Election Day USA, Meditation from Sunday's Mass

When following along in the missal this past Sunday, at the Tridentine Mass, it struck me how appropriate these sentiments were for a Sunday before Election Day….particularly this Election Day. This Mass was the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, otherwise known as the Resumed 4th Sunday after Epiphany (I know, that sounds complicated, please don’t ask me to explain it:)

Here is some of the text, for your meditation this week, as the USA attempts to peacefully elect its next President, along with numerous other votes on the ballots. We need prayers for a peaceful transition of power, no matter how the elections go. Prayers for accurate election results. Prayers for the unborn, religious freedom and freedom in general, from an increasingly tyrannical government. These words speak of trust, in spite of the darkness of this world. They speak of the universal human condition of imperfection and suffering. The Gospel depicts the Apostles with Our Lord on the stormy sea. The sea is a metaphor for life itself. Yes, these are hard times and harder times are clearly coming, but we must retain faith…not only for the world, but for Holy Church as well. All will be made right in the end. Patience and trust.

I am including here, some regular parts of the Mass, which speak so eloquently of times such as these.

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(Psalm 42)
P: Judge me, O God, and distinguish
my cause from the unholy nation,
deliver me from the unjust and
deceitful man.
S: For Thou, O God, art my strength,
why hast Thou cast me off? And why
do I go about in sadness, while the
enemy afflicts me?
P: Send forth Thy light and Thy truth:
they have conducted me and brought
me unto Thy holy mount, and into Thy
tabernacles.
S: And I will go unto the altar of God: to
God, Who gives joy to my youth.
P: I shall praise Thee upon the harp, O
God, my God. Why are you sad, O my
soul, and why do you disquiet me?
S: Hope in God, for I will still praise
Him, the salvation of my countenance,
and my God.

The Lord saith: I think thoughts of
peace, and not of affliction: you shall
call upon Me, and I will hear you; and
I will bring back your captivity from all
places. (Ps. 84: 2) Lord, Thou hast
blessed Thy land: Thou hast turned
away the captivity of Jacob.

O God, Who knowest us to be set in
the midst of dangers so great that, by
reason of the frailty of our nature, we
cannot always withstand; grant to us
health of mind and body, that being
helped by Thee, we may overcome
the things which we suffer for our
sins.

Thou hast delivered us, O Lord, from
them that afflict us: and hast put them
to shame that hate us. In God we will
glory all the day: and in Thy name we
will give praise forever. (Ps. 129: 1-2)

Alleluia, alleluia.

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my prayer.

Alleluia.

(Matthew 8:23-27)
At that time, when Jesus entered into
the boat, His disciples followed Him:
and behold a great tempest arose in
the sea, so that the boat was covered
with waves, but He was asleep. And
His disciples came to Him and awoke
Him, saying: Lord, save us, we
perish. And Jesus saith to them: Why
are you fearful, O ye of little faith?
Then rising up, He commanded the
winds and the sea, and there came a
great calm. But the men wondered,
saying: What manner of man is this,
for the winds and the sea obey him?

I have loved, O Lord, the
beauty of Thy house and the place
where Thy glory dwelleth. Destroy not
my soul, O God, with the wicked, nor
my life with men of blood. In whose
hands are iniquities, their right hand is
full with gifts. But I have walked in my
innocence: redeem me, and have
mercy on me. My foot has stood on
the right path; in the churches I will
bless Thee, O Lord.

P: Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O
Lord, from all evils, past, present, and
to come; and by the intercession of the
blessed and glorious ever-Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, together with Thy
blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, and
Andrew, and all the Saints, mercifully
grant peace in our days, that sustained
by the help of Thy mercy, we may be
always free from sin and secure from
all disturbance.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

P: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who said to
Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My
peace I give you; regard not my sins,
but the faith of Thy Church, and deign
to grant her peace and to unify her
according to Thy will.

What return shall I render unto the
Lord for all He has given me? I will
take the Chalice of salvation, and I will
call upon the name of the Lord.
Praising I will call upon the Lord, and I
shall be saved from my enemies.

Amen I say to you,

whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and it shall be done to you.

May Thy gifts, O God, detach us from
earthly pleasures, and ever
strengthen us with heavenly
refreshment.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of
men. And the light shineth in darkness,
and the darkness did not comprehend it…

That was the true light, which enlighteneth
every man that cometh into this world.
He was in the world, and the world was
made by Him, and the world knew Him
not. He came unto His own, and His
own received Him not. But as many as
received Him, He gave them power to
be made the sons of God, to them that
believe in His name. Who are born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God.

AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH,

and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory,

the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,

full of grace and truth.

Thanks be to God!

Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary with PDF

September 15th, from the Tridentine Mass:

There stood by the cross of Jesus,

His mother, and His mother's sister Mary
of Cleophas, and Salome, and Mary
Magdalen.

Woman, behold thy son, said Jesus.
To the disciple…Behold thy mother.

O God, at Whose Passion, according
to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of
sorrow pierced the most sweet soul of
the glorious Virgin and Mother Mary:
mercifully grant, that we who with
devotion honor her Sorrows, may
obtain the happy fruit of thy Passion.

Sorrowful and tearful art thou, O Virgin
Mary, standing by the cross of the
Lord Jesus, thy Son and Redeemer.

O Virgin Mother of God, He Whom the
whole earth containeth not, the Author
of life, made man, beareth this
anguish of the cross.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Holy Mary, Queen of Heaven and Mistress of the world,
stood by the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, sorrowing.

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At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
Through her heart His sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had pass'd.
Oh how sad and sore distress'd, Was that Mother highly blest,
Of the Sole-Begotten One!
Christ above in torment hangs, She beneath beholds the pangs,
Of her dying glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep? Whelmi'd in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold.
Can the human heart refrain, From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother's pain untold?
Bruis'd, derided, curs'd, defil'd, She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.
For the sins of His own nation, Saw Him hang in desolation,
Till His Spirit forth He sent.

O thou Mother font of love! Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with thine accord.
Make me feel as thou hast felt, Make my soul to glow and melt,
With the love of Christ our Lord.
Holy Mother pierce me through, In my heart each wound renew,
Of my Savior crucified.
Let me share with thee His pain, Who for all my sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with thee, Mourning Him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
By the Cross with thee to stay, There with thee to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of thee to give.
Virgin of all virgins best, Listen to my fond request,
Let me share thy grief divine.
Let me to my latest breath, In my body bear the death,
Of that dying Son of thine.

Wounded with His every wound, Steep my soul till it hath swoon'd,
In His very Blood away.

Be to me O Virgin nigh, Lest in flames I burn and die,
In His awful Judgment day.

Christ when Thou shalt call me hence, Be Thy Mother my defense,
Be Thy Cross my victory.
While my body here decays, May my soul Thy goodness praise,
Safe in paradise with Thee.

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Remember, O Virgin Mother of God,
when thou standest in the presence of
the Lord, that thou speak good things
for us and turn His wrath from us.

We offer Thee prayers and sacrifices,
O Lord Jesus Christ, humbly
entreating that we, who commemorate
in our prayers the piercing of the most
dear soul of blessed Mary, Thy
Mother, may, through the multiplied
intercession of her and of her holy
companions under the cross, by the
merits of Thy death, receive our
portion with the blessed.

Happy the senses of the blessed
Virgin Mary, which without death
earned the palm of martyrdom
beneath the cross of our Lord.

May the sacrifices of which we have
partaken, O Lord Jesus Christ,
devoutly celebrating the piercing of
Thy virgin Mother's soul, obtain for us
with Thy clemency the effect of every
salutary benefit.
Amen.

PDF (Printable) of Sequence

Pray with your Family or Church Group during this Month of Our Lady of Sorrows!