Holy Books by Holy Father

We are currently reading the Treatise on the Love of God by St. Francis de Sales (Holy Father) in our Novitiate classes.  Its a very large book which can seem quite intimidating to many.  His first book, Introduction to the Devout Life is much more widely known and read.

While I am in no position to give a reflection on the differences or main points even of each of these books, I wanted to share a little word on the purpose of the two books for those not familiar with them.  

Introduction to the Devout Life (click to access a free pdf of this book)

This book was written by Holy Father for lay people.

 The premise is that ordinary life can lead to sanctity!  It was a radical concept in his day which has become more familiar to us after Vatican II, but Francis believed strongly that no matter what area of society you came from or were currently in, you could become a Saint.  In his book he speaks of how to go about turning you daily household chores, your duties as a courtier, and especially your state in life into ways of prayer and holiness.  The book includes simple directions for meditation, how to structure your day, as well as the famous direction of intention (a way to keep God with you in each moment).

Treatise on the Love of God (click to access an online version of the book)

In his second work, Holy Father addresses the individual who has already begun the spiritual journey and wishes to go deeper.  It speaks more of prayer and the relationship with God.  how to conquer temptations and distractions, how to approach different levels of prayer, spiritual aridity, etc.  Some say it is the Salesian form of St. Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle.

Happy Feast Day!

Happy Feast of St. Margaret Mary!

After our novena, I pray you can feel the torrents of grace being given by our dear Savior through the
intercession of his little "slave".  Yes, St. Margaret Mary truly saw herself as the slave of the Sacred Heart.  This term was endearing and loving showing her total abandonment to the Love of God.

Just a few words on our Saint to celebrate the day:
She was born in 1641, the same year St. Francis de Sales died.  Born into a loving family and graced with physical beauty.  Her father died when she was still young and then trouble began for her.  She and her mother were treated roughly by their relatives, who then took possession of the house and belongings.  St. Margaret  Mary even struggled to go to Church as the nice dress was kept under lock and key and the long hours away made her relatives suspect she was not actually at prayer.

"It was a continual battle; everything was kept under lock and key, so much that I was often unable to find anything to put on in order to go to Mass, and was even obliges to borrow both hat and coat...all my affection turned toward the Blessed Sacrament...[but] I could only go there with the consent of [these relatives] and it so often happened that when one was willing, another was not" (Autobiography of St. Margaret Mary)

One of my favorite images is of her in a little garden on the property where she could hide to pray:

"In some corner of the garden or stable or other secluded place... I could kneel and pour out my heart in tears before God through the medium of the Blessed Virgin... there I remained whole days without food or drink"

When her desire to become a religious was known she wished to go to a house where she would not be known at all so as to live in humble poverty of spirit and body.   She entered the Monastery at Paray le Moniel (in France) where Our Lord appeared to her to reveal His Most Sacred Heart.  These revelations were not always well received and it took the intercession of a learned confessor, St. Claude de la Columbiere, to convince the Superior of the validity of these revelations.

But for all this our dear Saint was in love and her heart overflowing with graces and desires to do all for her Beloved.  There was no sacrifice too small or too big when done for love of Jesus and His Sacred Heart.

Let us pray that we too can find joy in our trials and sufferings so as to do all for God.  For what can compare with the glory of Heaven... and even more what better way to spend our time on Earth than to console the Heart of Jesus by giving Him our Love.  Let us recall throughout the day what Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary,

"Behold this Heart which has so loved men, yet is so little loved"  

 Yes, Let us Love HIM!!!!

Novena to St. Margaret Mary Day 9

We can tell Him all the secrets of our heart, disclosing our want and misery to Him Who alone can remedy them, and saying: O Friend of my heart, she whom Thou lovest is sick. Visit and heal me, for I well know that Thou canst not love me and yet leave me alone in my distress.

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

St. Margaret Mary Day 8

"All for the Eucharist; Nothing for me"

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

"The Divine Heart is an ocean full of good things, 
wherein poor souls can cast all their needs; 
it is an ocean full of joy to drown all our sadness, 
an ocean of humility to drown our folly, 
an ocean of mercy to those in distress, 
an ocean of love in which to submerge our poverty"

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

St. Margaret Mary Day 6

This image hangs in the Chapel above the sisters' prayer places

When we give ourselves up entirely to His guidance and allow Him to do as He pleases with us, He enables us to make great progress in a short time, almost without our knowing it, except for the struggles in which His grace continually engages our immortified nature.

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

St. Margaret Mary Day 5

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

Novena to St. Margaret Mary Day 4

                                  This divine heart is an abyss filled with all blessings, 

and into it the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

Novena to St. Margaret Mary Day 3

 "I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the Heart of Jesus"- St. Margaret Mary

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

Novena to St. Margaret Mary Day 2

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

A Novena to St. Margaret Mary

Coming Soon to a Liturgical Calendar near you...  

The Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque!

Well, actually for most of the world, this year she will step aside as her feast day falls on Sunday October 16th.  But that doesn't mean you cannot honor her in some way on that day or make a little Novena to her.  

I will (hopefully) post a quote from her each day of the Novena as well as a prayer for her intercession.  My prayers are with all of you as we beg our holy sister to send many graces down from His Heart to ours during this special time.  God bless you!

Saint Margaret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret Mary;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, the virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Sacred Heart: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

"Conform yourself as closely as possible to His humility and gentleness in dealing with your neighbor...Love those who humble and contradict you, for they are more useful to your perfection than those who flatter you"

Guardian Angels

Greetings to all Guardian Angels!  Greetings also to you under their care... If today was not Sunday it would be the Memorial of the Guardian Angels!

St. Francis de Sales had a great love for the angels and we are often reminded how he would pause before any homily or speech to gaze across the congregations.  When asked why he paused before his sermons he answered:

"I salute the guardian angel of each one of my audience and I beg him to make the heart under his care ready for my words.  Very great favors have come to me by this means"

A few more flowers to add to our angelic bouquet from St. Francis de Sales:

"Reach out your hand to your guardian angel so that he may lead you on.  Encourage your soul to make this choice"

"There are just as many different graces as there are angels"

"Pray often to them...and use their aid and assistance in all your affairs, both spiritual and temporal, so that they may cooperate with your intentions"

"Our Guardian Angels foresee goods that are due to us and in this way give us a foretaste of them.  so too, in contrary fashion, they arouse in us certain fears and terrors amid unknown dangers so that we may call upon God and remain on guard."