NATIONAL PUMPKIN DAY
Job, Chapter 33,
Verse 7
Therefore fear of me should not dismay you, nor
should I weigh heavily upon you.
Although
this is the young man Elihu speaking to Job and contradicting him, yet if we
just look at the verse alone; could it be Christ is speaking to our hearts? Are
you afraid to believe? Are you unsure of your ability to carry the burden of
true religious convictions? Assuage your fears and begin again asking Mary to
help you. She is the first of the warrior saints to enter heaven. She as our
mother and wants us to entertain the same joys of eternal life and find new ways
of being sons and daughters.
Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of
Mother Mary[1]
say hourly upon waking till you go to
sleep
- Through
the consent of Our Lady, the New Eve, the Son of God became Man and
crushed the head of the ancient Serpent who had deceived the first Eve. By
the Blessed Mother’s assistance, we are able to take part in her Son’s
victory over the Devil and his legions. The Hail Mary: Hail, Mary, full of
grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
sinners, now and at the hour of our death. AMEN.
At Morning
O most holy
Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you
experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and the death of
your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a
tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of
my sins, in order that, being disengaged from all undue affection for the
passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that
henceforward all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this
one most desirable object. Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and
to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen. --Saint Bonaventure
- The Memorare
to Our Lady: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it
known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, and
sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence,
I fly to you, O Virgin of Virgins, my mother; to you I come, before you I
stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not
my petitions; but in your clemency hear and answer me. AMEN.
- Queen of
Heaven, Reign with your Son over the Enemy. Queen of Angels, Summon the
heavenly hosts to war. New Eve of the New Creation, Crush the head of the
Serpent. Our Lady of Victory, Come to our aid in battle. Help of
Christians, Be our comfort and strength. Virgin Most Powerful, Guard us
from all harm. Holy Mother of God, We fly to your protection. AMEN.
- O Mary,
powerful Virgin, you are the mighty and powerful protector of the Church;
you are the marvelous help of Christians; you are terrifying as an army in
battle array; you alone have destroyed every heresy in the whole world. In
the midst of our anguish, our struggles, and our distresses, defend us from
the power of the Enemy, and at the hour of our death, receive our souls in
paradise. AMEN.
- We fly to
your protection, O holy Mother of God. Despise not our petitions in our
necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and
blessed Virgin. AMEN.
At Noon
Mary, most holy
Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, accept the sincere homage of my filial affection.
Into thy heart, pierced by so many swords, do thou welcome my poor soul.
Receive it as the companion of thy sorrows at the foot of the Cross, on which
Jesus died for the redemption of the world. With thee, O sorrowful Virgin, I
will gladly suffer all the trials, contradictions, and infirmities which it
shall please our Lord to send me. I offer them all to thee in memory of thy
sorrows, so that every thought of my mind, and every beat of my heart may be an
act of compassion and of love for thee. And do thou, sweet Mother, have pity on
me, reconcile me to thy divine Son Jesus, keep me in His grace, and assist me
in my last agony, so that I may be able to meet thee in heaven and sing thy
glories. Amen.
- Most holy
Virgin, who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother, immaculate in
body and spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on the wretched ones
who implore your powerful patronage. The wicked Serpent, against whom was
hurled the first curse, continues fiercely to attack and ensnare the
unhappy children of Eve. So then, O Blessed Mother, our queen and
advocate, who from the first instant of your conception crushed the head
of the Enemy, receive the prayers which, united with you in our single
heart, we implore you to present at the throne of God; so that we may
never fall into the snares that are laid out for us, and may all arrive at
the harbor of salvation. And in so many dangers, may the Church and
Christian society sing once again the hymn of deliverance and of victory
and of peace. AMEN.
- O Queen of
Angels, Bane of Devils: The proud spirits of wickedness were humiliated by
your perfect humility; their rebellion was scattered by your perfect
obedience. Your fiat overthrew Eve’s baleful consent to the ancient
Serpent, crushing his head, exposing his deceits, and healing the wounds
inflicted by his venom, through the Son you conceived, Jesus Christ, our
Lord. Come to our aid, Our Lady of Victory! When the battle rages, when
our strength fails, when the Enemy wounds us, when defeat seems certain:
With your mantle, cover and protect us; with your bright banner above us,
dispel the darkness; so that we may rally again in combat through the invincible
power of your Son. Then, when our warfare is complete, and our victory
won, lead us from the battlefield to His glorious Throne, so that we may
join you there in a glad song of everlasting triumph! AMEN.
- O holy
Virgin, Mother of God, my mother and patroness, I place myself under your
protection; I throw myself with confidence into the arms of your
compassion. Be to me, O Mother of Mercy, my refuge in distress; my
consolation in suffering; and my advocate with your Son, who is worthy to
be adored, now and at the hour of my death. AMEN.
At 3PM
Most holy Virgin.
and Mother, whose soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the Passion of thy
divine Son, and who in His glorious Resurrection wast filled with never-ending
joy at His triumph; obtain for us who call upon thee, so to be partakers in the
adversities of Holy Church and the sorrows of the Sovereign Pontiff, as to be
found worthy to rejoice with them in the consolations for which we pray, in the
charity and peace of the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
- O Mother of
God, we take refuge in your loving care. Do not let our plea to you pass
unheeded in the trials that beset us, but deliver us from danger, for you
alone are truly pure, you alone are truly blessed. AMEN.
- My Queen and
my Mother, I give myself entirely to you; and in proof of my affection, I
give you my eyes, my ears, my tongue, my heart, my whole being without
reserve. Since I am your own, keep me and guard me as your property and
possession. AMEN.
- August Queen
of Heaven! Sovereign Mistress of the angels! You who from the beginning
have received from God the power and mission to crush the head of Satan:
We humbly beg You to send your holy legions of angels so that, under your
command and by your power, they may pursue the evil spirits, encounter
them on every side, resist their bold attacks, and drive them away from
here into the abyss of eternal woe. O good and tender Mother, you will
always be our love and hope! O Mother of God, send your holy angels to
defend us and to drive far away from us the cruel Enemy. Holy angels and
archangels, defend us, guard us! AMEN.
- Mary, Mother
of Grace, Mother of Mercy, protect me from the Enemy and receive me at the
hour of death. AMEN.
At Twilight
O most holy and
afflicted Virgin! Queen of Martyrs! thou who didst stand motionless beneath the
Cross, witnessing the agony of thy expiring Son--through the unceasing
sufferings of thy life of sorrow, and the bliss which now more than amply
repays thee for thy past trials, look down with a mother's tenderness and pity
on me, who kneel before thee to venerate thy dolors, and place my requests,
with filial confidence, in the sanctuary of thy wounded heart; present them, I
beseech thee, on my behalf, to Jesus Christ, through the merits of His own most
sacred death and passion, together with thy sufferings at the foot of the
cross, and through the united efficacy of both obtain the grant of my present
petition. To whom shall I resort in my wants and miseries if not to thee, O
Mother of Mercy, who, having so deeply drunk of the chalice of thy Son, canst
compassionate the woes of those who still sigh in the land of exile? Offer for
me to my Savior one drop of the Blood which flowed from His sacred veins, one
of the tears which trickled from His divine eyes, one of the sighs which rent
His adorable Heart. O refuge of the universe and hope of the whole world, do
not reject my humble prayer, but graciously obtain the grant of my petition.
- We fly to
your patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our
necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers. O glorious and
blessed Virgin. AMEN.
- Allow me to
praise you, Virgin, most holy; give me strength against your enemies!
Tender heart of Mary, be my safety!
At Slumber
Mary most sorrowful, Mother of Christians,
pray for us. Virgin most sorrowful, pray for us.
There’s one thing that
represents October more than anything else, and it’s not Halloween (though it’s
involved). That thing? The pumpkin. It starts appearing on shelves and farmers
market’s stands on the last week or two of September and is the herald that
lets you know that Pumpkin Pies, Jack-o-Lanterns, and all the joys of fall are
just around the corner. Pumpkin Day celebrates these noble squash’s, and the
history and tradition tied up in their iconic orangeness.
History of Pumpkin Day
Often when people think of Halloween, they think of Jack-o-Lanterns and pumpkins, and even when you’re looking at that ‘false medieval’ imagery that’s present in most fantasy games, you’ll regularly see pumpkins being present, especially during Halloween events. What many people don’t know is that the pumpkin is actually a plant from the new world, like all squash, so the image of pumpkin jack-o-lanterns in front of ancient medieval homes is just plain wrong. These are an all American (And South American) plant, and the jack-o-lantern at Halloween is a distinctly New World thing. So, let’s learn a little bit about the Pumpkin in honor of Pumpkin Day, starting with what the word pumpkin means. It’s pretty simple, as it comes from the Greek word pepon, or ‘Large Melon’, but it didn’t go straight to pumpkin. First it was pompon to the French, and then pumpion to the British. It was the Americans that finally changed the word to its present Pumpkin, and so it’s been ever since! Pumpkin Day is a great opportunity to add this delicious squash to your diet, whether in the form of a traditional pumpkin pie, or a rich and savory pumpkin soup.
How to celebrate Pumpkin Day
The first step to
celebrating Pumpkin Day is simple, get out there and get yourself a bunch of
pumpkins! Alright, maybe that’s a bit much, maybe instead you could just stop
off at your favorite grocery store or restaurant and order yourself up a great
big slice of pumpkin pie. Not in the mood for pie? Pumpkin Spice lattes are
going to be hitting the shelves at your local coffee shops (Starbucks is
particular fond of trotting them out this time of year). If you’re feeling
really inventive, go back to square one and buy a bunch of pumpkins, roast
them, and make yourself an all pumpkin meal! Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Bread,
Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Muffins, and a warm cup of Pumpkin Spice Coffee for
dessert!
Daily Devotions
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