Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Today is the Feast of Saint Rita of Cascia



Litany of Saint Rita de Cascia

Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father Almighty,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Who hast said: Ask, and you shall receive;
seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel and Knowledge,
Have mercy on us,
Holy Trinity, one God, infinite in power,
Have mercy on us,

Holy Mary, who dost never refuse a petition,
Pray for us. *

Immaculate Virgin, Queen of Heaven and earth, *
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, *
Holy Angels, spirits of humility, *
Holy Principalities, protectors of religious communities, *
Holy Virtues, angels of fortitude, *
Holy Cherubim, angels of light, *
Saint Rita, advocate of the impossible, *
St. Rita, consecrated to God, *
St. Rita, lover of Jesus Crucified, *
St. Rita, bride of the suffering Saviour, *
St. Rita, filled with compassion for the sufferings of Christ, *
St. Rita, crowned by an angel with a crown of thorns, *
St. Rita, who didst bear the wound of this mysterious crown on thy forehead,*
St. Rita, who didst firmly trust in the loving mercy of Jesus, *
St. Rita, who didst importune the dying Saviour with ardent supplications, *
St. Rita, who didst never doubt a gracious answer to thy prayer, *

That we may renounce all self-love,
Pray for us, Saint Rita. **

That we may confidently trust in the promises of Jesus, *
That the enemies of our salvation may be put to confusion,
That we may ever perfectly fulfill the will of God,
That our inclinations to evil may be destroyed,
That the Faith in all its purity may be spread over our land,
That a holy zeal may fill our hearts,
That we may infuse a holy love for chastity into all who come in contact with us,
That in all our actions and omissions we may endeavor to promote a tender charity,
That we may be delivered from all avarice, vainglory and rash judgment,
That great saints may rise in our land who will edify the people and dispel the darkness of unbelief,
That we may be delivered from all interior enemies, *

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, Saint Rita,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

O God, Who in Thy infinite tenderness dost deign to hearken to the prayer of St. Rita, and to grant to her supplication that which seems impossible to human foresight, skill and efforts, in reward for her compassionate love and firm reliance upon Thy promises: have pity upon our adversity and succor us in our calamities, that the unbeliever may know that Thou art the recompenser of the humble, the defense of the helpless and the strength of those who trust in Thee. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. R. Amen.

O God, Who to St. Rita didst vouchsafe the great grace in very truth to love her enemies, and both in her heart and on her brow to bear the stigmata of Thy Passion: have regard, we beseech Thee, to her merits and her prayers; and grant that we may, in such wise, show mercy to our enemies, and so meditate on the pains of Thy Passion as to make our own, the blessedness promised to them that are meek and to them that mourn. Who livest and reignest world without end. R. Amen.

O glorious Saint Rita, who didst miraculously participate in the sorrowful Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ: obtain for me the grace to suffer with resignation the troubles of this life, and protect me in all my needs. R. Amen.

Pray Daily the Chaplet of Seven Sorrow



We start with an Act of contrition :

O my Lord, Thou who alone art most worthy of my love, behold me standing before Thy Divine Presence all in confusion at the thought of the many grievous injuries I have done Thee.
I ask Thy pardon for them with my whole heart, repenting of them purely for love of Thee, and hating and loathing them above every other evil of this life, when I think of Thy infinite goodness.
As I would rather have died a thousand times than have offended Thee, so now I am most firmly resolved to lose my life rather than offend Thee again.
My crucified Jesus, I firmly purpose to cleanse my soul as soon as possible by Thy most Precious Blood in the Sacrament of Penance.
And thou, most tender Virgin, Mother of Mercy and Refuge of sinners, do thou obtain for me the pardon of sin by virtue of thy bitter pains; whilst praying according to the mind of so many holy Pontiffs in order to obtain the indulgences granted to this thy holy Rosary, I hope thereby to obtain remission of all pains due to my sins. Amen

Make the sign of the cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

1. The first sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was the Prophecy of Holy Simeon when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple.

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the affliction of thy tender heart when the holy old man Simeon prophesied to thee. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of holy fear of God.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the first sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

2. The second sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was the Flight into Egypt. An angel of the Lord told Joseph to take the Holy Family to Egypt to flee from Herod

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the anxiety which thy sensitive heart underwent in the flight to and sojourn in Egypt. Dear Mother, by thy heart which was then made so anxious, obtain for me the virtue of liberality, specially towards the poor, and the gift of piety.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the second sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

3. The third sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was Three-day Separation from Jesus in Jerusalem .

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the trouble of thy careful heart when thou didst lose thy dear Son Jesus. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of holy chastity and the gift of knowledge

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the third sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

4. The fourth sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was Meeting Christ on the Road to Calvary .

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the shock thy maternal heart underwent when Jesus met thee as He carried His cross. Dear Mother, by thy loving heart then so overwhelmed, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the fourth sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

5. The fifth sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Christ .

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the martyrdom thy generous heart bore so nobly whilst thou didst stand by Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so martyred, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the fifth sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

6. The sixth sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was Our Lord is Taken Down from the Cross (Pieta) Mary could see all his wounds up close.

I Compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the wound of thy tender heart when the sacred Side of Jesus was pierced with the lance. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the sixth sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.


7. The seventh sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is Buried in the Tomb contemplate her following His sacred body, as it was borne by Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, to the sepulcher, enclosed there, and hidden from her sight. .

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the pang felt by thy loving heart when the Body of Jesus was buried in the grave. Dear Mother, by all the bitterness of desolation thou didst then experience, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the seventh sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

In the end of the chaplet we pray three Hail Marys in honor the tears Mary shed, and ask her to help in achieving true contrition for your sins.

Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be, for the intentions of the Pope.

"Pray for us, O most Sorrowful Virgin.- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen."

The closing prayer, "Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of your Passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favor, O Savior of the world, Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen."

We shall end the Chaplet with the sign of the cross. Amen

Eternal Father, I offer You the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, for those in my own home and in my family. Amen