MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS
AND THE
Fourteen Saints Invoked as Holy Helpers
Instructions, Legends, Novenas and Prayers
WITH
Thoughts of the Saints for Every Day in the Year
COMPILED BY
REV. BONAVENTURE HAMMER, O.F.M.
TO WHICH IS ADDED AN APPENDIX ON THE
Reasonableness of Catholic Ceremonies and Practices
BY REV. JOHN J. BURKE
NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO
BENZIGER BROTHERS
PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE
PUBLISHERS OF BENZINGER'S MAGAZINE
FR. CHRYSOSTOMUS THEOBALD, O.F.M.,
Minister Provincialis.
Cincinnati, Ohio, die 30, Martii, 1908.
REMY LAPORT, S.T.L.,
Censor Librorum.
JOHN M. FARLEY,
Archbishop of New York.
NEW YORK, March 4, 1909.
COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY BENZIGER BROTHERS.
PREFACE
THE contents of the following pages are based on the Catholic doctrine of the veneration and invocation of the saints, and of the efficacy of the prayer of intercession. The legends of the individual "Holy Helpers" were compiled from authors whose writings have the approval of the Church.
In compliance with the decrees of Pope Urban VIII of 1625, 1631, and 1634, the compiler formally declares that he submits everything contained in this little book to the infallible judgment of the Church, and that he claims no other than human credibility for the facts, legends, and miracles related, except where the Church has otherwise decided.
THE COMPILER.
Contents
PREFACE
PART I
The Veneration and Invocation of Saints and the Efficacy of Prayer
CHAPTER I
THE VENERATION AND INVOCATION OF SAINTS
CHAPTER II
EFFICACY OF THE INTERCESSION OF THE SAINTS
CHAPTER III
FOR WHAT THE INTERCESSION OF THE SAINTS MAY AND SHOULD BE INVOKED
CHAPTER IV
THE QUALITIES OF PRAYER
PART II
Mary, the Help of Christians
Novenas in Preparation for the Principal Feasts of the Blessed Virgin
RULES FOR THE PROPER OBSERVANCE OF NOVENAS
ON THE MANNER OF READING THE MEDITATIONS AND OBSERVING THE PRACTICES
INTRODUCTION
MARY, THE HELP OF CHRISTIANS
I. NOVENA IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
FIRST DAY.—THE PREDESTINATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
SECOND DAY.—MARY'S IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
THIRD DAY.—MARY, THE VICTRIX OF SATAN
FOURTH DAY.—MARY WITHOUT ACTUAL SIN
FIFTH DAY.—MARY, FULL OF GRACE
SIXTH DAY.—MARY, OUR REFUGE
SEVENTH DAY.—MARY, THE MOTHER OF CHASTITY
EIGHTH DAY.—THE IMAGE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
NINTH DAY.—THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
II. NOVENA IN HONOR OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
FIRST DAY.—THE BIRTH OF MARY
SECOND DAY.—MARY, THE ELECT OF GOD
THIRD DAY.—MARY, THE CHILD OF ROYALTY
FOURTH DAY.—MARY, THE CHILD OF PIOUS PARENTS
FIFTH DAY.—MARY'S SUPERNATURAL PREROGATIVES
SIXTH DAY.—MARY, THE JOY OF THE MOST HOLY
SEVENTH DAY.—THE ANGELS REJOICE AT MARY'S BIRTH
EIGHTH DAY.—THE JOY OF THE JUST IN LIMBO AT MARY'S BIRTH
NINTH DAY.—THE HOLY NAME OF MARY
III. NOVENA FOR THE FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
FIRST DAY.—THE ANNUNCIATION
SECOND DAY.—THE IMPORT OF THE ANGEL'S SALUTATION
THIRD DAY.—THE EFFECT OF THE ANGEL'S SALUTATION
FOURTH DAY.—MARY'S QUESTION
FIFTH DAY.—THE SOLUTION
SIXTH DAY.—MARY'S CONSENT
SEVENTH DAY.—MARY'S FORTITUDE IN SUFFERING
EIGHTH DAY.—MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD
NINTH DAY.—MARY OUR MOTHER
IV. NOVENA IN HONOR OF THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY
FIRST DAY.—DEVOTION TO THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY
SECOND DAY.—MARY'S FIRST SORROW: SIMEON'S PROPHECY IN THE TEMPLE
THIRD DAY.—MARY'S SECOND SORROW: THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
FOURTH DAY.—MARY'S THIRD SORROW: JESUS LOST IN JERUSALEM
FIFTH DAY.—MARY'S FOURTH SORROW: SHE MEETS JESUS CARRYING HIS CROSS
SIXTH DAY.—MARY'S FIFTH SORROW: BENEATH THE CROSS
SEVENTH DAY.—MARY'S SIXTH SORROW: THE TAKING DOWN OF JESUS' BODY FROM THE CROSS
EIGHTH DAY.—MARY'S SEVENTH SORROW: JESUS IS BURIED
NINTH DAY.—WHY MARY HAD TO SUFFER
V. NOVENA FOR THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
FIRST DAY.—MARY'S DEATH WAS WITHOUT PAIN
SECOND DAY.—AT MARY'S TOMB
THIRD DAY.—THE EMPTY TOMB
FOURTH DAY.—REASONS FOR THE BODILY ASSUMPTION OF MARY INTO HEAVEN
FIFTH DAY.—MARY'S GLORIOUS ENTRANCE INTO HEAVEN
SIXTH DAY.—MARY CROWNED IN HEAVEN
SEVENTH DAY.—MARY'S BLISS IN HEAVEN
EIGHTH DAY.—MARY, THE QUEEN OF MERCY
NINTH DAY.—MARY IN HEAVEN THE HELP OF CHRISTIANS ON EARTH
PART III
The Fourteen Holy Helpers
CHAPTER I
THE FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS
CHAPTER II
LEGENDS
THE LEGENDS OF THE FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS
I.—ST. GEORGE, MARTYR
II.—ST. BLASE, BISHOP AND MARTYR
III.—ST. ERASMUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR
IV.—ST. PANTALEON, PHYSICIAN AND MARTYR
V.—ST. VITUS, MARTYR
VI.—ST. CHRISTOPHORUS, MARTYR
VII.—
VIII.—ST. CYRIACUS, DEACON AND MARTYR
IX.—ST. ACHATIUS, MARTYR
X.—ST. EUSTACHIUS, MARTYR
XI.—ST. GILES, HERMIT AND ABBOT
XII.—ST. MARGARET, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
XIII.—ST. CATHERINE, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
XIV.—ST. BARBARA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
PART IV
I. Novenas to the Holy Helpers
NOVENA TO EACH OF THE HOLY HELPERS
I.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. GEORGE
II.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. BLASE
III.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. ERASMUS
IV.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. PANTALEON
V.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. VITUS
VI.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. CHRISTOPHORUS
VII.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. DIONYSIUS
VIII.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. CYRIACUS
IX.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. ACHATIUS
X.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. EUSTACHIUS
XI.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. GILES
XII.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. MARGARET
XIII.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. CATHERINE
XIV.—NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. BARBARA
NOVENA TO ALL THE HOLY HELPERS
FIRST DAY.—THE DEVOTION TO THE FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS
SECOND DAY.—THE DESTINY OF MAN
THIRD DAY.—THE VIRTUE OF FAITH
FOURTH DAY.—THE VIRTUE OF HOPE
FIFTH DAY.—THE LOVE OF GOD
SIXTH DAY.—THE VIRTUE OF CHARITY
SEVENTH DAY.—HUMAN RESPECT
EIGHTH DAY.—PRAYER
NINTH DAY.—PERSEVERANCE
II. Prayers and Petitions
PRAYERS OF PETITION AND INTERCESSION
I.—THREE INVOCATIONS
II.—PRAYER IN ILLNESS
III.—PRAYER FOR THE SICK
IV.—PRAYER OF PARENTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN
V.—PRAYER OF CHILDREN FOR THEIR PARENTS
VI.—PRAYER FOR MARRIED PEOPLE
PART V
General Devotions
MORNING PRAYERS
EVENING PRAYERS
PRAYERS AT HOLY MASS
PRAYERS FOR CONFESSION
Before Confession
After Confession
PRAYERS FOR HOLY COMMUNION
Before Communion
After Communion
VISIT TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
PRAYERS TO JESUS SUFFERING
THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS
PRAYER TO OUR SUFFERING REDEEMER
PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
PRAYER FOR ALL THINGS NECESSARY TO SALVATION
THE FOUR APPROVED LITANIES
LITANY OF THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS
LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
LITANY OF LORETO, IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
LITANY OF ALL SAINTS
PART VI
Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
PART VII
Reasonableness of Catholic Ceremonies and Practices
THE CEREMONIES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
I.—Ceremonies Necessary to Divine Worship
II.—Vestments Used by the Priest at Mass
III.—Ceremonies of the Mass
THE PRACTICES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
I.—Vespers and Benediction
II.—Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
III.—Holy Communion
IV.—Confirmation
V.—Honoring the Blessed Virgin
VI.—Confession of Sin
VII.—Granting Indulgences
VIII.—The Last Sacraments
IX.—
X.—Praying to the Saints
XI.—Crucifixes, Relics, and Images
XII.—Some Sacramentals—The Books Used by the Priest, the Sign of the Cross, Holy Water, Blessed Candles, Palm and Ashes, Holy Oils, Scapulars, Medals, Agnus Dei, Prayers, Litanies, Rosary, Angelus, Stations, Funeral Service, and Various Blessings
XIII.—The Celebration of Feasts
XIV.—Infant Baptism
XV.—The Marriage Tie—One and Indissoluble
XVI.—Respect Shown to Ecclesiastical Superiors
XVII.—Celibacy
XVIII.—Conclusion
PART I
The Veneration and Invocation of Saints, and the Efficacy of Prayer
"Remember your prelates who have spoken the word of God to you; whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation" (Heb. xiii. 7).
"Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me, as I am also of Christ" (1 Cor. iv. 16).
Presentation of Mary in the temple.
CHAPTER I
The Veneration and Invocation of Saints
IN THE Creed of the Council of Trent, which the Catholic Church places before the faithful as the Rule of Faith, we read: "I firmly believe that the saints reigning with Christ are to be venerated and invoked."
The Church therefore teaches, first, that it is right and pleasing to God to venerate the saints and to invoke their intercession; and second, that it is useful and profitable to eternal salvation for us to do so.
The veneration of the saints is useful and profitable to us. Men conspicuous in life for knowledge, bravery, or other noble qualities and unusual merits are honored after death. Why, then, should Catholics not be permitted to honor the heroes of their faith, who excelled in the practice of supernatural virtue and are in special grace and favor with God? That this veneration is profitable to us is evident from the fact that the example of the saints incites us to imitate them to the best of our ability.
The veneration of the saints is not only in full accord with the demands of reason, but we are, moreover, enjoined explicitly by Holy Scripture to venerate the memory of the holy patriarchs and prophets: "Let us now praise men of renown, and our fathers in their generation" (Ecclus. xliv. 1). "And their names continue for ever, the glory of the holy men remaining unto their children" (Ecclus. xlvi. 15).
Reason and Holy Scripture, then, are in favor of the veneration of the saints. We find it practised, therefore, also in the early Church. She was convinced from the very beginning of its propriety and utility. As early as the first century the memorial day of the martyrs' death was observed by the Christians. They assembled at the tombs of the sainted victims of pagan cruelty and celebrated their memory by offering up the Holy Sacrifice over their relics. We know this not only from the testimony of the earliest ecclesiastical writers, as Origen, Tertullian, and St. Cyprian, but also from the history of St. Ignatius the Martyr (d. 107), and of St. Polycarp of Smyrna (d. 166). Over one hundred panegyrics of various saints written by St. Augustine are still extant.
And why should it not be right and useful to invoke the intercession of the saints? Everybody deems it proper to ask a pious friend for his prayers. St. Paul the Apostle recommended himself to the prayers of the faithful (Rom. xv. 30), and God Himself commanded the friends of Job to ask Him for His intercession that their sin might not be imputed to them (Job xlii. 8). How, then, can it be wrong or superfluous to invoke the intercession of the saints in heaven? The saints are willing to invoke God's bounty in our favor, for they love us. They are able to obtain it for us, because God always accepts their prayer with complacency. That they really hear our prayer and intercede with God for us is clearly shown by many examples in Holy Scripture. And if, according to the testimony of St. James (v. 16), the prayer of the just man here on earth availeth much with God, how much more powerful, then, must be the prayer of the saints, who are united with God in heaven in perfect love and are, so to say, partakers of His infinite goodness and omnipotence?
A most striking proof of the efficacy of the prayers of the saints is the numerous miracles wrought and the many favors obtained at all times through their intercession. Among these miracles are a great number whose authenticity was declared by the Church after the most scrupulous and strict investigation, as the acts of canonization prove.
That the invocation of the saints was a practice of the early Church is proved by the numerous inscriptions on the tombs of the Roman catacombs preserved to this day. We read there, for instance, on the tomb of Sabbatius, a martyr, "Sabbatius, O pious soul, pray and intercede for your brethren and associates!" On another tomb is inscribed, "Allicius, thy spirit is blessed; pray for thy parents!" And again, "Jovianus, live in God, and pray for us!"
We have also the testimony of one of the greatest thinkers and Protestant philosophers, Leibnitz, for the claim that the veneration and invocation of the saints is founded in reason, on Holy Scripture, and on the tradition of the Church. He writes: "Because we justly expect great advantage by uniting our prayers with those of our brethren here on earth, I can not understand how it can be called a crime if a person invokes the intercession of a glorified soul, or an angel. If it be really idolatry or a detestable cult to invoke the saints and the angels to intercede for us with God, I do not comprehend how Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, Ambrose, and others, who were hitherto considered saints, can be absolved from idolatry or superstition. To continue in such a practice would indeed not be a small defect in the Fathers, such as is inherent in human nature—it would be an enormous public crime. For if the Church, even in those early times, was infected with such abominable errors, let any one judge for himself what the Christian faith would eventually
But whilst the Catholic Church practises and recommends the veneration and invocation of the saints, she does not teach us to honor and invoke them as we do God, nor to pray to them as we do to Him. She makes a great distinction.
The veneration of the saints differs from the worship of God in the following:
1. We adore God as our supreme Lord. We honor the saints as His faithful servants and friends.
2. We adore God for His own sake. We honor the saints for the gifts and prerogatives with which God endowed them.
Therefore there is a difference between the prayer to God and the invocation of the saints. We pray to God asking Him to help us by His omnipotence: we pray to the saints to help us by their intercession with God.
Our veneration of the saints should consist, primarily, in the imitation of their virtues. It is truly profitable only when we are intent upon following their example; for only by imitating their virtues shall we share their eternal bliss in heaven. A veneration which contents itself with honoring the saints without imitating their virtues is similar to a tree that produces leaves and blossoms but bears no fruit.
The saints themselves desire that we should follow their example. Each of them, so to say, exhorts us with St. Paul, "Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ" (1 Cor. iv. 16). There is no age, no sex, no station in life for which the Catholic Church has not saints, whose example teaches us to avoid sin and to observe faithfully the commandments of God and the Church at this or that age, or in this or that station. Therefore the principal object of our invocation of the saints ought to be the obtaining of their help in following their example. Thus we shall move them to come to our aid all the more readily.
CHAPTER II
Efficacy of the Intercession of the Saints
NOTHING is more consoling and comforting than the assurance that in the saints of heaven we have powerful protectors and advocates with God. Through their intercession they obtain for us from Him the grace to lead a virtuous life and to gain heaven.
However, is there any reasonable doubt that the saints are able to render us such a service? In virtue of the communion of saints, which comprises the Church militant on earth, the Church suffering in purgatory, and the Church triumphant in heaven, all members of the Church are members of one body, whose head is Christ. Hence the saints are united with us in spirit, though separated from us in body. United with Christ, they are imbued with a superior knowledge, and through Him, the All-Knowing, they know everything that concerns us, and for which we have recourse to them in prayer.
Our confidence in the intercessory power of the saints is founded on their relation to God and to us. As friends of God they have influence with Him now, even more than during their sojourn on earth, because their intercessory power is one of their glorious prerogatives in heaven. Their love of God and their charity for their fellow-men, and the zeal for the salvation of souls resulting therefrom, together with their conformity with Christ, induces them to use their influence readily in our favor. Because God dispenses His gifts according to His own adorable will, it may please Him to grant a certain favor at the particular intercession of a certain saint; hence it is not superstition to invoke His aid in such cases. Moreover, we justly place our confidence in saints whom we have selected to be our special patrons, or who were given us as such by ecclesiastical authority.
By the intercession of the saints the mediatorship of Christ is not set aside or restricted. The power of intercession, the intercession itself, and its invocation are an effect of the grace of Christ; therefore He remains our only mediator. God remains Our Lord and Father, although men share in His lordship and paternity; for all power and authority comes from God, who is pleased to operate in His creatures through other creatures. Hence, only a dependent mediatorship can be ascribed to the saints. Whoever admits that the living can pray for each other can not denounce the intercession of the saints as an usurpation of the mediatorship of Christ. The saints are not the authors and dispensers of grace and heavenly gifts, but they are able to obtain them for us from God.
The saints, moreover, do not only pray for mankind in general, but for their clients in particular. As co-reigners with Christ, the denizens of heaven have knowledge of the conditions and events of His kingdom; hence the saints may pray for us individually; therefore it is permissible and profitable for us to invoke them. It is obvious that the knowledge of individual occurrences does not mar the bliss of the saints. How they gain this knowledge is not clear to the spiritual authors; but most of them incline to the view that they attain it by direct divine mediation. God reveals our condition and our invocation to the saints.
Can we doubt the willingness of the saints to aid us by their intercession? According to St. Paul, charity is the greatest of all virtues. If, then, the saints, whilst on earth loved their fellow-men, cared for and prayed for them, how much more will they do so now, when their charity is perfected? They, too, were pilgrims on earth, who had to suffer the adversities and miseries of life and therefore know by experience how sorely in need of divine assistance we poor mortals are. Persons who have themselves experienced trials have more compassion for the adversities of others. Therefore it is certain that the saints have compassion on us, that they wish our prayers to be heard and bring them before the throne of God. "The saints," says St. Augustine, "being secure of their eternal welfare, are intent upon ours." Holy Scripture establishes this beyond doubt, saying that the saints bring the prayers of the faithful before the throne of God (Apoc. v. 8).
Or is there any one that doubts the efficacy of the saints' prayer with God? At any rate, we must concede that their prayer is more effectual than ours; for they are confirmed in justice, and therefore friends and favorites of God, whilst we are sinners, of whom Holy Scripture says, "The Lord is far from the wicked, and He will hear the prayers of the just" (Prov. xv. 29). On this subject, let us hear St. Basil in his panegyric on the Forty Martyrs: "You often wanted to find an intercessor: here you have forty who intercede unanimously for you. Are you in distress? Have recourse to the holy martyrs. Rejoicing, do the same. The former that you may find relief, the latter that you may continue to prosper. These saints hear the mother praying for her children, the wife invoking aid for her sick or absent husband. O brave and victorious band, protectors of mankind, generous intercessors when invoked, be our advocates with God!"
There is no doubt, then, that during our earthly pilgrimage the saints are our intercessors with God. True, we know that there is One who guides our destinies and whose providence watches over all; but who would not choose, also, to have a friend already abiding with God, sharing His bliss and confirmed for ever in His grace, and who therefore is in a position to aid us, and certainly will do so if we invoke Him?
The following is an example illustrating the power of the saints' intercession with God:
Basilides was one of the guards that led St. Potamiana to a martyr's death. Whilst the rest of the soldiers and the crowd of spectators insulted the holy virgin, he treated her with great respect and protected her from the assaults of the rabble. The martyr thanked him for his kindness, and promised to pray for him when she came into God's presence. A few days after her death the grace of God touched
What else but the intercession of the saint whom he had befriended obtained for this heathen the grace of the Faith and martyrdom? Convinced of the power of the intercession of the saints, Origen writes: "I will fall on my knees, and because I am unworthy to pray to God on account of my sins, I will invoke all the saints to come to my aid. O ye saints of God, I, filled with sadness, sighing and weeping, implore you; intercede for me, a miserable sinner, with the Lord of mercies!"