Days 7-9 | "Novi coronabitur nisi qui legitime certaverit" plus Fr. Looney reflects on Living the Antiphon and internalizing the Liturgy

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Advent Consecration to the Sacred Heart of the Baby Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary with readings from Dom Scupoli’s The Spiritual Combat continues for the next sessions.

Also, as you pray Night Prayer with us, think of the Antiphons - which ones stay with you the entire day? Fr. Looney joins us with a new reflection for this Christmas Consecration Journey.¹

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RHP: Breviary, “The Divine Office” COMPLINE ROSARY FOR DAYS 7, 8, 9

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Night Prayer, contemplating Spiritual Battle in our times

INTRODUCTION

God, + come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

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Examination of Conscience

A brief examination of conscience may be made. In the communal celebration of the Office, a Penitential Rite using the formulas of the Mass may be inserted here. See:²

Sample Examination Of Conscience Days1 12 Consecration

126KB ∙ PDF file

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OPTIONAL CHRISTMAS HYMN OF PRAISE FOR THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS

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• SING “O COME DIVINE MESSIAH”

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The Spiritual Combat, by Father Lorenzo Scupoli

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Chapter I

- Of the Essence of Christian Perfection

- Of the Struggle Requisite for its Attainment

- And of the Four Things Needful in this Conflict

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Would you attain in Christ the height of perfection, and by a nearer and nearer approach to God become one spirit with Him? Before undertaking this greatest and noblest of all imaginable enterprises, you must first learn what constitutes the true and perfect spiritual life. For many have made it to consist exclusively in austerities, maceration of the flesh, hair-shirts, disciplines, long vigils and fasts, and other like bodily hardships and penance's. Others, especially women, fancy they have made great progress therein, if they say many vocal prayers, hear many Masses and long Offices, frequent many churches, receive many communions. Others (and those sometimes among cloistered religious) are persuaded that perfection depends wholly upon punctual attendance in choir, upon silence, solitude, and regularity. And thus, some in these, others in various similar actions, suppose that the foundations of perfection may be laid.

But it is not so indeed; for as some of these are means to acquire grace, others fruits of grace, they cannot be held to constitute Christian perfection and the true life of grace. They are unquestionably most powerful means, in the hands of those who use them well and discreetly, of acquiring grace in order to gain strength and vigor against their own sinfulness and weakness, to defend themselves against our common enemies, to supply all those spiritual aids so necessary to all the servants of God, and especially to beginners in the spiritual life. Again, they are fruits of grace in truly spiritual persons, who chastise the body because it has offended its Creator, and in order to keep it low and submissive in His service; who keep silence and live solitary that they may avoid the slightest offense against their Lord, and converse with heaven; who attend divine worship, and give themselves to works of piety; who pray and meditate on the life and passion of our Lord, not from curiosity or sensible pleasure, but that they may know better and more deeply their own sinfulness, and the goodness and mercy of God, enkindle ever more and more within their hearts the love of God and the hatred of themselves, following the Son of God with the Cross upon their shoulders in the way of self abnegation; who frequent the holy sacraments, to the glory of His Divine Majesty, to unite themselves more closely with God, and to gain new strength against His enemies.

But these external works, though all most holy in themselves, may yet, by the fault of those who use them as the foundation of their spiritual building, prove a more fatal occasion of ruin than open sins. Such persons leave their hearts unguarded to the mercy of their own inclinations, and exposed to the lurking deceits of the devil, who, seeing them out of the direct road, not only lets them continue these exercises with satisfaction, but leads them in their own vain imagination to expatiate on the delights of paradise, and to fancy themselves to be borne aloft amidst the angelic choir and to feel God within them. Sometimes they find themselves absorbed in high, or mysterious, and ecstatic meditations, and, forgetful of the world and of all that it contains, they believe themselves to be caught up to the third heaven.

But the life and conversation of such Persons prove the depth of the delusion in which they are held, and their great distance from the perfection after which we are inquiring; for in all things, great and small, they desire to be preferred and placed above others; they are wedded to their own opinion, and obstinate in their own will; and blind to their own faults, they are busy and diligent observers and critics of the deeds and words of others.

But touch only with a finger their point of honor, a certain vain estimation in which they hold themselves and would have others to hold them, interrupt their stereotyped devotions, and they are disturbed and offended beyond measure.

And if, to bring them back to the true knowledge of themselves and of the way of perfection, Almighty God should send them sickness, or sorrow, or persecution (that touchstone of His servants' loyalty, which never befalls them without His permission or command), then is the unstable foundation of their spiritual edifice discovered, and its interior, all corroded and defaced by pride, laid bare; for they refuse to resign themselves to the will of God, to acquiesce in His always righteous though mysterious judgments, in all events, whether joyful or sorrowful, which may befall them; neither will they, after the example of His Divine Son in His sufferings and humiliation, abase themselves below all creatures, accounting their persecutors as beloved friends, as instruments of God's goodness, and cooperators with Him in the mortification. perfection, and salvation of their souls.

Hence it is most certain that such persons are in serious danger; for, the inward eye being darkened, wherewith they contemplate themselves and these their external good works, they attribute to themselves a very high degree of perfection; and thus puffed up with pride they pass judgment upon others, while a very extraordinary degree of God's assisting grace is needed to convert themselves. For the open sinner is more easily converted and restored to God than the man who shrouds himself under the cloak of seeming virtue.

You see, then, very clearly that, as I have said, the spiritual life consists not in these things. It consists in nothing else but the knowledge of the goodness and the greatness of God, and of our nothingness and inclination to all evil; in the love of Him and the hatred of ourselves, in subjection, not to Him alone, but for love of Him, to all His creatures; in entire renunciation of all will of our own and absolute resignation to all His divine pleasure; and furthermore, willing and doing all this purely for the glory of God and solely to please Him, and because He so wills and merits thus to be loved and served.

This is the law of love, impressed by the hand of the Lord Himself upon the hearts of His faithful servants; this is the abnegation of self which He requires of us; this is His sweet yoke and light burden; this is the obedience to which, by His voice and His example, our Master and Redeemer calls us. In aspiring to such sublime perfection you will have to do continual violence to yourself by a generous conflict with your own will in all things, great or small, until it be wholly annihilated; you must prepare yourself, therefore, for the battle with all readiness of mind; for none but brave warriors shall receive the crown.

This is indeed the hardest of all struggles; for while we strive against self, self is striving against us, and therefore is the victory here most glorious and precious in the sight of God. For if you will set yourself to trample down and exterminate all your unruly appetites, desires, and wishes, even in the smallest and most inconsiderable matters, you will render a greater and more acceptable service to God than if you should discipline yourself to blood, fast more rigorously than hermits or anchorites of old, or convert millions of souls, and yet voluntarily leave even one of these evils alive within you. For although the conversion of souls is no doubt more precious to the Lord than the mortification of a fancy, nevertheless nothing should in your sight be of greater account than to will and to do that very thing which the Lord specially demands and requires of you. And He will infallibly be better pleased that you should watch and labor to mortify your passions than if, consciously and willfully leaving but one alive within you, you should serve Him in some other matter of greater importance in itself.

Now that you see wherein Christian perfection consists, and that it requires a continual sharp warfare against self, you must provide yourself with four most sure and necessary weapons, in order to secure the palm and gain the victory in this spiritual combat. These are:

* Distrust of self;
* Trust in God;
* Spiritual exercises; and
* Prayer.

Of all these we will, with the Divine assistance, treat briefly and plainly.

If you wish to consider reading a chapter of this book every day for the remainder of this consecration, here is a nice summary of Fr. Scupoli’s themes in this video:

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT of “THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT” HERE: http://catholicsaints.mobi/ebooks/scombat/toc.htm

CONSECRATION JOURNEY - DAYS 7, 8, 9

NOV 28, 29, 30 of 33-Day Consecration Journey

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PENDANT PRAYERS SUMMARY

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Announce the Mystery

Then say the Our Father and follow the above Liturgical decade format for the rest of November. Then, continue with the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.

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Thursdays, we pray the Luminous Mysteries:

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Fridays, we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries - See the card for 5 decades below

Image of Our Lady of Sorrows in the Church that Beata Alexandrina attended and where she was a helper to the pastor to promote devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal.

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General Joyful Mysteries prayer card for this Saturday.

Secret Of Joy Joyful Mysteries November

10.2MB ∙ PDF file

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NOTE: December 1-31 we will strive to pray the JOYFUL MYSTERIES everyday with a NEW “toolkit” for the 2024 Christmas Countdown and Consecration Journey and meditations for First Saturdays with writings authored by Rembrandt, and posted to Terço on the Camino with images of Bl. Fra Angelico’s Joyful Mysteries.

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Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope, to thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears; turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

RECITE THE “DE PROFUNDIS”

Leader:

“May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”

ALL: Amen

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PSALMODY: LET THE ANTIPHON LIVE IN YOUR HEAR TODAY

• In today’s video, Fr. Looney encourages us to live the antiphons each day we pray the Mass and / or the Liturgy of the Hours.

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Antiphon: “Day and night I cry to you, my God.”

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Additional Psalm for Night Prayer — Psalm #88: Prayer of a very sick person

This is your hour when darkness reigns (Luke 22:53).

Lord my God, I call for help by day; *
I cry at night before you.
Let my prayer come into your presence. *
O turn your ear to my cry.

For my soul is filled with evils; *
my life is on the brink of the grave.
I am reckoned as one in the tomb: *
I have reached the end of my strength,

like one alone among the dead; *
like the slain lying in their graves;
like those you remember no more, *
cut off, as they are, from your hand.

You have laid me in the depths of the tomb, *
in places that are dark, in the depths.
Your anger weighs down upon me: *
I am drowned beneath your waves.

You have taken away my friends *
and made me hateful in their sight.
Imprisoned, I cannot escape; *
my eyes are sunken with grief.

I call to you, Lord, all the day long; *
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work your wonders for the dead? *
Will the shades stand and praise you?

Will your love be told in the grave *
or your faithfulness among the dead?
Will your wonders be known in the dark *
or your justice in the land of oblivion?

As for me, Lord, I call to you for help: *
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Lord, why do you reject me? *
Why do you hide your face?

Wretched, close to death from my youth, *
I have borne your trials; I am numb.
Your fury has swept down upon me; *
your terrors have utterly destroyed me.

They surround me all the day like a flood, *
they assail me all together.
Friend and neighbor you have taken away: *
my one companion is darkness.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Day and night I cry to you, my God.

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READING FOR NIGHT PRAYER
Jeremiah 14:9a

You are in our midst, O Lord,
your name we bear:
do not forsake us, O Lord, our God!

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RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
— Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
— I commend my spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

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GOSPEL CANTICLE FOR NIGHT PRAYER

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Antiphon: “Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.”

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Canticle of Simeon
Luke 2:29-32
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel

Lord, + now you let your servant go in peace; *
your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation *
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations *
and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

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Antiphon: “Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.”

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CONCLUDING PRAYER OF COMPLINE for END OF NOVEMBER

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Let us pray.

All-powerful God
keep us united with your Son
in his death and burial
so that we may rise to new life with him,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
— Amen.

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BLESSING

May the all-powerful Lord
grant us a restful night
and a peaceful death.
— Amen.

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Task: Now that you have prayed Night Prayer, why not pick an Antiphon or song in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Hymn book that Fr. Elias shared with the Rosary Hour Podcast to encourage listeners to learn and sing in between the decades of the Rosary?

Marian Hymnal By Fr Elias Shared With Rosary Hour Podcast

17.3MB ∙ PDF file

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NOTE: This book was used at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and shared last year with permission from Fr. Elias Mary Mills, FI, former Rector of this shrine which is focused on Jesus through Mary.³

Make these hymns part of your Rosary prayers when you sing before and after the Rosary, adding a verse in between the 2nd and 3rd; 4th and 5th decades and teach children these hymns by modelling them in your community rosaries.

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Pray the Rosary Every Day.

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CHRISTMAS UNPLUGGED

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Thank you for listening to the Rosary Hour Podcast

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REMINDER THAT TOMORROW begins the NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION:

“Blessed Pius IX formally instituted the celebration of the Immaculate Conception when he proclaimed this dogma on December 8, 1854. Affirming the constant faith of the Church, he expressed in that definition, the exact meaning of the truth of Mary’s Immaculate Conception: that she was conceived free from the stain of Original Sin. This feast has been celebrated in the East, and also in many places in the West, since the eighth century. This privilege of Mary is the most beautiful fruit of her Son’s Redemption. Chosen as mother of the Savior, Mary received the benefits of salvation from the moment of her conception. Christ came to take away the sin of mankind; he did not allow it to contaminate Mary. The sanctity of our Blessed Mother is a model for all Christians. We seek her intercession that we may be rid of our sins and achieve sanctity. The novena to the Immaculate Conception is a custom that flourished in the Church as a way of preparing for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8). St. Josemaria Escriva encouraged everyone to practice this devotion and to do so personally in whatever way they thought best. Therefore, in addition to special prayers and readings, our devotion can also include a greater effort to keep up a constant conversation with Our Lady and to put loving care into our prayer and daily tasks. During the novena, we can also help our family members, friends and acquaintances to come closer to Jesus Christ through Mary, reminding them as St. Josemaria said: “You are not alone. — Neither you nor I can ever find ourselves alone. And even less if we go to Jesus through Mary, for she is a Mother who will never abandon us” (The Forge, no. 249). In this Novena to the Immaculate Conception from the St. Josemaria Institute, you will find prayers and readings for each day as well as brief reflections from St. Josemaria.

SEE: https://stjosemaria.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Novena-to-the-Immaculate-Conception-Booklet-2024.pdf

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PATIENTLY WAITING (A REMINDER FOR FAMILIES / SCHOOLS)

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Blythe, Amelia and Zosia have been praying together since June 2022: they celebrate 3 years of leading the Rosary together for Radio Maria USA in 2025. Ask other children and families to take time to join them for a Holy Hour.

PRAYERS INCLUDE:

• The Chaplet to the Divine Mercy

• Five Decades of the Holy Rosary,

• The Litany of the Month.

BOOKMARK AND SHARE https://radiomaria.us

• Set a calendar reminder today

  • 1 PM PST

  • 3PM CENTRAL

  • 4 PM EST

  • 8PM ROME, ITALY

  • 9 PM PORTO, PORTUGAL

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1st EDITION | PRESENTED BY TRAVESSA DA SENRA HOUSE PRESS; 2nd Edition updated on Nov. 29, PST.

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FOOTNOTES

1. Footage captured from his visit during our Season 1 filming sessions in 2022 and hosted by Dr. Tina Bailey and Karen Rocha.

2. https://fathersofmercy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Exam.A4.pdf

3. https://guadalupeshrine.org/

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