The great reason for this transfiguration was to remove the scandal of the cross from the hearts of his disciples, and to prevent the humiliation of his voluntary suffering from disturbing the faith of those who had witnessed the surpassing glory that lay concealed.

With no less forethought he was also providing a firm foundation for the hope of holy Church. The whole body of Christ was to understand the kind of transformation that it would receive as his gift. the members of that body were to look forward to a share in that glory which first blazed out in Christ their head.

The Lord had himself spoken of this when he foretold the splendour of his coming: Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Saint Paul the apostle bore witness to this same truth when he said: I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not to be compared to the future glory that is to be revealed in us. In another place he says: You are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

This marvel of the transfiguration contains another lesson for the apostles, to strengthen them and lead them into the fullness of knowledge. Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, appeared with the Lord in conversation with him. This was in order to fulfil exactly, through the presence of these five men, the text which says: Before two or three witnesses every word is ratified. What word could be more firmly established, more securely based, than the word which is proclaimed by the trumpets of both old and new testaments, sounding in harmony, and by the utterances of ancient prophecy and the teaching of the Gospel, in full agreement with each other?

The writings of the two testaments support each other. The radiance of the transfiguration reveals clearly and unmistakably the one who had been promised by signs foretelling him under the veils of mystery. As Saint John says: The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In him the promise made through the shadows of prophecy stands revealed, along with the full meaning of the precepts of the law. He is the one who teaches the truth of the prophecy through his presence, and makes obedience to the commandments possible through grace.

In the preaching of the holy Gospel all should receive a strengthening of their faith. No one should be ashamed of the cross of Christ, through which the world has been redeemed.
No one should fear to suffer for the sake of justice; no one should lose confidence in the reward that has been promised. The way to rest is through toil, the way to life is through death. Christ has taken on himself the whole weakness of our lowly human nature. If then we are steadfast in our faith in him and in our love for him, we win the victory that he has won, we receive what he has promised.

When it comes to obeying the commandments or enduring adversity, the words uttered by the Father should always echo in our ears: This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.

Mille grazie a Papa Z.
for reminding me of how glorious
the Latin of Pope St. Leo the Great is!

Behold our Lord transfigured

A beautiful post and original hymn by the beloved pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church (Anglican Use) in San Antonio, Texas, Fr. Christopher G. Phillips:

On a mountaintop in Lent

Click on the link above and treat yourself to something wonderful for the week of the Second Sunday in Lent!

Traditional Anglican Collects for the Second Sunday in Lent

ALMIGHTY God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


This Collect is to be read every day in Lent after the Collect appointed for the Day.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer
1662

"Not my will but Thine be done"

O LORD JESUS CHRIST, who didst die for me and give Thyself for me, grant me the light of Thy Holy Spirit that I may know what Thou wouldst have me to do. I offer myself entirely to Thee to do what seemeth good in Thy sight: not my will but Thine be done. Correct whatsoever Thou seest amiss in me, strengthen my weak resolutions, restrain my wayward desires, remove all hindrances to the fulfilment of Thy will, and give me grace so to follow the leadings of Thy Providence, that my life may be spent to Thy honour and glory, in whatsoever way it pleases Thee, who livest and reignest, GOD for ever and ever. Amen.

A Manual of Devotion
The Rt. Rev. Thos. F. Gailor
Episcopalian Bishop of Tennessee, USA
1926

Litany for Friday

O Lord, Who didst come to call sinners to repentance,
Call them still and make them answer Thy call.

Be merciful to those who have no cloke for their sin,
But have seen and hated both Thee and Thy FATHER.

Thou Who didst melt the hardness of the thief,
Soften the hearts of all who are impenitent.

Thou Who didst recover the woman that was a sinner,
Recover all those who have fallen away from Thee.

Thou Who didst call Zaccheus from the sycamore tree,
Arouse the careless and arrest the curious.

Thou Who didst speak the words of spirit and of life,
Enlighten the ignorant and teach the unlearned;

Dispel all prejudices, correct all errors,
Establish Thy people in the truth of the gospel.

Thou Who didst call S. Matthew from the receipt of custom,
Deliver many souls from the slavery of the world.

Thou Who didst pray for Thy murderers,
Pity those who oppose Thy rule and persecute Thy servants.

Thou Who didst cast out many devils,
set free many by the power of Thy grace,
who are possessed by the devils of drink and lust.
Deliver the victims of pride and anger, of greed and selfishness.

Thou Who didst satisfy the doubts of S. Thomas,
Deal gently with those who can scarcely believe.

Thou Who didst uplift the sinking S. Peter,
Support all those who are weak and unstable.

Thou Who didst come to proclaim deliverance. to captives,
Pity all prisoners and loose the chain of their sins.

Thou, Who didst heal the impotent man,
Uphold those who are weakened by past sin.

Thou Who didst still the tempest on the lake,
Rebuke the storms of passion and anger,
and bid the waves be still.

Thou Who didst heal the withered hand,
Recover for many the faculties which they have lost,
of prayer and work, of self-control and self-sacrifice.

Thou Who didst make both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak,
Open deaf ears to Thy message;
Loosen stammering tongues to speak words of penitence.

Thou Who didst put to shame the woman of Samaria,
Reveal to many who are living in sin the shame of their life,
and bring them to repentance.

Thou Who didst raise the dead to life,
Quicken dead souls to the life of righteousness.

JESUS! JESUS! JESUS!
Who didst come to save Thy people
from their sins,
Save us, O SAVIOUR.
Hosanna!

from Sursum Corda