MY DAILY BREAD

A Summary of the Spiritual Life
Simplified and Arranged
for Daily Reading,

Reflection and Prayer

By

Anthony J. Paone, S.J.
1954



Contents

Book One:
The Way of Purification
Conversion
After Conversion
Temptation
Conquering Bad Habits
Self-Conquest Through Mortification


Book Two:
The Way of Imitation
Following Jesus in Daily Life
Virtues Leading Directly to God
Man's Relation With His Neighbor and With Himself
The Spiritual Combat

Book Three:
The Way of Union
Striving For Closer Union
Union Through the Holy Eucharist
Union Throughout the Day

BOOK ONE:

The Way of Purification

PART ONE:

CONVERSION

CHAPTER 1
Man's Purpose on Earth

CHRIST: MY CHILD, the highest goal of your life is union with Me in Heaven. Let your
intentions throughout the day be guided by this truth. In all things be sure to stay on the
path which leads to Heaven. Do not become too deeply interested in the passing desires and
brief enjoyments of this earthly life.

2. I have given you everything that you are and everything you have. All things come to
you from Me, the Supreme Good. Whatever comes, accept it, use it, enjoy it, as I wish and
as much as I wish.

3. If you think only of satisfying yourself, without considering My approval, your mind
becomes confused and your will becomes weak. Mistakes and sins will rob you of peace on
earth and of unending happiness in Heaven. In all things, therefore, keep your eyes on Me.

4. Happy are those who desire only what I want, trying steadily to do My Will. Such people
do not let themselves become completely absorbed by their daily activities. They
frequently offer their activities to Me. They see the brevity of human contentment on earth.

5. Examine your motives in your daily words and actions. Find out how you may please
Me more, and avoid everything which may draw you away from Me.

THINK: I was created for eternal happiness with God in Heaven. Everything else must take
second place in my life, because if I lose Heaven, I will be losing everything. The sure
guide to Heaven is God's holy Will. If I follow it in my daily life,
every moment on earth will be a sure step toward the perfect happiness which my heart
craves.

PRAY: My God and loving Father, grant me the wisdom to think, speak, and act each day
as You want me to. May I never be such a fool as to disagree with Your supreme goodness
and wisdom. Nothing on earth can bring me any lasting happiness. Therefore, let me never
sin for the sake of anything. I want to live for the perfect happiness for which You created
me. Amen.


CONVERSION

CHAPTER 2
The Purpose of Created Things

CHRIST: MY CHILD, if you directed your desires according to My Will, you would learn
many a holy lesson from the events of daily life. Nothing is so small and unimportant that it
does not, in some way, reflect my wisdom and goodness. When you have become as good
and unselfish as you should be, you will find it easy to understand the deeper meaning of
the events in your daily life. An unselfish heart sees much more than what appears on the
surface.

2. I created Heaven and earth for the service of man. I have even appointed angels to help
man. In fact, I Myself am continually serving and helping man. If he lives as I desire, he
shall one day share with Me the perfect happiness of Heaven.
3. What are you doing in return for My numberless favors? You should serve Me every
single day of your life. Yet, you fail to give Me unselfish service even for one single day. I
deserve all possible obedience, all possible honor and eternal praise. To Me you owe each
breath and second of life. Without My continued support, nothing could please nor help
you. All assistance and relief is the work of My hand.

THINK:
If I ever wrote down a list of God's gifts to me, I would have to compose a book.
Everything and everybody, whatever I may mention, is a gift of God for a definite purpose.
All things, not just some things, are in my life for God's good reasons. In one way or
another, they are meant to help me earn the unending happiness and glory of Heaven. I
must reject any person or thing that leads me away from this goal by sin. All things are to
be used wisely, that is, to help me live a good and useful life. By an intelligent use and
control of life's daily needs and activities, I prove my sincere desire for God's eternal love
and friendship in Heaven.

PRAY:
My God, the good things that attract me on earth are only tiny reflections of Your perfect
attraction and goodness. Let them never turn my thoughts aside from You, the Perfect
Good. I hope to turn away from anybody or anything which draws me away from You. The
good things of earth will pass away all too soon, but You will remain forever. I choose You
now by a sincere daily battle against sin. Grant me the glorious favor of pleasing You on
earth and loving You in Heaven. Amen.

PRAYER FOR A STUDENT

PRAYER OF MOTHERS FOR THEIR CHILDREN

(Taken from Mother Love - A Manual for Christian Mothers by a Priest of the Capuchin Order (1888) - Offered by Angelus Press)

The Medal of St. Benedict


There is indeed no medal which possesses such wonderful power and none so highly esteemed by the holy Church as the Medal of St. Benedict. Whosoever wears this medal with devotion, trusting to the life-giving power of the holy Cross and the merits of the holy Father St. Benedict, may expect the powerful protection of this great Patriarch in his spiritual and temporal needs.


Origin and Explanation of the Medal St. Benedict Medal

St. Benedict (born at Nursia, Italy, in 480) had a profound veneration for the holy Cross and for our Saviour Crucified. In virtue of the Sign of the Cross, he wrought many miracles and exercised great power over the spirits of darkness. In consequence of the great veneration held for St. Benedict, a medal was struck which may date back to the time of St. Benedict himself. In 1880, the Jubilee Medal was struck under
the supervision of the monks of Montecassino, Italy, to mark the 1400th anniverary of St. Benedict's birth.

One side of the Jubilee Medal represents St. Benedict holding the Cross in one hand and the Holy Rule in the other. Around the image of St. Benedict are these words in Latin: Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur – "May his presence protect us in the hour of our death." St. Benedict has ever been the patron of the dying, because of the circumstances attending his own most glorious death, for he breathed forthhis soul while standing in prayer before the Most Blessed Sacrament. On a pedestal to the right of St. Benedict is the poisoned cup, shattered when he made the sign of the cross over it. On a pedestal to the left is a raven about to carry away a loaf of poisoned bread that a jealous enemy had sent to St. Benedict. Above the cup and the raven are the Latin words: Crux S-Patris Benedicti (initials on reverse side – see below).
Below St. Benedict we read: Ex S M Cassino MDCCCLXXX – "From the Holy Mount of Cassino - 1880".

St. Benedict Medal The reverse side of the Medal shows the image of the Cross at the top of which will be the word PAX (peace) or the monogram I H S (Jesus). Around the margin beginning at the right hand on top, we have the following letters: V.R.S.N.S.M.V.--S.M.Q.L.I.V.B. which form verses supposed to have originated with the holy Father Benedict himself: Vade Retro, Satana! Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana Sunt Mala Quae Libas Ipse Venena Bibas: "Begone, Satan! Suggest not vain things to me. Evil is the cup thou offerest; Drink thou thine own poison." In the angles of the cross are found these four letters: C.S.P.B.: Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti – "The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict." On the vertical bar of the cross itself are found the letters: C.S.S.M.L., and on the horizontal bar of the cross: N.D.S.M.D. They signify: Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux, Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux – "May the holy Cross be my light, Let not the dragon be my guide."
Use

The medal can be worn around the neck, attached to the Scapular or the Rosary, or otherwise carried about one’s person. The devout wearing of such an object, together with the Church's powerful blessing and intercessory power, make it into an unspoken prayer which has been shown to be of great help in maintaining holy purity, bringing about conversions, protecting against inclement weather and contagious disease.

Often it is placed in fields, the foundations of houses and buildings, on the walls of barns and sheds or in one's home, car or place of business to call down God’s blessing and the protection of St. Benedict.

Power and Efficacy of the Medal

The Medal of St. Benedict is one of the Sacramentals of the Church, and as such it must be used. The value and power of the Medal must be ascribed to the merits of Christ Crucified, to the efficacious prayers of St. Benedict, to the blessing of the Church, and especially to the faith and holy disposition of the person using the Medal.

The following is a partial list of the many favors obtained through the devout use of the St. Benedict Medal.

The Medal is powerful in obtaining for sinners the grace of conversion, and of overcoming evil habits such as drunkenness
It obtains protection and aid for persons tormented by the evil spirit, and in temptations against holy purity.
It procures assistance in the hour of death.
It has often proved an efficacious remedy for bodily ills, a means of protection against contagious diseases and to destroy the effects of poison.
The Medal is a powerful means to destroy witchcraft and all other diabolical influences.
It secures for expectant mothers special assistance from heaven.
Frequently this Medal has been found to be a marvelous protection against fire, tempests and storms on land and sea.
Even domestic animals have been visibly aided by it when sick or injured.

Prayer to St. Benedict

O glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God’s grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at thy feet. I implore thy loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To thee I have
recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Shield me against my enemies, inspire me to imitate thee in all things. May thy blessing be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids
and avoid the
occasions of sin.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces of which I stand so much in need, in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Thy heart was always so full of love, compassion, and mercy towards
those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. Thou didst never dismiss without consolation and assistance any one who had recourse to thee. I therefore invoke thy powerful intercession, in the confident
hope that thou wilt hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I so earnestly implore (mention it), if it be for the greater glory of God and the welfare of my soul.

Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.

Prayers: Honoring the 7 Times Jesus Spilled His Precious Blood for Us,
as Revealed by Our Lady to St. Bridget, and Approved by Pope Clement XII


Our Lord made these promises to anyone who recited/prayed these Prayers for 12 entire years**:



1. The soul who prays them will suffer no Purgatory.

2. The soul who prays them will be accepted among the Martyrs as though he had spilled his blood for his faith.

3. The soul who prays them can choose three others whom Jesus will then keep in a state of grace sufficient to become holy.

4. No one in the four successive generations of the soul who prays them will be lost.

5. The soul who prays them will be made conscious of his death one month in advance.

** If the soul praying these prayers dies before the entire 12 years of  prayers have been completed, the Lord will accept them as having been
prayed in their entirety, because the intention of the soul was to complete them as directed.

If a day or a few days are missed due to a valid reason, they can be made up for later, at the soul's earliest opportunity.


The 12 Year Prayers:

O Jesus, now I wish to pray the Lord's Prayer seven times in unity with the love with which You sanctified this prayer in Your Heart. Take it from my lips into Your Divine Heart. Improve and complete it so much that it brings as much honor and joy to the Trinity as You granted it on earth with this prayer. May these pour upon Your Holy Humanity in Glorification to Your Painful Wounds and the Precious Blood that You spilled from them.

First Prayer: The Circumcision
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the first wounds, the first pains, and the first Bloodshed as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of youth, as protection against the first mortal sin, especially among my relatives.

Second Prayer: The Suffering on the Mount of Olives
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the terrifying suffering of Jesus' Heart on the Mount of Olives and every drop of His Bloody Sweat as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the heart, as protection against such sins and for the spreading of Divine and brotherly Love.

Third Prayer: The Flogging
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the many thousands of Wounds, the gruesome Pains, and the Precious Blood of the Flogging as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the Flesh, as protection against such sins and the preservation of innocence, especially among my relatives.

Fourth Prayer: The Crowning of Thorns
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Wounds, the Pains, and the Precious Blood of Jesus' Holy Head from the Crowning with Thorns as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the Spirit, as protection against such sins and the spreading of Christ's kingdom here on earth.

Fifth Prayer: The Carrying of the Cross
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Sufferings on the way of the Cross, especially His Holy Wound on His Shoulder and its Precious Blood as atonement for my and all of humanity's rebellion against the Cross, every grumbling against Your Holy Arrangements and all other sins of the tongue, as protection against such sins and for true love of the Cross.

Sixth Prayer: The Crucifixion
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You Your Son on the Cross, His Nailing and Raising, His Wounds on the Hands and Feet and the three streams of His Precious Blood that poured forth from these for us, His extreme tortures of the Body and Soul, His precious Death and its non-bleeding Renewal in all Holy Masses on earth as atonement for all wounds against vows and regulations within the Orders, as reparation for my and all of the world's sins, for the sick and the dying, for all holy priests and laymen, for the Holy Father's intentions toward the restoration of Christian families, for the strengthening of Faith, for our country and unity among all nations in Christ and His Church, as well as for the Diaspora.

Seventh Prayer: The Piercing of Jesus' Side
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, accept as worthy, for the needs of the Holy Church and as atonement for the sins of all Mankind, the Precious Blood and Water which poured forth from the Wound of Jesus' Divine Heart. Be gracious and merciful toward us. Blood of Christ, the last precious content of His Holy Heart, wash me of all my and others' guilt of sin! Water from the Side of Christ, wash me clean of all punishments for sin and extinguish the flames of Purgatory for me and for all the Poor Souls. Amen.

Act of Consecration to Jesus, the Incarnate Wisdom, by the Hands of Mary

by St. Louis Grignon de Montfort



O Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and True Man, only Son of the Eternal Father and of Mary, always Virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendors of Thy Father during eternity, and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom of Mary Thy most worthy Mother, in the time of Thy Incarnation.
I give Thee thanks that Thou hast annihilated Thyself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee that Thou hast been pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy Holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Thy faithful slave through her.

But, alas! Ungrateful and unfaithful as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in my Baptism. I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Thy child nor yet Thy slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Thine anger and Thy repulse I dare not any more come by myself before Thy most holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Thy Most Holy Mother, whom Thou has given me for a mediatrix with Thee. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Thee contrition, the pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of Wisdom.

Hail then, Immaculate Mary, living Tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men! Hail, Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God! Hail, O sure Refuge of sinners; whose mercy fails no one! Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom, and for that end, receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to Thee.

I (here say your own name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism: I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before.

In the presence of all the heavenly court, I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity.

Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my slavery, in honor of, and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to thy maternity, in homage to the power which both of Thee have over this poor sinner, and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored thee. I declare that I wish henceforth, as thy true slave, to seek thy honor and to obey thee in all things.

O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by thee, by thee He may receive me! O Mother of Mercy, grant that I may obtain the true Wisdom of God, and for that end receive me among those whom thou lovest and teachest, whom thou leadest, nourishest and protectest as thy children and thy slaves.

O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and thine example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in heaven.  Amen.

PRAYER of ST. GERTRUDE to the SACRED HEART of JESUS

Special Dedications


The church recommends the dedication of certain days to special purposes. (Taken from the Book Our Quest to Happiness.)

The special dedication of the days of the week are:


Sunday                  The Lord’s Day: dedicated to the remembrance of the Resurrection and of the Blessed Trinity

Monday                 Dedicated to Holy Ghost and Poor Souls

Tuesday                 Dedicated to the Holy Name and to the Holy Angels

Wednesday           Dedicated to St. Joseph

Thursday              Dedicated to the honor of the Holy Eucharist and Priesthood of Christ

Friday                   Dedicated to the Passion and Death of Our Lord and to the Honor of His Sacred Heart

Saturday              Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin in memory in her unshaken faith on that First Holy Saturday


Not only does the Church recommend certain dedications for the days of the week but she also encourages us to make certain
dedications of the months of the year as aids to devout living.

The dedications for the months are as follows:

January               The Holy Family

February            The Purification

March                 St. Joseph

May                    The Blessed Virgin

June                   The Precious Blood

September        The Holy Angels

October             The Holy Rosary

November        The Poor Souls

December        The Nativity

The Devotion of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reference: Extracts from The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus de Liguori

The Chaplet (Little Rosary) of the Seven Sorrows. (We have used it as a novena.)

Make an Act of Contrition


MONDAY

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be ...

The First Sorrow of Mary

St. Simeon’s Prophecy

In the Temple, St. Simeon had received the Divine Child in his arms and predicted that this Child would be a sign (of God) which shall
be contradicted by men. “Behold this Child is set … for a sign which shall be contradicted. And Thy own soul a sword shall pierce.” (Lk. 2:34-35).

Meditation

The Blessed Virgin told St. Matilda that when St. Simeon pronounced these words “all Her joy was changed into sorrow.” For, as was revealed
to St. Teresa, although the Blessed Mother already knew that the life of Her Son would be sacrificed for the salvation of the world, She then
learned more distinctly and in greater detail what sufferings and what a cruel death awaited Him. She knew that He would be persecuted
and opposed in every way. He would be opposed in His teaching: instead of being believed, He would be called a blasphemer for
claiming to be the Son of God. The reprobate Caiphas was to say: “He hath blasphemed … He is guilty of death” (Mt. 26:65-66). He would
be opposed in His reputation: for though He was of noble, even of royal descent, He was despised as a peasant: “Is not this the carpenter’s
son?” (Mt. 13:55). “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mk. 6:3). He was Wisdom itself, and was treated as ignorant: “How doth
this man know letters, having never learned?” (Jn. 7:15). As a false prophet: “And they blindfolded Him, and smote His face … saying:
Prophesy, who is it that struck Thee?” (Lk. 22:64). He was treated as a madman: “He is mad, why hear you Him?” (Jn. 10:20). As a drunkard,
a glutton, and a friend of sinners: “Behold a man that is a glutton, and a drinker of wine, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Lk. 7:34). As a
sorcerer: “By the prince of devils He casteth out devils” (Mt. 9:34). As a heretic and one possessed by the evil spirit: “Do not we say well that
Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” (Jn. 8:48). In short, Jesus was considered so notoriously wicked that, as the Jews said to Pilate, no
trial was necessary to condemn Him. “If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up to thee” (Jn. 18:30).

One Our Father … Seven Hail Mary’s ...

Verse: My Mother! share Thy grief with me, and let me bear Thee company to mourn Thy Jesus’ death with Thee.


TUESDAY

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be ...

The Second Sorrow of Mary

The Flight of Jesus into Egypt

“Let us now consider the second sword of sorrow which wounded Mary, the flight of Her Infant Jesus into Egypt to escape the persecution
by Herod.”

Meditation

Having heard that the long-awaited Messiah had been born, Herod foolishly feared that He would deprive him of his kingdom. Herod
waited to hear from the holy Magi where the young King was born, and planned to take His life. When he found he had been deceived,
he ordered all the infants in the neighborhood of Bethlehem to be put to death. It was at that time that the angel appeared in a dream to
St. Joseph and told him: “Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt”(Mt. 2:13). No sooner is Jesus born than He is
persecuted. Mary began to realize that Simeon’s prophecy regarding Her Son was beginning to be fulfilled. What anguish the realization
of the impending exile must have caused Mary. It is easy to imagine that Mary must have suffered on the journey. The distance to Egypt
was considerable: three hundred miles, requiring a journey of up to thirty days. The road was rough, unknown and little travelled. It was
winter time, so that they had to make their way through snow, rain and wind, over rough and dirty roads. Where could they have slept
on such a journey, especially on the two hundred miles of desert? They lived in Egypt seven years. They were strangers — unknown,
without money, and barely able to support themselves by the work of their hands. Landolph of Saxony has written (and let this be a
consolation to the poor) that Mary lived there in such poverty that there were times when She did not have even a crust of bread to
give Her Son when He was hungry. The thought of Jesus and Mary wandering as fugitives through a strange land teaches us that we
must also live as pilgrims here below, detached from the material things that the world offers, and which we must soon leave to enter
eternity. It also teaches us to embrace crosses, for we cannot live in this world without them. Let us make Mary happy by welcoming Her
Son into our hearts, the Son whom men still continue to persecute by their sins.

One Our Father … Seven Hail Mary’s … Verse …


WEDNESDAY

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be ...

The Third Sorrow of Mary

The Loss of Jesus in the Temple

The third sorrow was one of the greatest that Mary had to endure in Her life, the loss of Her Son in the temple. Having lost Her Son
for three days, She was deprived of His most sweet presence.

Meditation

What anxiety this broken-hearted Mother must have felt during those three days when She searched everywhere for Her Son, and
asked for Him as the spouse did in the Canticles: Have you seen him, whom my soul loveth? (Cant. 3:3). This third sorrow of Mary ought
to serve in the first place as a consolation to souls who are desolate, and who no longer enjoy, as they once enjoyed, the sweet presence of
the Lord. They may weep, but they should weep confidently, just as Mary wept over the loss of Her Son. But whoever wants to find Jesus
must look for Him as Mary did, not amid the pleasures and delights of the world, but amid crosses and mortifications. “We sought Thee
sorrowing,” Mary said to Her Son. Let us learn then from Mary, to seek Jesus. Moreover, we should look for no other good in this
world than Jesus. St. Augustine says that Job “had lost what God had given him, but not God Himself.” If Mary wept over the loss
of Her Son for three days, how much more should sinners weep who have lost sanctifying grace. To them God says: “You are not My
people, and I will not be yours” (Os. 1:9). For this is the effect of sin: it separates the soul from God. “Your iniquities have divided between
you and your God” (Isa. 59:2). Sinners may possess all the wealth in the world, but inasmuch as they have lost God, everything in this
world becomes a source of affliction to them, as Solomon confessed: “Behold all is vanity, and vexation of spirit” (Eccles. 1:14).

One Our Father … Seven Hail Mary’s … Verse...


THURSDAY

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be ...

The Fourth Sorrow of Mary

The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Way to Calvary

The greater Her love for Him, the greater Her grief at the sight of His sufferings, especially when She met Him on that dolorous way,
dragging His cross to the place of execution. This is the fourth sorrow on which we are to meditate.

Meditation

“O sorrowful Mother,” exclaimed St. John, “Your Son has now been condemned to death; He has already set out on the road to Calvary,
carrying His own cross. Come, if You desire to see Him and say farewell to Him, as He passes through the streets.” Mary goes along
with St. John. While She waited for Her Son to come along, how much must She have heard said by the Pharisees (and their associates)
against Her beloved Son, and perhaps even mockery against Herself.  What a frightening picture as the nails, the hammers, the ropes and
all the fatal instruments that were to put an end to Her Son’s life were paraded by. But now the implements, the executioners, have all
passed by. Mary raised Her eyes, and saw, O God!, a young man all covered with blood and wounds from head to foot, a wreath of thorns
on His head, and carrying two heavy beams on His shoulders. She gazed at Him, but hardly recognized Him. The wounds, the bruises,
and the clotted blood gave Him the appearance of a leper, so that He could no longer be recognized. According to St. Bridget, Jesus wiped
away the clotted blood which prevented Him from seeing Mary. The Mother and the Son looked at each other. And Their looks became
as so many arrows to pierce those hearts which loved each other so tenderly. Even though the sight of Her dying Son was to cost Her such
bitter sorrow, Mary would not leave Him. The Mother also took up Her cross and followed Him, to be crucified along with Him. Let us
pity Her, and accompany Her and Her Son by patiently carrying the cross Our Lord imposes on us.

One Our Father … Seven Hail Mary’s … Verse...


FRIDAY

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be ...

The Fifth Sorrow of Mary

The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus

“There stood by the cross of Jesus, His Mother” (Jn. 19:25). St. John did not feel it necessary to say more than these words with reference to the
martyrdom of Mary. Picture Her now at the foot of the cross beside Her dying Son, and then ask yourself if there can ever be sorrow like Her
sorrow. Remain for a while on Calvary and consider the fifth sword which transfixed the heart of Mary — the death of Jesus.

Meditation

As soon as our agonized Redeemer had reached Mount Calvary, the executioners stripped Him of His clothes, and piercing His hands and
feet with nails, they fastened Him on the cross. They raised the cros and left Him to die. The executioners left Him, but not Mary. She came
up close to the cross to be near Him in death. “I did not leave Him,” She revealed to St. Bridget, “but stood nearer the cross.” Ah, true Mother,
most loving Mother, Whom not even the fear of death could separate Thee from Thy beloved Son. But, O God, what a spectacle of sorrow
must have confronted those who could see Jesus hanging in agony on the cross, and His Mother there at the foot of the cross suffering all
His torments with Him. All these sufferings of Jesus were also Mary’s sufferings. Saint Jerome says, “Every torture inflicted on the body of
Jesus, was a wound in the heart of His Mother.” “Anyone who had been present then on Mount Calvary, would have seen two altars on which
two great sacrifices were being offered: the one in the body of Jesus — the other in the heart of Mary.” (St. John Chrysostom)

One Our Father … Seven Hail Mary’s … Verse ...


SATURDAY

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be ...

The Sixth Sorrow of Mary

The Piercing of the Side of Jesus, and His Descent from the Cross

We must now consider the sixth sorrow which weighed upon the heart of Our Blessed Lady. On this day, You will be wounded with another
sword of sorrow. A cruel lance will pierce the side of Your dead Son, and You will receive Him in Your arms after He has been taken down from
the cross.

Meditation

It is enough to tell a mother that her son is dead to arouse in her heart all her love for the dead child. “One of the soldiers with a spear opened
His side, and immediately there came out blood and water” (Jn. 19:34).  “Christ,” says the devout Lanspergius, “shared this wound with His Mother.
He received the hurt; His Mother endured the pain.” Mary’s sufferings were so great that it was only through the miraculous intervention of
God that She did not die. When She suffered before, She at least had Her Son to pity Her; but now She had no Son to commiserate with Her.
Jesus was taken down from the cross, the afflicted Mother waiting with outstretched arms to take Her beloved Son. She embraced Him and then
sat down at the foot of the cross. Her Son died for men, men still continue to torture and crucify Him by their sins. Let us resolve not to torment our
sorrowful Mother any longer. And if we have saddened Her in the past by our sins, let us now do what She wants us to do.

One Our Father … Seven Hail Mary’s … Verse ...


SUNDAY

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be ...

The Seventh Sorrow of Mary

The Burial of Jesus

Let us meditate now on Mary’s last sword of sorrow. She has witnessed the death of Her Son on the cross. She has embraced His
lifeless body for the last time. Now She has to leave Him in the tomb.

Meditation

In order to grasp the meaning of this last sorrow more fully, let us return to Calvary and picture our afflicted Mother there, still holding
the lifeless body of Her Son clasped in Her arms. The disciples, afraid that Mary may die of grief, approach and take the body of Jesus
from Her arms to bury it. With reverence they lift Him from Her arms, embalm Him with aromatic herbs, and wrap Him in a shroud
they have already prepared. The mournful procession sets out for the tomb. The afflicted Mother follows Her Son to His last resting
place. When it was time to move the stone to close the entrance, the grief-stricken disciples approached Our Blessed Lady and said
to Her: “It is time now, O Lady, to close the tomb. Forgive us; look at Thy Son once more, and say goodbye to Him for the last time.”
Finally, they took the stone and sealed off the Sacred Body of Jesus in the sepulcher, that Body which is the greatest treasure there can
possibly be on earth or in Heaven. Mary left Her heart in the tomb of Jesus, because Jesus was Her whole treasure: “For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also” (Lk. 12:34). After speaking Her last farewell to Her Son, She left and returned to Her home. Mary was so
desolate and so sad that, according to St. Bernard, She “moved many to tears.” In fact, wherever She passed, those who saw Her could not
help weeping with Her. St. Bernard also says that the holy disciples and women who accompanied Her “mourned even more for Her
than for their Lord.”

One Our Father ... Seven Hail Mary’s ... Verse ...

Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Hail 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. V. Pray
for us, O Holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the  promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God, at whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of sorrow did pierce through the most sweet soul of the
glorious Virgin and Mother Mary; grant that we, who commemorate and reverence Her sorrows, may experience the blessed effect of Thy
Passion, who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Pray

Three Hail Mary’s in honor of the tears shed by Our Lady in Her Sorrows.

Supremi Apostolatus Officio
On Devotion to the Rosary

Pope Leo XIII - 1883


To all the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops and Bishops of the Catholic World in the Grace and Communion of the Apostolic See.

Venerable Brethren, Health and the Apostolic Benediction.

The supreme Apostolic office which we discharge and the exceedingly difficult condition of these times, daily warn and almost compel Us to watch carefully over the integrity of the Church, the more that the calamities from which she suffers are greater. While, therefore, we endeavor in every way to preserve the rights of the Church and to obviate or repel present or contingent dangers, We constantly seek for help from Heaven — the sole means of effecting anything — that our labors and our care may obtain their wished for object. We deem that there could be no surer and more efficacious means to this end than by religion and piety to obtain the favor of the great Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, the guardian of our peace and the minister to us of heavenly grace, who is placed on the highest summit of power and glory in Heaven, in order that she may bestow the help of her patronage on men who through so many labors and dangers are striving to reach that eternal city. Now that the anniversary, therefore, of manifold and exceedingly great favors obtained by a Christian people through the devotion of the Rosary is at hand, We desire that that same devotion should be offered by the whole Catholic world with the greatest earnestness to the Blessed Virgin, that by her intercession her Divine Son may be appeased and softened in the evils which afflict us. And therefore We determined, Venerable Brethren, to despatch to you these letters in order that, informed of Our designs, your authority and zeal might excite the piety of your people to conform themselves to them.

2. It has always been the habit of Catholics in danger and in troublous times to fly for refuge to Mary, and to seek for peace in her maternal goodness; showing that the Catholic Church has always, and with justice, put all her hope and trust in the Mother of God. And truly the Immaculate Virgin, chosen to be the Mother of God and thereby associated with Him in the work of man’s salvation, has a favor and power with her Son greater than any human or angelic creature has ever obtained, or ever can gain. And, as it is her greatest pleasure to grant her help and comfort to those who seek her, it cannot be doubted that she would deign, and even be anxious, to receive the aspirations of the universal Church.

3. This devotion, so great and so confident, to the august Queen of Heaven, has never shone forth with such brilliancy as when the militant Church of God has seemed to be endangered by the violence of heresy spread abroad, or by an intolerable moral corruption, or by the attacks of powerful enemies. Ancient and modern history and the more sacred annals of the Church bear witness to public and private supplications addressed to the Mother of God, to the help she has granted in return, and to the peace and tranquillity which she had obtained from God. Hence her illustrious titles of helper, consoler, mighty in war, victorious, and peace-giver. And amongst these is specially to be commemorated that familiar title derived from the Rosary by which the signal benefits she has gained for the whole of Christendom have been solemnly perpetuated. There is none among you, venerable brethren, who will not remember how great trouble and grief God’s Holy Church suffered from the Albigensian heretics, who sprung from the sect of the later Manicheans, and who filled the South of France and other portions of the Latin world with their pernicious errors, and carrying everywhere the terror of their arms, strove far and wide to rule by massacre and ruin. Our merciful God, as you know, raised up against these most direful enemies a most holy man, the illustrious parent and founder of the Dominican Order. Great in the integrity of his doctrine, in his example of virtue, and by his apostolic labors, he proceeded undauntedly to attack the enemies of the Catholic Church, not by force of arms, but trusting wholly to that devotion which he was the first to institute under the name of the Holy Rosary, which was disseminated through the length and breadth of the earth by him and his pupils. Guided, in fact, by divine inspiration and grace, he foresaw that this devotion, like a most powerful warlike weapon, would be the means of putting the enemy to flight, and of confounding their audacity and mad impiety. Such was indeed its result. Thanks to this new method of prayer — when adopted and properly carried out as instituted by the Holy Father St. Dominic — piety, faith, and union began to return, and the projects and devices of the heretics to fall to pieces. Many wanderers also returned to the way of salvation, and the wrath of the impious was restrained by the arms of those Catholics who had determined to repel their violence.

4. The efficacy and power of this devotion was also wondrously exhibited in the sixteenth century, when the vast forces of the Turks threatened to impose on nearly the whole of Europe the yoke of superstition and barbarism. At that time the Supreme Pontiff, St. Pius V., after rousing the sentiment of a common defense among all the Christian princes, strove, above all, with the greatest zeal, to obtain for Christendom the favor of the most powerful Mother of God. So noble an example offered to heaven and earth in those times rallied around him all the minds and hearts of the age. And thus Christ’s faithful warriors, prepared to sacrifice their life and blood for the salvation of their faith and their country, proceeded undauntedly to meet their foe near the Gulf of Corinth, while those who were unable to take part formed a pious band of supplicants, who called on Mary, and unitedly saluted her again and again in the words of the Rosary, imploring her to grant the victory to their companions engaged in battle. Our Sovereign Lady did grant her aid; for in the naval battle by the Echinades Islands, the Christian fleet gained a magnificent victory, with no great loss to itself, in which the enemy were routed with great slaughter. And it was to preserve the memory of this great boon thus granted, that the same Most Holy Pontiff desired that a feast in honor of Our Lady of Victories should celebrate the anniversary of so memorable a struggle, the feast which Gregory XIII. dedicated under the title of “The Holy Rosary.” Similarly, important successes were in the last century gained over the Turks at Temeswar, in Pannonia, and at Corfu; and in both cases these engagements coincided with feasts of the Blessed Virgin and with the conclusion of public devotions of the Rosary. And this led our predecessor, Clement XI., in his gratitude, to decree that the Blessed Mother of God should every year be especially honored in her Rosary by the whole Church.

5. Since, therefore, it is clearly evident that this form of prayer is particularly pleasing to the Blessed Virgin, and that it is especially suitable as a means of defense for the Church and all Christians, it is in no way wonderful that several others of Our Predecessors have made it their aim to favor and increase its spread by their high recommendations. Thus Urban IV. testified that “every day the Rosary obtained fresh boon for Christianity.” Sixtus IV. declared that this method of prayer “redounded to the honor of God and the Blessed Virgin, and was well suited to obviate impending dangers;” Leo X. that “it was instituted to oppose pernicious heresiarchs and heresies;” while Julius III. called it “the glory of the Church.” So also St. Pius V., that “with the spread of this devotion the meditations of the faithful have begun to be more inflamed, their prayers more fervent, and they have suddenly become different men; the darkness of heresy has been dissipated, and the light of Catholic faith has broken forth again.” Lastly Gregory XIII. in his turn pronounced that “the Rosary had been instituted by St. Dominic to appease the anger of God and to implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

6. Moved by these thoughts and by the examples of Our Predecessors, We have deemed it most opportune for similar reasons to institute solemn prayers and to endeavor by adopting those addressed to the Blessed Virgin in the recital of the Rosary to obtain from her son Jesus Christ a similar aid against present dangers. You have before your eyes, Venerable Brethren, the trials to which the Church is daily exposed; Christian piety, public morality, nay, even faith itself, the supreme good and beginning of all the other virtues, all are daily menaced with the greatest perils.

7. Nor are you only spectators of the difficulty of the situation, but your charity, like Ours, is keenly wounded; for it is one of the most painful and grievous sights to see so many souls, redeemed by the blood of Christ, snatched from salvation by the whirlwind of an age of error, precipitated into the abyss of eternal death. Our need of divine help is as great today as when the great Dominic introduced the use of the Rosary of Mary as a balm for the wounds of his contemporaries.

8. That great saint indeed, divinely enlightened, perceived that no remedy would be more adapted to the evils of his time than that men should return to Christ, who “is the way, the truth, and the life,” by frequent meditation on the salvation obtained for Us by Him, and should seek the intercession with God of that Virgin, to whom it is given to destroy all heresies. He therefore so composed the Rosary as to recall the mysteries of our salvation in succession, and the subject of meditation is mingled and, as it were, interlaced with the Angelic salutation and with the prayer addressed to God, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We, who seek a remedy for similar evils, do not doubt therefore that the prayer introduced by that most blessed man with so much advantage to the Catholic world, will have the greatest effect in removing the calamities of our times also. Not only do We earnestly exhort all Christians to give themselves to the recital of the pious devotion of the Rosary publicly, or privately in their own house and family, and that unceasingly, but we also desire that the whole of the month of October in this year should be consecrated to the Holy Queen of the Rosary. We decree and order that in the whole Catholic world, during this year, the devotion of the Rosary shall be solemnly celebrated by special and splendid services. From the first day of next October, therefore, until the second day of the November following, in every parish and, if the ecclesiastical authority deem it opportune and of use, in every chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin — let five decades of the Rosary be recited with the addition of the Litany of Loreto. We desire that the people should frequent these pious exercises; and We will that either Mass shall be said at the altar, or that the Blessed Sacrament shall be exposed to the adoration of the faithful, Benediction being afterwards given with the Sacred Host to the pious congregation. We highly approve of the confraternities of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin going in procession, following ancient custom, through the town, as a public demonstration of their devotion. And in those places where this is not possible, let it be replaced by more assiduous visits to the churches, and let the fervor of piety display itself by a still greater diligence in the exercise of the Christian virtues.

9. In favor of those who shall do as We have above laid down, We are pleased to open the heavenly treasure-house of the Church that they may find therein at once encouragements and rewards for their piety. We therefore grant to all those who, in the prescribed space of time, shall have taken part in the public recital of the Rosary and the Litanies, and shall have prayed for Our intention, seven years and seven times forty days of indulgence, obtainable each time. We will that those also shall share in these favors who are hindered by a lawful cause from joining in these public prayers of which We have spoken, provided that they shall have practiced those devotions in private and shall have prayed to God for Our intention. We remit all punishment and penalties for sins committed, in the form of a Pontifical indulgence, to all who, in the prescribed time, either publicly in the churches or privately at home (when hindered from the former by lawful cause) shall have at least twice practiced these pious exercises; and who shall have, after due confession, approached the holy table. We further grant a plenary indulgence to those who, either on the feast of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary or within its octave, after having similarly purified their souls by a salutary confession, shall have approached the table of Christ and prayed in some church according to Our intention to God and the Blessed Virgin for the necessities of the Church.

10. And you, Venerable Brethren, — the more you have at heart the honor of Mary, and the welfare of human society, the more diligently apply yourselves to nourish the piety of the people towards the great Virgin, and to increase their confidence in her. We believe it to be part of the designs of Providence that, in these times of trial for the Church, the ancient devotion to the august Virgin should live and flourish amid the greatest part of the Christian world. May now the Christian nations, excited by Our exhortations, and inflamed by your appeals, seek the protection of Mary with an ardor growing greater day by day; let them cling more and more to the practice of the Rosary, to that devotion which our ancestors were in the habit of practicing, not only as an ever-ready remedy for their misfortunes, but as a whole badge of Christian piety. The heavenly Patroness of the human race will receive with joy these prayers and supplications, and will easily obtain that the good shall grow in virtue, and that the erring should return to salvation and repent; and that God who is the avenger of crime, moved to mercy and pity may deliver Christendom and civil society from all dangers, and restore to them peace so much desired.

11. Encouraged by this hope, We beseech God Himself, with the most earnest desire of Our heart, through her in whom he has placed the fullness of all good, to grant you. Venerable Brethren, every gift of heavenly blessing. As an augury and pledge of which, We lovingly impart to you, to your clergy, and to the people entrusted to your care, the Apostolic Benediction.

Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, the 1st of September, 1883, in the sixth year of Our Pontificate.