Beautiful Prayers of Love, Praise, and Sorrow
FROM THE RACCOLTA


4


PRAYERS TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

O Mary, Mother of grace and Mother of mercy, do thou protect us from our
enemy, and receive us at the hour of our death.

Remember, O Virgin Mother of God, when thou shalt stand before the face of the Lord, that thou speak favorable things in our behalf and that He may turn away His indignation from us.

Bless us, Mary Maiden mild,
bless us too, her tender Child.

Thou art my Mother, O Virgin Mary: keep me safe lest I ever offend thy dear Son,
and obtain for me the grace to please Him always and in all things.

Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, by the Lord God most high, above all women
upon the earth.

Most high Queen of the universe, Mary ever Virgin, make intercession for our
peace and salvation, thou who didst bear Christ the Lord, the Saviour of all mankind.

Draw us after thee, holy Mother.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, intercede for me.

Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, thou alone hast put down all heresies in the whole world.

O Mary, may thy children persevere in loving thee!

Antiphon Alma Redemptoris

Mother benign of our redeeming Lord,
Star of the sea and portal of the skies,
Unto thy fallen people help afford---
Fallen, but striving still anew to rise.

Thou who didst once, while wondering worlds adored,
Bear thy Creator, Virgin then as now,
O by thy holy joy at Gabriel's word,
Pity the sinners who before thee bow.

Antiphon Ave, Regina caelorum

Hail, O Queen of Heaven enthroned!
Hail, by Angels Mistress owned!
Root of Jesse, Gate of morn,
Whence the world's true Light was born:

Glorious Virgin, joy to thee,
 Loveliest whom in Heaven they see:
Fairest thou where all are fair,
Plead with Christ our sins to spare.


Prayers for Every Day of the Week

SUNDAY
Behold, O Mother of God, at thy feet a wretched sinner who has recourse to thee and trusts in thee. I do not deserve that thou shouldst even look upon me; but I know that thou, seeing thy Son dead to save sinners, hast a great desire to assist them. O Mother of mercy, behold my miseries and have pity on me. I hear all men call thee the refuge of sinners, the hope of the hopeless, the help of that which is lost. Thou art, then, my refuge, my hope and my help. Thou must save me by thine intercession; aid me for the love of Jesus Christ; give thy hand to a fallen wretch who commends himself to thee. I know that thou art consoled in helping a sinner, when thou canst; wherefore help me now, for thou canst help me. By my sins I have lost the grace of God and my soul; but I put myself in thy hands; tell me what I must do to return to the grace of God, for I wish to do so at once. He sends me to thee, that thou mayest assist me; He wills that I should have recourse to thy mercy, in order that I may be helped to salvation not only by the merits of thy Son, but also by thy prayers. To thee, therefore, do I have recourse. Do thou pray to Jesus for me. Make known the good which thou canst do for him who puts his trust in thee. This is my firm hope. Amen.
 
Hail Mary three times in reparation for blasphemies against the B. V. M.

MONDAY
O Queen of Heaven, most holy Mary, once I was the slave of Satan, but now I dedicate myself to be thy servant for ever; I offer myself to thy perpetual honor and service. Accept me, then, as thy servant; ah, do not cast me out as I deserve. In thee, my Mother, have I set all my hope. I praise and thank almighty God, Who in His mercy gives me this confidence in thee. True it is, in the past I have fallen miserably into sin; but I hope that I have already obtained pardon for them through the merits of Jesus Christ and through thine intercession. But this is not enough, dear Mother; one thought distresses me, and that is that I may turn back and lose the grace of God; the dangers are ever present, mine enemies sleep not, fresh temptations will assail me. Ah, protect me then, my Lady! Defend me against the assaults of Hell and permit not that I should begin again to commit sin and offend Jesus, thy Divine Son. No, may it never come to pass that I should begin again to suffer the loss of my soul, of Paradise and of God. This is the grace that I ask of thee, O Mary, this is my one desire, this do thou obtain for me by thine intercession. This is my firm hope. Amen.

Hail Mary three times, as above.

TUESDAY
Most holy Mary, Mother of goodness and mercy, when I consider my sins and think of the moment of death, I am filled with trembling and confusion. O sweetest Mother, in the Blood of Jesus Christ and in thy intercession are all my hopes. O Comforter of the afflicted, do not abandon me at that hour; forget not to console me in that great affliction. If at present I am so tormented with remorse at the sight of my sins, the uncertainty of forgiveness, the danger of falling again and the rigor of God's justice, what will become of me at that dread hour? Ah, my Lady, before death shall come, do thou obtain for me true sorrow for my sins, sincere amendment and fidelity to God for the rest of my life. And when at length I come to the hour of death, O Mary, my only hope, do thou assist me in the dire torments in which I shall then find myself; strengthen me so that I may not despair at the sight of my sins, which the devil himself will set before me. Obtain for me the grace to call upon thee more frequently so that I may breathe forth my spirit with thy sweet name on my lips and the Name of thy dear Son. Thou hast imparted this grace to so many of thy devoted children; it is the grace that I desire and hope for myself. Amen.

Hail Mary three times, as above.

WEDNESDAY
[Prayer of St. Alphonsus M. de Liguori]

O Mother of God, Mary most holy, how many times by my sins have I merited the pains of Hell! Even now the sentence might have been passed, perhaps on the occasion of my very first sin, hadst thou not in thy tender pity restrained the hand of Divine Justice: and then overcoming my hardness of heart, thou drewest me gently to place my confidence in thee. And oh, how very often should I have fallen in the dangers which beset my steps hadst not thou, loving Mother that thou art, preserved me by the graces thou didst obtain for me. But oh, my Queen, what will thy pity and thy favors avail me, if after all, I became the cause of my own condemnation. If there was once a time when I loved thee not, yet now, next to God, I love thee above all things. Ah, permit not that I should turn my back on thee and on my God Who, by means of thee, has granted me so many mercies. Wilt thou endure seeing one of thy servants who loves thee go down into Hell? O Mary, what sayest thou? Shall I bring about my own condemnation? I shall most surely do so, if I forsake thee. But who would henceforth have the heart to forsake thee? Who could ever forget the love thou hast borne toward me? No, he assuredly is not lost who faithfully commends himself to thee and has recourse to thee. Ah, my dear Mother, leave me not to my own devices for then I shall surely die. Grant that I may always seek thy protection.

Save me, for thou art my hope, save me from the pains of Hell, but especially from sin, which alone has power to condemn me to the flames of perdition.

Hail Mary three times as above.

THURSDAY
O Queen of Heaven, thou who sittest enthroned above all the choirs of Angels, nearest to God Himself, from this vale of tears, I  a wretched sinner, salute thee and implore thee to turn thine eyes of mercy toward me. See, O Mary, the great dangers which encompass me now and in the future, so long as I shall live upon the earth, the danger of losing my soul, Heaven and God. In thee, dear Lady, do I put all my trust. I love thee and I would fain come quickly to see thee and praise thee in Paradise. O Mary, when will that day come when I shall find myself in safety at thy feet? When shall I kiss that hand of thine, which has poured so many graces upon me? It is true, dearest Mother, that I have been many times ungrateful to thee during my life; but when I shall come safe home to Heaven, there will I love thee every moment throughout eternity; and I will atone for my lack of gratitude by praising and thanking thee for ever. I give thanks: to Almighty God Who gives me such confidence in the Blood of Jesus Christ and in thy mighty intercession. Thy truly devoted servants have ever placed such confidence in thee and none has ever been confounded.

Let me never be confounded, no, not even me. O Mary, pray to Jesus thy Son, even as I also am praying, to strengthen and evermore confirm these hopes of mine through the merits of His Passion. Amen.

Hail Mary three times, as above.
 
FRIDAY
O Mary, thou art the noblest, the most exalted, the purest, the fairest, the holiest of all things created! O that all men knew thee, dearest Lady, and loved thee as thou deservest! But I am consoled by the thought that so many holy Souls in Heaven and so many just men upon the earth live enthralled by thy goodness and beauty. Above all else I rejoice that God Himself loves thee alone more than all men and Angels. O my Queen, most worthy of love, I too love thee, miserable sinner that I am, but I love thee far too little; I desire a greater and more tender love of thee, and this thou must obtain for me; for love of thee is a great sign of predestination, and a grace granted by God to those who shall be saved. Therefore, dear Mother, I see that I am under exceeding obligation to thy Divine Son; I see that He is deserving of infinite love. Thou hast no other desire but to see Him loved by men; do thou obtain for me the grace of an ardent love of Jesus Christ. Ah, obtain this grace for me, thou who dost obtain from God whatsoever thou desirest. I do not seek the things of earth, not honors, not riches; I seek only that which thy heart seeks most of all, to love God and Him alone. Can it be that thou art unwilling to assist me in this my desire which is so dear to Thee? Nay, thou art already giving me thy help; even now thou art praying for me. Pray, O Mary, pray and never cease to pray until thou shalt see me safe in Paradise, where I shall be sure of possessing and loving my God together with thee, my dearest Mother, for ever and ever. Amen.

Hail Mary three times, as above.

SATURDAY
[Prayer of St. Alphonsus M. de Liguori]

O my most holy Mother, I behold the graces which thou hast obtained for me, and the ingratitude which I have shown toward thee. The thankless soul is no longer worthy of blessings; but not even on this account will I lose confidence in thy mercy. O my mighty Advocate, have pity on me. Thou art the dispenser of all the graces that God grants to the miserable children of men, and to this end has He made thee so mighty, so rich and so kind, that thou mightest succor us in our need. I wish to be saved; in thy hands, therefore, I place my eternal salvation; to thee I commend my spirit. I wish to be inscribed among thy most special servants; drive me not away. Thou goest about seeking the wretched to comfort them: do not abandon a poor sinner who flies to thy protection. Speak thou for me; thy Son will do whatsoever thou shalt ask Him. Take me under thy protection, and this is enough for me; for if thou shield me, I shall fear nothing: not my sins, for I hope that thou wilt obtain their remission from Almighty God; not the evil spirits, for thou art mightier than the powers of Hell; not even Jesus as my Judge, for one prayer of thine will turn away His anger. Do thou, therefore, protect me, dear Mother, and obtain for me the remission of all my sins, the love of Jesus, final perseverance, a happy death, and Paradise at last. True it is, I do not deserve these graces, but if thou dost ask them for me from our Lord, I shall receive them. O Mary, my Queen, pray to Jesus for me; in thee do I put my trust; in this hope will I live and take my rest; and with this hope I wish to die. Amen.
 
Hail Mary three times, as above.

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