On the Feast of St. Stephen of Hungary

 On September 2 Holy Mother Church honors the Apostle of Hungary, St. Stephen the king.  Renowned for establishing Hungary as a Catholic country, he was crowned king in 1001 on the feast of the Assumption of Mary.  St. Stephen held a great love for our Lady and declared her to be the patroness of Hungary.  His zeal for the souls throughout his kingdom brought him to spend many nights in humble prayer and penance for them.  St. Stephen is also recognized for his great care for the poor, and he often disguised himself to attend to them in secret, serving their every need.  As a sign of his charity towards the poor, St. Stephen's right hand remains incorrupt.  

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St. Stephen desired his eldest son Emeric, a saintly young man, to follow the path of leading Hungary as a Catholic nation, and instructed him thus, “My dearest son, if you desire to honor the royal crown, I advise, I counsel, I urge you above all things to maintain the Catholic and apostolic faith with such diligence and care that you may be an example for all those placed under you by God and that all the clergy may rightly call you a man of true Christian profession. Failing to do this, you may be sure that you will not be called a Christian or a son of the Church... My beloved son, delight of my heart, hope of your posterity, I pray, I command, that at every time and in everything, strengthened by your devotion to me, you may show favor... to all who come to you... Be merciful... Be patient with everyone, not only with the powerful, but also with the weak. Finally be strong lest prosperity lift you up too much or adversity cast you down. Be humble in this life, that God may raise you up in the next. Be truly moderate and do not punish or condemn anyone immoderately. Be gentle so that you may never oppose justice. Be honorable so that you may never voluntarily bring disgrace upon anyone. Be chaste so that you may avoid all the foulness of lust like the pangs of death.  All these virtues I have noted above make up the royal crown and without them no one is fit to rule here on earth or attain to the heavenly kingdom.”

However, Emeric died seven years before St. Stephen; the king's remaining children also died, leaving him with no heirs to protect the Catholic faith in Hungary.  In 1038 St. Stephen died on his favorite day, the feast of the Assumption of Mary after receiving the Last Sacraments.  His final prayer was to our Lady, whom he loved much.   “To thee, O Queen of heaven, and to thy guardianship, I commend the holy Church, all the bishops and the clergy, the whole kingdom, its rulers and inhabitants; but before all, I commend my soul to thy care.”  St. Stephen and Emeric were canonized on the same day in 1083.

In imitation of the devotion and love towards our Lady by St. Stephen of Hungary, may we remember to honor our Heavenly Mother, offering her acts of love and reparation.  May we always remember to entrust our Lady with our own souls.

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Reparation for Insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary

O Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offences that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God’s handiwork.

I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father Who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate Who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honour, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights.

O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.
(--The Raccolta)

God bless!

+JMJ+

Prayers Honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the Month of August

 Holy Mother Church dedicates the month of August to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated because it is united to her person and is the seat of her love and of her virtue. All of the faithful are encouraged to imitate this love and virtue and are encouraged to make an act of consecration to the Heavenly Queen. We should attempt to live out that consecration by imitating Jesus and Mary, by being dependent upon them, and by obeying them. By encouraging us to consecrate ourselves to the Immaculate Heart, the Church also asks us to make reparation for the sins committed against her. Every sin of ours brought her grief and suffering in union with her Divine Son since sin caused the terrible suffering of Calvary in which her heart was torn with pain. Two prayers intended for these purposes follow: an act of consecration and an act of reparation.

St. Louis De Montfort's Consecration 

I, N., a faithless sinner-- renew and ratify today in thy hands, O Immaculate Mother, 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. Amen.
(from The Secret of the Rosary)

Reparation for Blasphemy Against the Blessed Virgin Mary 

Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God. Amen.
(from the Raccolta)