THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHAPLET

1st AUGUST – MONTH OF AUGUST: THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHAPLET (IN REPARATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY)

“O my sweet Jesus, thy Kingdom come through the Immaculate Heart of Mary!”

“Immaculate Heart of Mary, be my refuge!”

“St Joseph, Spouse of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, pray for us!”

HOW TO PRAY THE CHAPLET:

In commemoration of the JOYS OF MARY’S HEART: On each of the first five beads, say one “Glory be to the Father” and the invocation: “Rejoice and be glad, O Immaculate Heart of Mary!”

In commemoration of the SORROWS OF MARY’S HEART: On each of the second five beads say one “Glory be to the Father” and the invocation: “Blessed be the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary!”

In commemoration of the GLORIES OF MARY’S HEART: On each of the third five beads, say one “Glory be to the Father” and the invocation: “Triumph and reign, O Immaculate Heart of Mary!”

On the medal, say: “Praise to thee, O Holy Trinity, for the graces, privileges, and blessings bestowed on the Immaculate Heart of Mary!”

 

FIRST SATURDAY: PRAYER TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

Immaculate Virgin, conceived without sin, you directed every movement of your most pure Heart toward God and were always obedient to His Divine Will. Obtain for me the grace to hate sin with all my heart and to learn from you to live in perfect resignation to the Will of God.

Mary, I admire that deep humility which troubled your blessed Heart at the message of the Angel Gabriel when he announced that you had been chosen to be the Mother of the Son of the most high God. You considered yourself only God’s lowly handmaid. Ashamed at the sight of my own pride, I beg of you the grace of a contrite and humble heart so that I may acknowledge my misery and reach the glory promised to the truly humble of heart.

Blessed Virgin, you kept in your Heart the precious treasure of the words of Jesus your Son and, pondering over the sublime mysteries they contained, you lived only for God. How ashamed I am of my coldness of heart! Dear Mother, obtain for me the grace of meditating always on the holy law of God and of seeking to follow your example in the fervent practice of all Christian values.

Glorious Queen of Martyrs, during the Passion of your Son your holy Heart was cruelly pierced by the sword which had been foretold by the holy and aged Simeon. Obtain for my heart true courage and holy patience to bear the sufferings and trials of this difficult life. May I prove to be your true child by crucifying my flesh and all its desires in the mortification of the Cross.

Mary, Mystical Rose, your amiable Heart, burning with the living fire of love, adopted us as your children at the foot of the Cross, and you thereby became our most tender Mother. Let me feel the sweetness of your motherly Heart and the power of your intercession with Jesus, in all the dangers that I meet with during life, and especially at the hour of my death. May my heart be ever united to yours and love Jesus now and forever. Amen.

 

FATIMA: REVELATIONS TO LUCIA, 1925 – 1929

THE HEART ENCIRCLED WITH THORNS

“You must remain longer here below,” our Lady said to Lucia. “Jesus will use you to make me better known and better loved.”

So Lucia had remained on this earth long after her two cousins had been taken.

In January, 1918, the Holy See re-established the diocese of Leiria, after a lapse of sixty years. Fatima is part of this diocese. The Reverend Joseph Correia da Silva was named Bishop and took possession of his diocese August 5, 1920.

The new Bishop considered it one of his most important duties to investigate the complete story of the Fatima apparitions. He interviewed Lucia on June 13, 1921. He told her that he thought it would be best if she entered a convent school. The purpose of this was to take Lucia away from the devout people and curiosity seekers who were constantly around her and to give her a chance to forget the apparitions should they prove to be imaginary. The Bishop also wished to determine whether the many cures and conversions which were taking place at the Cova were induced by hysteria caused by her presence there. He wished to see whether the cures and conversions would continue to take place in her absence.

THE SISTERS OF ST DOROTHY 

“You must not tell anyone when or where you are going,” the Bishop said.

“Yes, Bishop.”

“You must not tell a soul at school who you are.”

“Yes, Bishop.”

“And you must not utter a word about Fatima.”

“Yes, Bishop.” Lucia would do whatever she was commanded.

It was not easy to leave her home and her mother, but she offered the sacrifice to save souls from hell. She entered a school conducted by the Sisters of St Dorothy. She was given a new name, Maria das Dores, and only the superior knew who she was.

When she completed the course of studies, she asked whether she might be admitted to the order. She entered the convent in 1925, became a novice on November 2, 1926, and two years later made her vows as a lay Sister. On October 3, 1934, she made her perpetual vows. She was known in the order as Sister Dores. This word means sorrows and is not a proper name in English. The nearest thing to it is Dolores.

THE FIRST SATURDAYS

On December 10, 1925, our Lady came back, as she had said she would, to request Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. Lucia was praying in her cell at the convent when our Lady appeared, together with the Child Jesus elevated on a cloud of light. Our Lady rested one hand on Lucia’s shoulder. In the other, she held a heart surrounded with sharp thorns. The Child Jesus spoke first:

“Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother. It is covered with the thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to remove them with an act of reparation.”

Then our Lady said:

“My daughter, look at my heart encircled with the thorns with which ungrateful men pierce at it every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Do you at least try to console me and announce in my name that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to Confession and receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary and keep me company for a quarter of an hour while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation.”

The request for the First Saturday devotion was repeated 1926 and 1927.

In 1927 our Lord spoke to Lucia from the tabernacle, while she was praying in the convent chapel in Tuy, Spain. He gave her permission to reveal two parts of the July apparition which had been kept secret until that time. These were the vision of hell and the long message beginning, “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish throughout the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart…” This was the message which said that if people did not stop offending God another worse war would begin in the reign of Pius XI. It was also the message in which our Lady said, “If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she shall spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church…”

“WORTHY OF BELIEF” 

For some reason, the authorities did not allow this message to be known to the world until 1942.

The third part of the July message has not yet been revealed. Acting on instructions from heaven, Lucia has written it down and the Bishop of Leiria has placed it in his archives.

In 1929, our Lady came to ask the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. In the July apparition she had said she would come back to make this request. She asked that the consecration be made by the Holy Father in unison with all the bishops of the world.

Three years passed and nothing was done. Lucia again wrote to the Bishop. She quoted our Lord as saying, “The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, but it will be late.”

On October 13, 1930, the thirteenth anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun, the Bishop of Leiria published a pastoral letter in which he said that the apparitions of Fatima were worthy of belief. The investigation had been under way since 1922.

From: “The Woman Shall Conquer” by Don Sharkey, Prow Books/Franciscan Marytown Press, Libertyville, IL, 1954

 

“SACRIFICE YOURSELVES FOR SINNERS”

“Do you wish to know a secret?” Pope Pius IX asked, in referring to La Salette. “This is it: Unless you do penance, you shall all perish.”

At Lourdes, Bernardette repeated our Lady’s plea for “Penitence! Penitence!”

At Fatima, our Lady asked the children: “Do you wish to offer yourselves to God to endure all the sufferings that He may choose to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and ask for the conversion of sinners?” When Lucia answered that they did, our Lady said: “Then you will have much to suffer, but the grace of God will assist you always and bear you up.”

THE GRACE OF GOD WILL ASSIST YOU ALWAYS

“Sacrifice yourself for sinners,” our Lady said on another occasion at Fatima, “and say many times, especially when you make sacrifices: ‘O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.'”

The following words of Our Lady of Fatima put a great responsibility upon all of us: “Pray, pray a great deal and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray for them.”

In 1925 the Child Jesus and our Lady both appeared to Lucia in the convent and asked for acts of reparation to Mary’s Immaculate Heart.

At Beauraing, Belgium, in 1932, our Lady said, “Sacrifice yourself for me.”

“THEY HAVE NO ONE TO PRAY FOR THEM” 

How are we to make sacrifices? The three children of Fatima asked this very question of the angel who appeared to them the year before they were favoured by the apparitions of our Lady. The angel had just asked the children to “offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High.”

“How are we to make sacrifices?” asked nine-year-old Lucia. – “You can make sacrifices of all things,” the angel replied. “Offer them in reparation for the sins that offend God, and beg of Him the conversion of sinners. In this way, try to draw down peace on your country…  Above all, accept and bear humbly the sufferings which the Lord will send you.'”

HOW ARE WE TO MAKE SACRIFICES? 

“You can make sacrifices of all things…” The words were meant as much for us as for the children of Fatima. The three children heeded the request of the angel and made sacrifices of all things. They offered all their everyday actions to God through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In the spring of 1942 Lucia wrote: “This is the penance which the good Lord now asks: the sacrifice that every person has to impose upon himself is to lead a life of justice in the observance of His Law. He requires that the way be made known to souls. For many, thinking that the word penance means great austerities and not feeling in themselves the strength or generosity for these, lose heart and rest in a life of lukewarmness and sin.

“Last Thursday, at midnight, while I was in the chapel with my superior’s permission, Our Lord said to me: “The sacrifice required of every person is the fulfilment of his duties in life and the observance of My Law. This is the penance I now seek and require.'”

This is the very most that is asked of us: the sacrifice required of every person is the fulfilment of his duties in life and the observance of God’s law. This is heartening when we tend to become discouraged, and when we think we are not doing enough.

THE MORNING OFFERING

The most effective way to make sacrifices of all things is to make the Morning Offering: “O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer thee all my prayers, works and sufferings of this day for the intentions of thy Sacred Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our associates and in particular for the intention of the Holy Father.” If we are in the state of grace, the Morning Offering turns all our actions for the day into meritorious acts.

The Act of Total Consecration has this same effect. To a person who has consecrated himself completely to Jesus through Mary, the Morning Offering is simply a daily renewal of that consecration.

THE TOTAL CONSECRATION

“Above all, accept and bear humbly the sufferings which the Lord will send you.” When the civil administrator put the children of Fatima in jail with the hardened criminals, they offered their suffering in reparation for the sins of the world. When Jacinta was undergoing great agony on her deathbed, she murmured through her pain: “It is for love of You, my Jesus. Now You can convert many sinners, for I suffer much.”

All of us have our sufferings, small ones and big ones; the extra tasks we have to perform, the slights we receive, the plans that go wrong, the severity of the weather, the loss of a loved one, a severe illness, a financial reverse. Like Jacinta, we can offer these in reparation for sins and for the conversion of sinners.

“ABOVE ALL, ACCEPT AND BEAR HUMBLY THE SUFFERINGS WHICH THE LORD WILL SEND YOU”

Offering their everyday actions and their sufferings to Jesus through Mary was not enough for Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. They were constantly thinking up voluntary sacrifices. When they went out to tend the sheep, they gave their lunches to children poorer than themselves, and they ate unripe olives. Under their clothes they wore shaggy ropes which chafed their skin.

All of us can make voluntary sacrifices in addition to the minimum penance which our Lord says he requires, although our sacrifices are not likely to take such extreme forms.

“IT IS ONLY BY SACRIFICE AND SUFFERING – OFFERED AS PENANCE – THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, TO CONVERT HIM”

St John Mary Vianney, the Cure of Arms, lived a life of heroic self-denial, penance and reparation. Because of these virtues he was able to convert an entire parish, the members of which had given up their practice of religion.

One day a neighbouring pastor said to Father Vianney: “I have a hardened old sinner in my parish. Years ago he fell away from the faith. I’ve tried everything to convert him. I’ve pleaded with him: I have prayed for him: I’ve asked others to pray for him. But it’s no use. He seems determined to die in his sins. What can I do?”

“You say, Father,” replied the Saint, “that you have pleaded with him and have prayed for him. But have you tried fasting for him? It is only by sacrifice and suffering – offered as penance – that you will be able, by the grace of God, to convert him.”

PRAYER AND FASTING 

Similarly, with the grace of God, we can accomplish stupendous things by our sacrifices. The stakes are high. We can win peace on earth. We can win a Catholic Russia. We can win peace of mind and peace of soul. We can achieve the unity of the Mystical Body all over the world. We can bring about a rebirth of the moral values so long deadened by the forces of materialism.

What sacrifices shall we make? We can make them in all categories: everyday actions, sufferings and voluntary acts of self-denial. Here are a few suggestions. We can:

• Get up an hour earlier every morning and go to Mass.
• Do that unpleasant task we have been shirking.
• Be kind to someone who has slighted us.
• Be pleasant at home and at work, even when we have severe provocation to be otherwise.
• Bear our aches and pains in quiet patience.
• Go out of our way to help others.
• Live up to the duties of our religion, even when doing so is very inconvenient.
• Give up something we want very much in order to give the money to the missions.

These are only a few ways in which we can answer Mary’s call for sacrifices. With good will we should be able to think of many more ways of carrying out the wishes of the Mother of God. If made in the proper spirit, such sacrifices will help restore the world to Christ, and will help put the world on the road to true peace.

– From: “The Woman Shall Conquer” by Don Sharkey, Prow Books/Franciscan Marytown Press, Libertyville, IL, 1954

 

 

LITANY OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

 

MAKE THE LIFE OFFERING TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS THROUGH THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY TODAY!

“My Children! I am calling you to apostolic privilege…”

THE PRAYER OF THE LIFE OFFERING TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS THROUGH THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY:

“My dear Jesus, before the Trinity, Our Heavenly Mother, and the whole Heavenly Court, united with Your most precious Holy Blood and Your sacrifice on Calvary, hereby I offer my whole life to the intention of Your Holy Heart and to the Holy Heart of Mary.
Together with my life I place at Your disposal all the Holy Masses, all my Holy Communions, all my good deeds, all my sacrifices, and the sufferings of my entire life for the adoration and supplication of the Holy Trinity, for unity in our Holy Mother Church, for the Holy Father and the priests, for good priestly vocations, and for all the souls until the end of the world.
O my Jesus, please accept my life sacrifice and my offerings and give me Your grace that I may persevere obediently until my death. Amen.”

This life offering must be done with humble heart, firm resolution, and clear intent. All prayer, good deeds, suffering, and work done with pure intention has great merit, if it is offered together with the merits, the sufferings, and the blood of Jesus Christ.
It is recommended to do this life offering as soon as you feel ready, and renew it from time to time.

THE FIVE PROMISES OF OUR HEAVENLY MOTHER TO THOSE WHO OFFER THEIR LIVES TO HER:

1. Their names will be written in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, inflamed by love.

2. Their life offerings, together with the infinite merits of Jesus, can save many souls from damnation. All souls who will live until the end of the world will benefit from their life offerings.

3. None of their family members will go to hell, even if it seems otherwise, because they will receive in the depths of their souls the graces of sincere contrition before the soul departs from their bodies.

4. On the day they offer their lives, their loved ones suffering in Purgatory will be released.

5. I will be with them in the hour of their deaths. They will not know Purgatory. I will carry their souls straight to the presence of the Glorious Trinity, where they will live with me in a special place created by God and will rejoice forever.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIFE OFFERING:

Our Lady illustrates symbolically what her Holy Son is asking from us: Let us give our hearts completely to our heavenly Mother who will place them into the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist, into the centre of unity of love. Thus, through our total abandonment, we will be united with the sacrifice of Jesus, and in this way His work of redemption will be perpetually continued for our souls and for the glory of God.

The messages, prayers, and promises published in this Blog post were received by a privileged Hungarian nun, a consoling soul, who in her humility and obedience to her spiritual director wishes to remain anonymous. Mary, our Heavenly Mother, implores those who receive Holy Communion daily, or at least weekly, to offer their lives to the glory of God and to save souls, that the souls of sinners may not be damned but receive, at least in their last hour, the graces of eternal life.

WHAT TO DO NEXT:

OUR HEAVENLY MOTHER SPEAKS: “My children who offer your lives, make the act of contrition every day! Make it not only for yourselves but for all men. This will continually weaken the power of evil to tempt and will help all souls to free themselves from the slavery of sin. If you continually practise contrition for others, this will act as an antiseptic to arrest the spread of the “virus” of sin. It will stop the infection, illness and death of souls. See how great the force is in a deep contrition if it comes from the depths of the heart? It can heal, cleanse and save the life of the soul.
In addition to contrition for the whole humanity, unite yourself with my Immaculate Heart to petition with prayer, reaching to heaven, for the pardon of sins. Thus you will become united with me and become genuine and intimate helpers of Jesus as fishers of men.”

PRAYER OF CONTRITION:

“O my Jesus, I love You over and above everything!
For the love of You I am sorry for all my sins.
O merciful love, I ask pardon for all my sins and for all the sins of my brothers and sisters that have been and will be committed until the end of the world. My dear Jesus, united with Your Holy Wounds I offer my life to the Eternal Father according to the intention of the Sorrowful Mother.
Virgin Mary, Queen of the world, Mediatrix of humanity, our only refuge and hope, pray for us!”

OUR LADY’S MESSAGES TO THOSE WHO OFFER THEIR LIVES:

If the Eternal Father chooses a soul to the grace of being among the elect, He will order that soul to become similar to His Only begotten Son while on earth, but in what way should this soul be like His Son?

In love and acceptance of sufferings.

If you follow your Jesus in these two ways then the Eternal Father will recognise His Holy Son in you.

The souls chosen by the Eternal Father to offer their lives, must strive to save as many other souls as possible. This can be done through fervent prayer, through the practising of love, through meekness, humility and self denial, but above all through the patient acceptance of sufferings.
I believe that my motherly Heart will find among my children souls who love God with the love of the martyrs. “My children, even in the time of the greatest trials, hold my motherly hand with unbounded trust. Come together with me to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He is your strength in your earthly pilgrimage. Thus, strengthened by Him daily, you will march toward your eternal dwelling place of happiness where you will recognise each other in glorious ecstasy, you who sacrificed your lives for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Then my Holy Son will embrace you to His flaming Heart, and He will immerse you in the ectasy of the united love of the Trinity. In this state of eternal bliss you will rejoice forever together with those souls who were able to gain eternal life because of your selfless life sacrifice.”
“My children! Hope and love, because God is with you. My children, each offered life is pleasing to God. Therefore do not limit your sacrifice. This should be your life slogan: Give more and love better!”
The design of my Holy Son included the deeds of the elect. He is eagerly waiting to see if they fulfil His plan or cross it. He could realise His plan without them, but in His merciful goodness He wants them to participate in the distribution of the fruits of redemption throughout the world. Do you know why I am telling all this? Because I watch with great anguish the fight of the souls in the Church. It is very painful for my motherly Heart that there are many among even the elect who do not believe that God can do not believe that God can do whatever He wants! Unfortunately, they are using their knowledge not to increase faith and unity, but to encourage disbelief. You, however – my life offering children – you should believe with a living faith. You should strive to increase in your hearts the flame of faith, because when faith becomes stronger it will increase your hope and love too.

THE BENEFITS AND GRACE OF THE SUFFERINGS IN OUR LIVES

Once you surrender yourself to great sufferings of either body or soul, the experience can be a fountain of immeasurable grace. You can pay for the sins of your life, or for the things you have failed to do. Or if this has already been paid, then the merit of your patient sufferings can be applied to the conversion of hardened sinners. By that you can glorify God. The souls you save by your obedient acceptance of sufferings may even become saints.
When the weight of sufferings lies heavily on you, whether illness or suffering in the soul, think always that you are just a pilgrim on this earth. Beyond the grave there is a wonderful world that was prepared by God for His faithful children, where your happiness will be greater than that which your patient and obedient sufferings can possibly merit. As it is written: your soul will forever be immersed in such happiness that “eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those that love Him” (1 Cor 2:9).
No matter how heavy your suffering on earth, it will last but a short time. Rejoice while you suffer, because you are proceeding toward a sure goal, and at the end of this road your Heavenly Mother is waiting for you to embrace you with the eternal love of the Trinity.

“My children! I am calling you to apostolic privilege. You are chosen to suffer martyrdom of the heart for the sins of others. And by this voluntary life sacrifice coming from your good heart – God will be able to pour out the flood of His mercy. Think about that!”

“My dear children! You should burn with fervour to help save those who suffer in the slavery of sin. In life, captivity often results in freedom and uplifting of the soul.
But most prisoners of sin are more pitiable than those in real prison because they are not aware that they are imprisoned by their depravity, and thus they do not even ask for freedom. The blindness of the soul, with its darkness, is more pitiable than anyone in a dark prison.
I would like to free these souls. Since they do not want to be set free in order that I may save them, I need the help of my faithful children and their life offering, the patient acceptance of sufferings, trials, that, combined with the treasures of my Holy Son, will enable me to save not only your loved ones but a multitude of souls from everlasting darkness, even those who will be born later, until the end of the world.”

“My children! Give everything to me and I will give everything to my Holy Son united with my interceding prayers. I am the woman who sets the slaves free.”

THE RELEVANCE OF THE LIFE OFFERING IN HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES, FOR THOSE SUFFERING IN THE COMMUNITY IN BODY OR SOUL:

“My children! Make sure that the great grace of the life offering will reach the souls who suffer greatly in body or in soul. It must reach the incurably sick, the physically handicapped, and the bedridden so that their suffering will not be in vain! This suffering can become a fund of gold for all humanity as well for yourselves, because in your hearts and souls you will receive peace, strength, relief, and satisfaction if you realise that patient acceptance of your sufferings will bring you great happiness in heaven!”

THE SEER: “I have obeyed this request of Our Lady and I communicated this request to sufferers. I can say from my own experience that their suffering was greatly lessened when they accepted the graces that accompanied the life offering. I visited the critically ill in hospitals, especially those who were neglected or ignored by their relatives and those who had no one. I saw the greatest suffering among cancer victims and others too sick even to get out of bed. Most of them knew there would be no cure for them, and they found their life and their suffering meaningless, believing no one needed them anymore.

But when they learned that they are the most precious children of Our Blessed Virgin Mother; that the Lord Jesus searches for companions, that Jesus calls them to unite their sufferings with His passion and sacrifice on the Cross as a continuation of His redemptive work; that they are the treasures of the Church; that by their suffering they can contribute to world peace; that by their sufferings they can pay for their sins and those of others; and that at their hour of death they will go straight to heaven without Purgatory: then the knowledge of this grace started to work in them immediately.
They started to cry for joy, because God and the Virgin Mary loved them so. Some had thought God was angry with them and was punishing them with sufferings, and there were atheists who wanted to commit suicide. But when they learned how great the grace is in the life offering, that a creature cannot give more to his or her Creator, they underwent a tremendous change. Their dispositions became so much better that even the nurses noticed it. They become hidden souls of the Lord and they persevered until the end on their live offerings. Some were cured, others departed quietly.

Every night I pray together with my good Heavenly Mother that this message will reach more and more suffering souls with the tremendous grace of the life offering that could mitigate their suffering and bring the strength, peace, and acceptance to bear their suffering on earth in the hope of everlasting happiness in heaven. Our Heavenly Mother prays for those, too, who have already received the grace of the life offering, that with a living faith they will persevere in it until death.”

 

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, GOSPEL READING (LUKE 2:41-51)

MARY STORED UP ALL THESE THINGS IN HER HEART.

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.

Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.” “Why were you looking for me?” he replied “Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.

V. The Gospel of the Lord
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, PSALM (1 SAMUEL 2:1, 4-8)

R. My heart exults in the Lord my saviour.

1. My heart exults in the Lord,
I find my strength in God;
my mouth laughs at my enemies
as I rejoice in your saving help. (R.)

2. The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the weak are clothed with strength.
Those with plenty must labour for bread,
but the hungry need work no more.
The childless wife has children now
but the fruitful wife bears no more. (R.)

3. It is the Lord who gives life and death,
he brings men to the grave and back;
it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches.
He brings men low and raises them on high. (R.)

4. He lifts up the lowly from the dust,
from the dungheap he raises the poor
to set them in the company of princes,
to give them a glorious throne. (R.)

 

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, BIBLE READING (ISAIAH 61:9-11)

I EXULT FOR JOY IN THE LORD.

My people will be famous throughout the nations,
their descendants throughout the peoples.
All who see them will admit
that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.
I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul rejoices in my God,
for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bridegroom wearing his wreath,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.
For as the earth makes fresh things grow,
as a garden makes seeds spring up,
so will the Lord make both integrity and praise
spring up in the sight of the nations.

V. The word of the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

 

ACT OF PRAISE THROUGH THE IMMACULATE HEART

Through the Immaculate Heart of Mary I offer to you, my God, this act of praise.

My God, I believe in you. I adore you. I hope in you and I love you. I beg pardon of you. I pray for those who do not believe; do not adore; do not hope; and do not love you.

I adore you, O Christ, and I praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.