Mary Untier of Knots by Johann George Melchior Schmidtner (c. 1700)
(HT Taylor Marshall)
Ntra. Sra. del Carmen
A Spanish devotional image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in her role as Star of the Sea (Stella Maris).
(via savage-america)
The Angelus Prayer
V. The angel of the LORD announced unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
V. Behold the handmaid of the LORD.
R. Be it unto me according to thy word.
V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worth of the promises of Christ.
V. Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O LORD, thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ our LORD. Amen.
An 18th century engraving from Antwerp of St Cajetan with Mary and the Infant Jesus.
(via rclinkdump)
Gnadenbild Maria
The miraculous image of Mary venerated in the basilica of St Matthias (Matthew) in Trier, Germany.
The official name of the image is Seat of Wisdom, a Marian title from the Litany of Loreto. The painting was inspired by the icon of the Madonna Salus Populi Romani in Rome, which is considered a true portrait of Mary.
Click here to see an 18th century copy of the same image.
In high school, we were taught to always end our prayers invoking Mary “spes nostra, Sedes Sapientiae”— our hope, and Seat of Wisdom. I had always assumed it to be one of those “faceless” titles, but I am glad to be finally proven wrong.
Prayers to the Mother of God
Rejoice Mary, Mother of God, Virgin, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Savior of our souls. Meet it is in truth, to glorify thee, O Birth-giver of God, ever blessed, and all undefiled, the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, thou who without stain didst bear God the word, true Birth-giver of God, we magnify thee.
O gracious Mother of the gracious God, O most pure and blessed Mary, the Mother of God, pour the mercy of thy Son and our God upon my impassionate soul, and with thine intercessions set me unto good deeds, that I may pass the rest of my life without blemish and, with thine aid, attain heaven. O Virgin mother of God, the only one who art pure and blessed. O Queen of the Heavenly Host, Defender of our souls: being delivered from evil, as thy servants, O Mother of God, we offer unto thee the hymns of thanks and victory; but as thou hast power invincible, deliver us from all calamity, that we may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O ever-Virgin Bride!
O virgin, spotless, undefiled, unstained, all-chaste and Pure Lady, Bride of God, who by the glorious birth-giving hast united God the Word with Man and linked our fallen nature with Heavenly Things; who art the hope of the hopeless, the helper of the oppressed, the ready protection of those who haste unto thee, and the refuge of Christians; despise me not, who am defiled and sinful, who by my wicked thoughts, words and deeds, have become an unworthy servant, and by my slothfulness have turned into a slave to evil affections. O Mother of the God of Love, have mercy and compassion upon me, a sinner and a prodigal. Accept this prayer which is offered to thee from my impure lips; and putting forward thy maternal influence with thy Son, my Lord and Master, beseech Him to open unto me the lovingkindness of His grace; beseech Him to overlook my countless transgressions, to give me true repentance and to make me to be a zealous doer of His commandments. And thou, being gracious and compassionate and tender-hearted, be thou ever present with me in this life as my defender and helper, so that I may turn aside the assault of my enemies, and guide me into salvation; help my poor soul at the hour of my death, and drive far from it all the dark forms of the evil ones. And in the dreadful Judgement Day, deliver me from everlasting punishment, and present me as an inheritor of the ineffable glory of the son, our God.
O may I obtain this, most-holy Lady and Birth-giver of God, through thine intercessions and mediations, by the grace and exceeding great love of thine Only-Begotten son, my Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, to Whom is due, with the eternal Father and the All-Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit, all honor and glory and worship, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O most glorious Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ our God, accept our prayers and present them to thy son and our God, that He may, for thy sake, enlighten and save our souls.
(via rclinkdump)
I love Middle English:
[From Chapter 79 of ‘The Book of Margery Kempe’.]
Than sche beheld in the syght of hir sowle owr blisful Lord Crist Jhesu comyng to-hys-Passyon-ward, and er he went, he knelyd down and toke hys moderys blessyng. Than sche saw hys modyr fallyng down in swownyng befor hir sone, seyng unto hym:
‘Alas, my der sone, how schal I suffyr this sorwe and have no joy in al this werlde but the alone? A, der sone, yyf thu wilt algatys dey, late me deye before the and late me nevyr suffyr this day of sorwe, for I may nevyr beryn this sorwe that I schal han for thi deth. I wolde, sone, that I myth suffir deth for the, so that thu schuldist not deyin, yyf mannys sowle myth so be savyd. Now, der sone, yyf thu have no rewth of thiself, have rewth of thi modyr, for thu wost ful wel ther can no man in al this worlde comfortyn me but thu alone.’
My Translation, sorry for any errors: Then, she beheld in the sight of her sorrow , like [the sorrow of Mary when] Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ [was] coming to his Passion, and there he went, he kneeled down and took his mother’s blessing. Then she saw his mother falling down and swooning before her son, saying to him:
“Alas, my dear son, how shall I suffer this sorrow and have no joy in all this world, but be alone? Oh, dear son, shall you die this valient day, let me die before this and let me never suffer this day of sorrow, for I may never bury this sorrow that I shall have for your death. I would, son, that I may suffer death for you, so that you shall not die, why many souls have thus been saved. Now, dear son, even if you have no care for yourself, have care for your mother, for, no other man in all this world comforts me, but you alone.”
(Source: dooinney-lioaragh, via hyperlexik)
The Augustinian Rosary - The Corona of Our Lady of Consolation
The Rosary we know of today is actually the Dominican Rosary, cut down into three sections. The Fifteen mysteries became Three sets of Five, and each of those sets focused around themes - the early life of Jesus, the passion of Jesus, and the Glory that follows. It becomes a simple way for us to follow Jesus in the same way that Mary, his mother did.
Yet, the Dominicans were not the only group to have their own unique Rosary, the Franciscans had one based on Mary’s Seven Joys. Our Augustinian Tradition sees a unique format, one that is short and simple, and is based on the truth of the Catholic faith - The Apostles Creed. The Apostles Creed has been divided into twelve articles, each accompanied by one Our Father and Haily Mary, followed by one Our Father and Hail Mary each in honor of Jesus, the Salve Regina, and a Collect Prayer. Sometimes the Litany of our Lady can be included as well as various intentions or reflections from Augustine’s sermons. I have printed the format below in a brief simplified form.
Direct we beseech You, O Lord, our actions by your holy inspirations, and carry them forward by your gracious help, that every good work of ours begin from you, and by you be happily ended, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Our Father, Hail Mary
2 I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
Our Father, Hail Mary
3 who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary
Our Father, Hail Mary
4 He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried,
Our Father, Hail Mary
5 He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again;
Our Father, Hail Mary
6 He ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
Our Father, Hail Mary
7 and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
8 I believe in the Holy Spirit,
Our Father, Hail Mary
9 the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,
Our Father, Hail Mary
10 the forgiveness of sins
Our Father, Hail Mary
11 the resurrection of the body,
Our Father, Hail Mary
12 And life everlasting.
Our Father, Hail Mary
In honor of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Father, Hail Mary
Hail Holy Queen
Lord Jesus Christ Father of Mercies, and God of every consolation grant, we pray, that your faithful who rejoice in the protection of the holy Virgin Mary Mother of Consolation may, by her motherly intercession be freed from all evils in this life and be worthy of coming to the eternal joy of heaven where you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
