Mass Etiquette: 20 Things To Do And Not Do In Mass

A good list from Aggie Catholics.

The following are things I would also like to point out:

#6.  It is also never appropriate to wear low cut or revealing clothing no matter how fashionable it is.

#11.  Before Mass and after Mass is a time that we should observe holy silence.  But after receiving holy communion should also be a time for sacred silence.  This silence is broken by having to sing a hymn.  It makes it difficult to give thanks to God when you cannot hear yourself think.

#16.  Remember that Jesus is truly present in the consecrated hosts and His precious blood is in the chalice.  Bow down when passing by any other Extraordinary minister of Holy Communion holding a chalice or ciborium during Holy Communion.

“Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother."

An article worth reading today: Catholic Culture's Most Holy Name of Mary: What's In a Name?

The following Litany of the Holy Name of Mary is also from Catholic Culture.

Prayer:

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Son of Mary, hear us.
Son of Mary, graciously hear us.

Heavenly Father, of Whom Mary is the Daughter, have mercy on us.
Eternal Word, of Whom Mary is the Mother, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, of Whom Mary is the spouse, have mercy on us.
Divine Trinity, of Whom Mary is the Handmaid, have mercy on us.

Mary, Mother of the Living God, pray for us
Mary, daughter of the Light Eternal, pray for us
Mary, our light, pray for us
Mary, our sister, pray for us
Mary, flower of Jesse, pray for us
Mary, issue of kings, pray for us
Mary, chief work of God, pray for us
Mary, the beloved of God, pray for us
Mary, Immaculate Virgin, pray for us
Mary, all fair, pray for us
Mary, light in darkness, pray for us
Mary, our sure rest, pray for us
Mary, house of God, pray for us
Mary, sanctuary of the Lord, pray for us
Mary, altar of the Divinity, pray for us
Mary, Virgin Mother, pray for us
Mary, embracing your Infant God, pray for us
Mary, reposing with Eternal Wisdom, pray for us
Mary, ocean of bitterness, pray for us
Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us
Mary, suffering with your only Son, pray for us
Mary, pierced with a sword of sorrow, pray for us
Mary, torn with a cruel wound, pray for us
Mary, sorrowful even unto death, pray for us
Mary, bereft of all consolation, pray for us
Mary, submissive to the law of God, pray for us
Mary, standing by the Cross of Jesus, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady, pray for us
Mary, Our Queen, pray for us
Mary, Queen of glory, pray for us
Mary glory of the Church Triumphant, pray for us
Mary, Blessed Queen, pray for us
Mary, advocate of the Church Militant, pray for us
Mary, Queen of Mercy, pray for us
Mary, consoler of the Church Suffering, pray for us
Mary, exalted above the angels,
Mary, crowned with twelve stars, pray for us
Mary, fair as the moon, pray for us
Mary, bright as the sun, pray for us
Mary, distinguished above all, pray for us
Mary, seated at the right hand of Jesus, pray for us
Mary, our hope, pray for us
Mary, our sweetness, pray for us
Mary, glory of Jerusalem, pray for us
Mary, joy of Israel, pray for us
Mary, honor of our people, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Loreto, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Dolors, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Victory, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of La Trappe, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Divine Providence, pray for us

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord Jesus.

Son of Mary, hear us.
Son of Mary, graciously hear us.

I will declare your name unto my brethren.
I will praise you in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Us Pray (Oremus) 
O Almighty God, Who beholds Thy servants earnestly desiring to place themselves under the shadow of the name and protection of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, grant, we beseech You, that by her charitable intercession, we may be delivered from all evil on earth, and may arrive at everlasting joys in Heaven, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

St. Nicholas of Tolentino - Friend of the Holy Souls

Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Reviving a Child by Garafalo c. 1530

Picture source

"But thou has saved us from them that afflict us, and thou hast put them to shame that hate us."

Psalm 43

Saint Nicholas of Tolentino had a strong devotion to the church suffering; that is the holy souls in Purgatory.  

The following is an excerpt from Father F.X Schoppe's book Purgatory.

For her [the Church Suffering], he frequently fasted on bread and water, inflicted cruel disciplines upon himself, and wore about his loins a chain of sharp-pointed iron.  When the sanctuary was thrown open to him, and his superiors wished to confer the priesthood upon him, he hesitated a long time before that sublime dignity, and nothing could make him decide to receive holy orders but the though that by daily celebrating the Holy Sacrifice he could most efficaciously assist the suffering souls in Purgatory.  On their part, the souls whom he relieved by so many suffrages appeared to him several times to thank him or to recommend themselves to his charity..."

In honor of his feast day, let us imitate St. Nicholas of Tolentino by remembering the holy souls who may have no one to pray for them relief or release.

The Persecuted Christians in Iraq

Father Daren Zehnle has a must read over on his blog

An Exorcist Talks about Hell

Father Gabriele Amorth is the chief exorcist in Rome knows about evil.

I am reading his book An Exorcist tells his Story and was struck what he has to say in the very beginning concerning hell.

First he makes it abundantly clear that:  evil, suffering, death and hell (eternal damnation in everlasting torment) are not acts of God.

An illustration to this is a story about another well-known exorcist who was expelling a demon.  The exorcist sarcastically told the demon "Get out of here.  The Lord has already prepared a nice, well-heated house for you!"  The demon responded as follows:  "You do not know anything!  It wasn't he [God] who made hell.  It was us.  He had not even thought about it..."

On pondering this it is not too difficult to believe because how could God, who is love, have created such an evil place, full of torment and despair.  Hell could have only come from Satan and his minions.

Father Amorth goes on to clarify predestination with God's providence, which causes confusion with some.

He writes that when he is told that:  "God already knows who will be saved and who will be damned, and therefore anything we do is useless, I usually answer with four truths that the Bible spells out for us:

God wants that everyone be saved; no one is predestined to go to hell; Jesus died for everyone; and everyone is given sufficient graces for salvation.

God is not only love but He is divine mercy.  Let us not forget that.

Holy Indifference

According to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in order to achieve sanctity, one must practice holy indifference.

There is a good explanation on what holy indifference is by Father Broom. Basically, it "means a total openness to the will of God in one’s life."  

The exercise of holy indifference in our daily life will not only make us more patient, joyful, less stressed but ultimately, we will become a saint.  So the next time we are hot, let us be content and abstain from turning on the air conditioner or sitting next to the fan.  The next time our spouse is snippy, let us keep silent.  If we didn't do anything to provoke him or her, we have nothing to defend.  However, it may be more difficult to remember holy indifference when bad things happen such as losing our job, the death of a loved one, betrayal of a friend, but maybe, the more we practice it, the better prepared we will be when these trials and tribulations come our way.  Maybe for the love of God, we will really leave it to him and be content.

The Queenship of Mary

Picture source

O Virgin most pure, wholly unspotted,

O Mary, Mother of God,

Queen of the universe,

thou art above all the saints,

the hope of the elect and the joy of all the blessed.

It is thou who hast reconciled us with God;

thou art the only refuge of sinners

and the safe harbor of those who are shipwrecked;

thou art the consolation of the world,

the ransom of captives, 

the health of the weak, 

the joy of the afflicted, 

and the salvation of all.

We have recourse to thee, 

and we beseech thee to have pit on us.

Amen.

- St. Ephrem the Syrian

- The Prayer Book

The Assumption of Mary

by Peter Paul Rubens, picture via  Pinterest

"It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in the act of giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father. It was fitting that God's Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God."

Saint John Damascene

Source: Munificentissimus Deus

St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe on the Miraculous Medal

Picture source

"...those who consent to wear the Miraculous Medal"

who come to love the Immaculata with all their

heart and fly to her in prayer in all their adversities and temptations,

will 

"quickly, and especially on her feast day, be prevailed upon

to make a confession.  There is much evil in the world,

but let us remember that the Immaculata is more powerful still."

- St. Maximilian Kolbe

Source:  Love One Another Catholic Magazine, 26th Issue

Become a member of the Militia Immaculata!

There are No Coincidences with God

The State of Hawaii was shut down on Friday in expectation of two hurricanes threatening the islands.  For the first time since I can recall, Holy Mass was also cancelled at most churches throughout the island chain. However, in the late afternoon a friend text-ed me that there would be a Holy hour of adoration as well as mass that evening, at nearby Star of the Sea Church.

For those who attend daily mass, it was a very strange feeling not being able to go to Mass.  A friend quoted Saint Padre Pio to remind us that it is a privilege to be able to attend Holy Mass: "It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass."

So off another friend and I went to adoration and Holy Mass.  We wanted to give thanks to God for once again sparing Hawaii from any devastation and to pray for the Iraqi Christians persecuted relentlessly for their faith.  Apparently, we were not the only ones as the small chapel was filled to capacity.

The reason I referred to no coincidences with God is because as I picked up a book to recite prayers the following prayers were what I found.

Come Lord Jesus

Come, Lord Jesus, into our hearts,

souls, and homes.

We love, welcome and need You.

So come, King of Kings,

Prince of Peace, 

and bring with You Your wonderful Mother, 

Mediatrix of Peace.  

In Your Mercy, please 

hold back, 

lessen the severity and shorten the duration of Your divine

Chastisement already in effect with

storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires and earthquakes.

Hear and answer our prayers 

so Your Sacred and Her immaculate Hearts may reign supreme, granting us and the World True Peace.  

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Amen.

A Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

(Never Found to Fail)

O Most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel,

Fruitful Vine, Splendour of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin,

assist me in this my necessity.  

O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,

I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart,

to succour me in this necessity; there are none that can withstand your power.

O, show me herein you are my Mother, O Mary, 

conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands. (3 times)

Then as I continue to pray for the suffering Iraqi Christians, I was reading about how to really pray the Our Father in the same little book and read the following:

"Thy Kingdom Come."  Actually, what could be better for the world than that the Kingdom, which Christ came on earth to establish, should be founded everywhere and should flourish wherever it would exist.  That by His peace, love and law it may reign supreme all over the world, especially in our own native land which is naturally so dear to all of us.

We must remember too, in our prayers those countries where religion is so cruelly persecuted by the enemies of God what prayer is the mightiest arm we can use against them.  If all the millions who would each send up to the Throne of God this burning petition "Thy Kingdom Come" what help would not all countries each receive that are now so cruelly treated!

By saying these words with devotion, we are actively spreading the Gospel in all nations, carrying on the every work of the Apostles.  By prayer and preaching, we can be apostles.  In fact by preaching without prayer, it is of no avail...

Thank you Lord.


Excerpts from Read Me or Rue it. by Father Paul O'Sullivan, O.P.