[Edited since posting.]
August begins Nomen Christi Apostolate’s “Marian Triad of the Months.” Catholic tradition has given us 3 months in a row to show our love for our Heavenly Queen and contemplate her wondrous gifts. This month we turn toward her Immaculate Heart. In September, we reflect on her Sorrows. In October, we lift her up as Our Lady of the Rosary and renew our dedication to this devotion, along with prayer for pro-life issues. How do these 3 aspects of Our Lady inter-relate? How is she watching over the world right now in love and sorrow? These are things to pray on within the next 90 days, as the world may be crossing a threshold, due to what is becoming a global war. If she ushers us over, surely we have every consolation. (Have a look at the artwork of Mary we created just today, on the Home page. Scroll down and you will see her holding her heart in one hand and the Rosary in the other, looking up to Heaven with tears. This may help you in your contemplations.)
This month, we are using Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary to shed light upon the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I met Fr. Hardon once and I describe this meeting and the amazing effect it had on my life, in my bio (button to the right>>>). This catalogue of Catholic terminology was published in 1980 and is well-regarded. There is now a cause for Fr. Hardon’s canonization (see link above). What does this saintly Jesuit have to say on this topic? His words are simple and he includes the beautiful Fatima Act of Consecration…
Immaculate Heart: The physical heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a sign and symbol of her compassion and sinlessness, and the object of devotion by the faithful. Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary gained international prominence through the Fátima apparitions in 1917, and their subsequent approval by the Holy See. A widely used prayer capsulizing this devotion reads:
“Virgin of Fátima, Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and Earth, refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart. To you we consecrate our hearts, our souls, our families, and all we have. And in order that this consecration may be truly effective and lasting, we renew today the promises of our Baptism and Confirmation, and we undertake to live as good Christians -- faithful to God, the Church and the Holy Father. We desire to pray the Rosary, partake in the Holy Eucharist, attach special importance to the first Saturday of the month and work for the conversion of sinners. Furthermore we promise, O most holy Virgin, that we will zealously spread devotion to you, so that through our consecration to your Immaculate Heart and through your own intercession the coming of the Kingdom of Christ in the world may be hastened. Amen.”
Following what Fr. John Hardon encouraged, let us recite this prayer during the month of August, becoming closer and more devoted to this great treasure of our Faith: The Mother of God’s most loving Heart! And here is our Fatima Prayers PDF, which includes another consecration to the Immaculate Heart, written by Pope Pius XII (I keep this printout on my desk to remind me each day to pray the Morning Offering)…
Fatima Prayers PDF Printable
We celebrated a feast of the Immaculate Heart in June and do so again August 22nd, in the trad calendar. On the same day, in the post-conciliar, we have the Queenship of Mary. Of course we honor the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 15th , with a vigil.
On the 5th, we have Our Lady of the Snows (referring to a miracle in Italy), also known as Dedication of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, which may be described as Our Lady’s premier church. Believe it or not, the manger of Our Blessed Lord is there, below the altar in a small alcove, with kneelers before it. It is encased in glass with a sculpture of the Christ Child atop. It is made of wood, held together with metal and somewhat damaged. I visited this glorious church last year with my family and cried. I had no idea the manger was there. Of course, this is only a pious traditional belief, but I choose to believe it. Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the 4 Papal Basilicas in Rome. The others are Saint Peter’s Basilica (housing Saint Peter’s bones), Saint John Lateran (one great relic is the Holy Staircase ascended by Our Lord, which is part of the complex, located across the street) and Saint Paul Outside the Walls (housing Saint Paul’s bones).
Carrying on with Marian-related feasts: We honored Saint Anne last month on a Sunday, this month we honor Saint Joachim, also on a Sunday, the 16th. Fr. Saint Dominic’s (seer of the Holy Rosary) feastdays are the 4th and the 8th.
Let us not forget the Transfiguration of Our Lord, on the 6th.
Further notable saints we celebrate this month (note Saint Monica and Saint Augustine have adjacent feasts):
1st-Saint Peter in Chains, Apostle / Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
4th-Saint John Vianney, priest, “Cure d‘Ars”
8th-Saint John Vianney (trad)
11th-Saint Chiara (Clare or Clara), Founder of the Poor Clares, Companion of Saint Francis…We went to her Basilica too, in Assisi and saw her body, along with the San Damiano Cross, which was also a surprise! As it was the feast of Saint Francis, we were unable to get into his Basilica due to the crowds:( Don’t forget about the Franciscan Jubilee Year with plenary indulgences, anyone can do!
12th-Saint Chiara (trad)
14th-Saint Maximilian Kolbe, priest, martyr under the Nazi Regime (would not die of starvation and was finally given a lethal injection on the Vigil of the Assumption, he very much loved Our Lady, as she appeared to him as a child)
21st-Pope Saint Pius X, 20th Century saint
24th-Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
27th-Saint Monica, Mother of Saint Augustine
28th-Saint Augustine of Hippo, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
29th-Passion of Saint John the Baptist
****** Prepper Challenge for Summer ******
What is My Contribution? What is My Special Gift?
Your community and the Church are going to need you in the coming days. What will you specialize in that will be a significant contribution? Every prepper tends to develop a skill or two that is specialized. What interests you? What is a “sustainable” skill that will have value even in a grid-down (no electricity) situation? Do you already have a skill? Can you improve it? Can you learn a new one? Think and pray about it!