CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN (Broadcast by: Amelia, Dec. 1, 2024, PACIFIC TIME)
The Advent Consecration to the Sacred Heart of the Baby Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary begins its countdown to Christmas Day from December 1 to December 25th with the above Rosary Prayers and “Blessing for your Advent Wreath” in this post. 1
Our last 3 days focus still on battling the “Spirit of the World”. We invite you to read from Dom Scupoli’s The Spiritual Combat on “Distrust of Self” (Chapter 2).
Fr. Anthony Gramlich joins us with a new reflection for this Christmas Consecration Journey:
“To Jesus through Mary”2 as we renew our Baptismal promises through this consecration and seek after the Miracle of prayer that comes from despising the world and desiring to serve God. See Imitation of Christ Book 3, Chapter 10 and Book 1, Chapter 25 on the Fervent Amendment of our whole life such that we conform ourselves to Him. Pray the “Veni Creator Spiritus”, “Ave Maris Stella” and the “Magnificat” if time, for the last 3 of the 12 preliminary days of this consecration.
Click the following prayer cards for a “Blessing of an Advent Wreath” ceremony to conduct as part of Compline with the Rosary.
PRAYER FOR LEADER / ALL for ADVENT WREATH & PRAYER FOR WEEK 1:
RHP: Breviary, “The Divine Office” COMPLINE ROSARY FOR DAYS 10, 11, 12
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.
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:3
OPTIONAL CHRISTMAS HYMN OF PRAISE FOR THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS
Learn / Review / Sing: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
The tune is from the second chorus of Felix Mendelssohn's (PHH 279) Festgesang (Op. 68) for male voices and brass; it was first performed in 1840 at the Gutenberg Festival in Leipzig, a festival celebrating the anniversary of Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. Mendelssohn's tune is similar to another that appeared one hundred years earlier in 'The Song of Mars" from the John Pepusch opera Venus and Adonis.
Mendelssohn once wrote of this music, "It will never do to sacred words." William H. Cummings (b. Sidbury, Devonshire, England, 1831; d. Dulwich, London, England, 1915) may not have been aware of Mendelssohn’s opinion; he adapted the tune to Wesley's text in 1856. When they were placed together in Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861), "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" became a very popular hymn. --Psalter Hymnal Handbook
DOWNLOAD THE MUSICAL SCORE BELOW:
1 Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th'angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"Refrain:
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"2 Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin's womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th'incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel. [Refrain]3 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth. [Refrain]
The Spiritual Combat, by Father Lorenzo Scupoli
Chapter II: Distrust of Self (diffidence)
So necessary is self-distrust in this conflict, that without it you will be unable, I say not to achieve the victory desired, but even to overcome the very least of your passions.
And let this be well impressed upon your mind; for our corrupt nature too easily inclines us to a false estimate of ourselves; so that, being really nothing, we account ourselves to be something, and presume, without the slightest foundation, upon our own strength. This is a fault not easily discerned by us, but very displeasing in the sight of God. For He desires and loves to see in us a frank and true recognition of this most certain truth, that all the virtue and grace which is within us is derived from Him alone, Who is the fountain of all good, and that nothing good can proceed from us, no, not even a thought which can find acceptance in His sight. And although this very important self-distrust is itself the work of His Divine Hand, and is bestowed upon His beloved, now by means of holy inspirations, now by sharp chastisements and violent and almost irresistible temptations, and by other means which we ourselves do not understand; still it is His will that we on our part should do all in our power to attain it.
I therefore set before you four methods, by the use of which,
in dependence always on Divine grace, you may acquire this gift.
- The first is, to know and consider your own vileness and nothingness, and your inability of yourself to do any good, by which to merit an entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
- The second, continually to ask it of the Lord in fervent and humble prayer; for it is His gift. And in order to reach its attainment we must look upon ourselves not only as destitute thereof, but as of ourselves incapable of acquiring it. Present yourself, therefore, continually before the Divine Majesty, with an assured faith that He is willing of His great goodness to grant your petition; wait patiently all the time which His Providence appoints, and without doubt you shalt obtain it.
- The third is, to stand in fear of your own judgment about yourself, of your strong inclination to sin, of the countless hosts of enemies against whom you are incapable of making the slightest resistance,
- The fourth is, whenever you art overtaken by any fault, to look more deeply into yourself, and more keenly feel your absolute and utter weakness; for to this end did God permit your fall, that, warned by His inspiration and illumined by a clearer light than before, you may come to know yourself, and learn to despise yourself as a thing unutterably vile, and be therefore also willing to be so accounted and despised by others. For without this willingness there can be no holy self-distrust, which is founded on true humility and experimental self-knowledge. This self-knowledge is clearly needful to all who desire to be united to the Supreme Light and Uncreated Truth; and the Divine Clemency often makes use of the fall of proud and presumptuous men to lead to It; justly suffering them to fall into some faults which they trusted to avoid by their own strength, that they may learn to know and absolutely distrust themselves.
Our Lord is not, however, wont to use so severe a method, until those more gracious means of which we have before spoken have failed to work the cure designed by His Divine Mercy. He permits a man to fall more or less deeply in proportion to his pride and self-esteem; so that if there were no presumption (as in the case of the Blessed Virgin Mary), there would be no fall.
Therefore, whenever you shall fall, take refuge at once in humble self-knowledge, and beseech the Lord with urgent entreaties to give you light truly to know yourself, and entire self-distrust, lest you should fall again. perhaps into deeper perdition.
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT of “THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT”: CLICK HERE http://catholicsaints.mobi/ebooks/scombat/toc.htm
OTHER OPTIONS:
SEEDS OF CONTEMPLATION by: THOMAS MERTON
IMITATION OF CHRIST
CONSECRATION JOURNEY - PRAYERS FOR DAYS 10, 11, 12
LINK HERE for the ROSARY PRAYER GUIDEBOOK using our “Joyful Mysteries” transcription; or keep watching the video for Fr. Peter Turrone & Amelia’s session teaching the simplified version of the decade Rosary from an earlier session.
PENDANT PRAYERS SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
Click below for the overview of the Liturgical Decade from 1-25th of December, and including prayers offered to the Sacred Heart of the Baby Jesus every decade.
COMPLINE w/ SCRIPTURAL ROSARY
After praying 5 decades of the Rosary, you can still pray for Holy Souls by uttering this prayer:
“May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”
ALL: Amen
NIGHT PRAYER (TRANSCRIPTION & AUDIO)
PSALMODY
Antiphon:
“Night holds no terrors for me sleeping under God’s wings.”
Psalm 91: Safe in God’s sheltering care
I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19).
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High *
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: “My refuge, *
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!”
It is he who will free you from the snare *
of the fowler who seeks to destroy you;
he will conceal you with his pinions *
and under his wings you will find refuge.
You will not fear the terror of the night *
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the plague that prowls in the darkness *
nor the scourge that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side, *
ten thousand fall at your right,
you, it will never approach; *
his faithfulness is buckler and shield.
Your eyes have only to look *
to see how the wicked are repaid,
you who have said: “Lord, my refuge!” *
and have made the Most High your dwelling.
Upon you no evil shall fall, *
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels, *
to keep you in all your ways.
They shall bear you upon their hands *
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
On the lion and the viper you will tread *
and trample the young lion and the dragon.
Since he clings to me in love, I will free him; *
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: “I am with you,” *
I will save him in distress and give him glory.
With length of life I will content him; *
I shall let him see my saving power.
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.
Antiphon:
Night holds no terrors for me sleeping under God’s wings.
READING
Revelation 22:4-5
They shall see the Lord face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. The night shall be no more. They will need no light from lamps or the sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever.
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.
GOSPEL CANTICLE FOR NIGHT PRAYER
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.”
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.
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.”
CONCLUDING PRAYER OF COMPLINE
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.
BLESSING
May the all-powerful Lord
grant us a restful night
and a peaceful death.
— Amen.
Pray the Rosary Every Day.
CHRISTMAS UNPLUGGED
Thank you for listening to the Rosary Hour Podcast
FOOTNOTES
Inspired by Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.
Footage captured from his visit during our Season 1 filming sessions in 2022 and hosted by Dr. Tina Bailey and Karen Rocha.
https://fathersofmercy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Exam.A4.pdf
