The Nativity of Mary - St. Anselm's Prayer

 

Ancient Prayer In Honour of Our Lady’s Nativity by St. Anselm

Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine enemies, and against the enemy of the whole human race. Give me strength humbly to pray to thee. Give me strength to praise thee in prayer with all my powers, through the merits of thy most sacred nativity, which for the entire Christian world was a birth of joy, the hope and solace of its life.

When thou wast born, O most holy Virgin, then was the world made light.

Happy is thy stock, holy thy root, and blessed thy fruit, for thou alone as a virgin, filled with the Holy Spirit, didst merit to conceive thy God, as a virgin to bear Thy God, as a virgin to bring Him forth, and after His birth to remain a virgin.

Have mercy therefore upon me a sinner, and give me aid, O Lady, so that just as thy nativity, glorious from the seed of Abraham, sprung from the tribe of Juda, illustrious from the stock of David, didst announce joy to the entire world, so may it fill me with true joy and cleanse me from every sin.

Pray for me, O Virgin most prudent, that the gladsome joys of thy most helpful nativity may put a cloak over all my sins.

O holy Mother of God, flowering as the lily, pray to thy sweet Son for me, a wretched sinner.

A Mother's Prayer to Her Children's Guardian Angels

 

I humbly salute you, O you faithful, heavenly friends of my children! I give you heartfelt thanks for all the love and goodness you show them. At some future day I shall, with thanks more worthy than I can now give, repay your care for them, and before the whole heavenly court acknowledge their indebtedness to your guidance and protection. Continue to watch over them. Provide for all their needs of body and soul. Pray, likewise, for me, for my husband, and my whole family, that we may all one day rejoice in your blessed company.

Amen.

The Incredible Final Journey of Father Mike

 

Dr. John Lerma, in his book Into the Light: Real Life Stories About Angelic Visits, Visions of the Afterlife, and Other Pre-Death Experiences, recounts his interactions with an elderly priest he identifies only as “Fr. Mike.” It is a fascinating story for all of us, particularly as we enter the season of Lent with penance and reparation on our minds.

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Fr. Mike was a Catholic priest dying of severe neck and head cancer at M.D. Anderson Medical Center in Houston. He was missing an eye from the cancer and suffering intense pain, yet he refused any pain medication. Dr. Lerma, his attending physician, recalled Fr. Mike instructing him on the Catholic group Opus Dei's beliefs about pain and suffering. Fr. Mike felt his suffering would help countless souls worldwide, including other hospice patients. Though it went against his medical training, Dr. Lerma honored Fr. Mike's desire to feel his pain raw and unmodified.

 Despite describing his pain as unbearable, Fr. Mike maintained a joyful spirit, insisting he felt only love for God. He spoke of seeing angels dressed in white and said they were working on projects to spread optimism globally. Fr. Mike believed focusing too much on negative news darkens the soul and “puts us in a position to develop fear and judgment of others.” He also talked frequently about unconditional love and said random acts of kindness could stop wars and change the world. He cautioned that technology without God could destroy humanity but could also be a great good if controlled by people who were close to Christ. He saw prayer, knowledge, self-sacrifice, love, and joy as the keys to life.

 When Fr. Mike slipped into a coma, Dr. Lerma described him as glowing with incredible peace despite a racing heartbeat and labored breathing. On the day of his death a few days later, an ominous storm raged over the region, with the worst of it, it seemed, right over the hospital. When Dr. Lerma arrived in the hospice wing after being paged about Fr. Mike's passing, the lights were flickering on and off, yet there was “an incredible sense of peace in the midst of the chaos.” The nurse and secretary said they saw a bright light shine from Fr. Mike's room, making them think that the overhead lights were coming back on. But the most incredible event that happened, and which was witnessed by all, was that each time the lights pulsed, feathers fluttered down from the ceiling like snowflakes, vanishing as soon as they landed. Attending nurses also said they saw a glowing orb exit the priest’s body, circle the bed, and fly away. Moments later, the lights came back on.

 When Dr. Lerma went into the priest’s room, Fr. Mike still wore a striking smile, his palms were open, and he seemed downright blissful in death. Later, the dean of the Catholic university where Fr. Mike was once the president, reported similar electrical disturbances and falling feathers at their offices right around the time those things were happening at the hospital. The dean noted Fr. Mike had collected feathers from around the world throughout his life and kept them in a jar in his office. After the disturbances were over, the dean went to the priest’s office and discovered that the jar of feathers was empty.

Homilies and the Heavenly Hosts

 

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It has long been a practice of many priests in the Church to call on their guardian angel for assistance before preaching or giving a sermon. St. Francis de Sales would greet the guardian angels of all those at Mass so that they might help him to preach in a way that would inspire the faithful to holiness and conversion. Dominican preachers were also known to begin their sermons by silently praying to the guardian angels of their listeners, seeking their intercession so that their words would have a real impact.

In an interview in which he discussed his belief in the need to revive the practice of private devotions, particularly devotion to the angels, Fr. Basil Cole, OP, Professor Emeritus at the Dominican House of Studies, recalled an interesting personal experience that drew on the traditions of his predecessors.

During a parish mission, Father Cole prayed to the angels of his congregants before delivering his prepared homily. To his surprise, the sermon he delivered deviated considerably from his original outline. However, the impact was profound. Penitents lined up for the sacrament of reconciliation afterward, attributing their presence to the sermon they heard. “I'm here,” said one person after another, “because of that sermon.”

Since that experience, Father Cole has consistently sought the assistance of the angels before teaching or preaching. He is certain that it improves the effectiveness of his ministry.

So, if you find yourself particularly inspired by the next homily you hear, it could be partly the doing of your guardian angel.