THE DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS (ST. MARY MAJOR); SAINT OSWALD (A.D. 642) King, Martyr; SAINT EMYGDIUS (303 A.D.) Martyr

   

St. Mary Major

Altar Canopy and Apse

THE DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH
OF OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS

[Wikipedia.org image]

SAINT OSWALD 
King, Martyr 

GREATER DOUBLE / WHITE

This church is also called St. Mary Major because it is, both in antiquity and dignity, the most eminent among churches in Rome dedicated to God in honor of the Blessed Virgin. A popular legend relates that the Mother of God herself chose the site of this church, indicating it by a miraculous fall of snow on this spot in summer. By the generosity of the devout Spanish sovereigns, the ceiling of the great nave of the church is covered with the first gold brought from the New World.

INTROIT

Hail, holy Parent, that didst bring forth the King who ruleth Heaven and earth for ever and ever.

Ps. 44:2. My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak of my works to the King.

V. Glory be . . . 

 

GLORIA 

COLLECT

Grant Your servants continual health of mind and body, O Lord God, and let the intercession of the blessed ever-Virgin Mary gain for us freedom from our present sorrow so that we may enjoy everlasting happiness. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT OSWALD
St. Oswald, king of Northumbria, assisted St. Aidan in spreading the Faith of Christ among his people. He died on the battlefield, when his country was invaded by the pagan Mercians, A.D. 642.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast made holy the sweet and blessed happiness of this day by the martyrdom of the blessed king Oswald, grant to our hearts an increase of Thy love, so that we may imitate his steadfastness unto death, whose glorious struggle for the faith we admire. Through our Lord . . . 

LESSON Eccl. 24:14-16 [Sirach]From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before him. And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints.

GRADUAL

Blessed and venerable art thou, O Virgin Mary, who without loss of purity wert found to be the Mother of our Savior. Virgin Mother of God, He whom the whole world cannot hold enclosed Himself in thy womb, and became man.

Alleluia, alleluia!

After His birth a Virgin entire thou didst remain, O Mother of God, intercede for us. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 11:27-28

And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: "Blessed is the womb that bore thee and the paps that gave thee suck." But he said: "Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Luke 1:28, 42

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

SECRET PRAYER

O Lord, through Your mercy and the intercession of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, let this offering bring us prosperity and peace now and forever. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT OSWALD
Receive our gifts and our prayers, we beseech Thee, O Lord, cleanse us by the heavenly Mysteries and mercifully hear us. Through our Lord . . .  

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

POSTCOMMUNION

O Lord, grant that we who have received the Sacrament of our salvation may be protected through the intercession of the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, in whose honor we have offered this Sacrifice to Your majesty. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT OSWALD
Grant, we beseech Thee, o Lord, our God, that as we rejoice on earth in keeping the memory of Thy saints, so also we may enjoy their company for evermore. Through our Lord . . . 

 

 

 SAINT EMYGDIUS

(304 A.D.)

Bishop, Martyr

[Historical]

SAINT EMYGDIUS

St. Emygdius, was consecrated bishop by Pope St. Marcellus, and sent thither to preach the Gospel.  He received the crown of martyrdom for the confession of Christ under Emperor Diocletian.
Emygdius was a very successful missionary to Trier, Germany. However, when he started smashing pagan idols, the non-converts revolted, and he had to flee to Rome for safety. When he returned to his mission, he was martyred by pagans before he could convert anyone else.
He died beheaded in the year c.303. Emygdius’ relics are at Ascoli Piceno, Italy.
He is a patron against earthquakes.

SAINT DOMINIC (1221 A.D.)

    

St Dominic and the Albigenses:
A 1480 painting by Pedro Berruguete of St Dominic checking for heresy by burning books
(Museo del Prado).

SAINT DOMINIC

Confessor

GREATER DOUBLE / WHITE
During the first years of the 13th century, Dominic de Guzman, a young Spanish priest of noble birth, won the permission of Pope Innocent III to labor among the Albigensian heretics in France. He brought thousands of heretics back to the Faith, and nine of his women converts became the first Dominican nuns of the Second Order. In 1210 Dominic obtained papal sanction for his preaching order of men, thus originating the revolutionary "mixed" vocation, at once monastic and active. With inspired boldness he dispersed his Friars Preachers to centers of civilization in Spain, France, Italy, and Central Europe. He died at Bologna in 1221, leaving to his religious family a strong theological character and the great ideal of leading souls to the freedom of God by instructing them in truth. Tradition records a beautiful spiritual friendship with his contemporary apostle-founder St. Francis of Assisi.

INTROIT Ps. 36:30-31
The mouth of the just man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justly. The law of God is in his heart.

Ps. 36:1. Be not envious of evil doers, nor jealous of those who do wrong.

V. Glory be . . .

 

GLORIA

 

COLLECT

O God, You have enlightened Your Church through the teaching and merits of the blessed confessor Dominic. May the Church never be deprived of help on earth, but always advance in spiritual growth through the intercession of Your saint. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE II Tim. 4:1-8

Beloved: I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming and his kingdom: Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill thy ministry. Be sober. For I am even now ready to be sacrificed: and the time of my dissolution is at hand. I have fought a good fight: I have finished my course: I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming.

GRADUAL Ps. 91:13, 14, 3

The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon in the house of the Lord.

V. That he may show forth Your mercy in the morning and Your truth throughout the night.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Osee 14:6

The just man shall blossom as the lily, and shall flourish forever before the Lord. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 12:35-40

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, "Let your loins be girt and lamps burning in your hands. And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you that he will gird himself and make them sit down to meat and passing will minister unto them. And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants. But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Be you then also ready: for at what hour you think not the Son of man will come."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 88:25

My truth and My mercy shall be with him; and in My name shall his power be exalted.

SECRET

Sanctify the offering we have dedicated to You, O Lord, so that it may restore us to health through the merits of Your blessed confessor Dominic. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Luke 12:42

A faithful and prudent steward, whom the master has set over his household to give them their ration of grain in due time.

POSTCOMMUNION

O Almighty God, may the intercession of Your blessed confessor Dominic sustain us who are weighed down by our sins. Through our Lord . . .

THE FINDING OF THE BODY OF SAINT STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR; SAINT LYDIA (1st C.)

   

 

Saint Stephen, depicted by Carlo Crivelli in 1476
with three stones and the martyrs' palm.

THE FINDING OF THE BODY OF
SAINT STEPHEN, THE FIRST
MARTYR

SAINT LYDIA

(1st Century)

[See below]

DOUBLE/RED
In the year 415 the precious relics of St. Stephen, the first martyr, were miraculously discovered by a priest near the city of Jerusalem. The Church commemorates this event by celebrating a second feast in honor of Stephen, a man aflame with the charity of the Holy Spirit. In our efforts to follow after Christ in loving our enemies, we can turn to this martyr who died praying for his murderers and crying out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not lay this sin against them" (Acts 7:60).

INTROIT (Ps. 118:23, 86, 23)
Princes met and spoke against me, and the wicked persecuted me. Help me, O Lord my God, because Your servant has followed Your commandments.
Ps. 118:1.Blessed are they who are undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
V. Glory Be . . .

GLORIA

COLLECT
O Lord, we celebrate the finding of his body, Stephen, who prayed for his persecutors. May we imitate this saint, whom we revere, and learn from him to love even our enemies. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son . . .

LESSON (Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-60)
In those days, Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people. Now there arose some, of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke. Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart: and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." And they, crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and with one accord ran violently upon him. And casting him forth without the city. they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: "Lord, lay not his sin to their charge": And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.

GRADUAL (Ps. 118:23, 86; 6:5)
Princes met and spoke against me, and the wicked persecuted me. V. Help me, O Lord my God! Save me for Your mercy's sake.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. (Acts 7:56)
I see the heavens opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of the power of God.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL (Matt. 23:34-39)
At that time, Jesus said to the scribes and pharisees,"Therefore behold I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes: and some of them you will put to death and crucify: and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. That upon you may come all the just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. Amen I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not? Behold, your house shall be left to you, desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see me henceforth till you say: 'Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.' "

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Acts 6:5; 7:59)
The Apostles chose Stephen, a Levite, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, whom the Jews stoned while he prayed and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Alleluia!

SECRET
O Lord, receive our offerings in memory of Your saints; and as they were made glorious by their suffering, may we be made sinless by our devotion. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Acts 7:56, 59, 60)
I see the heavens opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of the power of God. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, and lay not this sin against them.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, through the intercession of Your beloved martyr Stephen, may we be aided by the reception of the Blessed Sacrament and rejoice in Your everlasting protection. Through Our Lord . . 

THE FINDING OF ST. STEPHEN'S RELICS.

FEAST DAY: AUGUST 3RD

THIS second festival, in honor of the holy protomartyr St. Stephen, was instituted by the Church on the occasion of the discovery of his precious remains. His body lay long concealed, under the ruins of an old tomb, in a place twenty miles from Jerusalem, called Caphargamala, where stood a church which was served by a venerable priest named Lucian. In the year 415, on Friday, the 3d of December, about nine o'clock at night, Lucian was sleeping in his bed in the baptistery, where he commonly lay in order to guard the sacred vessels of the church. Being half awake, he saw a tall, comely old man of a venerable aspect, who approached Lucian, and, calling him thrice by his name, bid him go to Jerusalem and tell Bishop John to come and open the tombs in which his remains and those of certain other servants of Christ lay, that through their means God might open to many the gates of His clemency. This vision was repeated twice. After the second time, Lucian went to Jerusalem and laid the whole affair before Bishop John who bade him go and search for the relics, which, the Bishop concluded, would be found under a heap of small stones which lay in a field near his church. In digging up the earth here, three coffins or chests were found. Lucian sent immediately to acquaint Bishop John with this. He was then at the Council of Diospolis, and, taking along with him Eutonius, Bishop of Sebaste, and Eleutherius, Bishop of Jericho, came to the place. Upon the opening of St. Stephen's coffin, the earth shook, and there came out of the coffin such an agreeable odor that no one remembered to have ever smelled any thing like it. There was a vast multitude of people assembled in that place, among whom were many persons afflicted with divers distempers, of whom seventy-three recovered their health upon the spot. They kissed the holy relics, and then shut them up. The Bishop consented to leave a small portion of them at Caphargamala; the rest were carried in the coffin, with singing of psalms and hymns, to the Church of Sion at Jerusalem. The translation was performed on the 26th of December, on which day the Church hath ever since honored the memory of St. Stephen, commemorating the discovery of his relics on the 3d of August probably on account of the dedication of some church in his honor.

REFLECTION.-St. Austin, speaking of the miracles of St. Stephen, addresses himself to his flock as follows : "Let us so desire to obtain temporal blessings by his intercession that we may merit, in imitating him, those which are eternal."

 

The next morning the saints were again brought before their persecutor, who threatened them with many tortures. Then he ordered his servants to boil oil and sulphur in a huge copper pot, and to throw the holy martyrs into it. But when they were thrown in, right away the pot cooled off. Astonished at such a miracle, Amphilochius himself believed in Christ and, deciding to enter the pot, cried out: “O Lord, Jesus Christ, help me.” Straightaway a voice was heard, saying to him: “Thy prayer has been heard, enter fearlessly.” After learning of all this, the Emperor Hadrian, breathing wrath and fury, came from Rome to Illyria and ordered a pot filled with oil to be boiled for seven days and then the holy martyrs to be thrown into it. However, when the saints were thrown in, they remained whole and unharmed. After that the disgraced emperor returned to Rome, while the holy martyrs began to pray and thank God, and amid their prayers they gave up their souls to the Lord.

Reading from The Acts of the Apostles:

On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us.
-Acts 16:13-15

Holy Martyr Lydia [Historical] Saint Lydia, together with her husband, Philetas the Senator, and her two sons, Macedon and Theoprepius, were Christians from the city of Rome and lived during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 A.D.), a cruel persecutor of Christians. During one such persecution, Saint Lydia and her family members were seized and taken for interrogation by Hadrian. Unable to contradict the holy martyrs’ wise answers to his interrogation, Hadrian sent them to Illyria, to be tried by Amphilochius the Captain. The latter immediately ordered them to be hanged on a tree and their bodies scraped with knives, and afterwards to be thrown into prison. During the night, when the holy martyrs prayed and sang sacred hymns, an angel appeared before them and strengthened them for their forthcoming martyrdom.

 

 

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST; Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1787 A.D.); Saint Stephen I (257 A.D.); Our Lady of the Angels (The Portiuncula Indulgence)

    

 

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

  

 

Saint Alphonsus Mary Liguori

 

Saint Stephen I

[Commemoration]

SAINT ALPHONSUS MARY DE LIGUORI

Bishop and Doctor of the Church

SAINT STEPHEN I
Pope and Martyr

OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS

[Historical]

(The Portiuncula Indulgence)

[See below]

DOUBLE / GREEN

However great the gifts of nature or grace, however important the office that God entrusts to us, it is still only by the grace of God that we can do any good. The plain truth about our life and work is that from start to finish we depend upon God. Moreover, it is only by the grace of God that our sins are forgiven.
The grace of forgiveness and every other grace and favor given to men anywhere, have been won by the supreme humiliation of Christ in His crucifixion. Very rightly, then, we begin the Mass with Christ by confessing before heaven and earth that we have sinned. 

INTROIT Ps. 54:17, 18, 20, 23

When I called upon the Lord, He heard my voice and delived me from those who war against me. He humbled them, He who is from eternity and remains forever. Cast your care upon the Lord, and He will support you.

Ps. 54:2. Hearken, O God, to my prayer and turn not from my pleading; give heed to me, and answer me.

V. Glory be . . .

 

GLORIA 

COLLECT

O God, Your almighty power is made most evident in Your mercy and pity. Be even more merciful toward us, that we may aspire after Your promises and come to share Your heavenly rewards. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ALPHONSUS MARY DE LIGUORI

 O God, the burning zeal for souls which You kindled in the blessed confessor bishop Alphonsus Mary gave birth to a new congregation in the Church. May we learn from his helpful teaching and take courage from his example, so that with Your help we may come to You. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT STEPHEN I

Pope Stephen I reigned during the vicious persecutions of Valerian and Gallienus, and was forced even to conduct his Church councils in the martyrs' crypts. In 257, as he was finishing his Mass, his persecutors seized him and put him to death.

O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Stephen I shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this Martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE I Cor. 12:2-11

Brethren: You know that when you were heathens, you went to dumb idols, according as you were led. Wherefore, I give you to understand that no man, speaking by the Spirit of God, saith Anathema to Jesus. And no man can say "The Lord Jesus," but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all. And the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit. To one indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word of wisdom: and to another, the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: To another, faith in the same spirit: to another, the grace of healing in one Spirit: To another the working of miracles: to another, prophecy: to another, the discerning of spirits: to another, diverse kinds of tongues: to another, interpretation of speeches. But all these things, one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to every one according as he will.

GRADUAL Ps. 16:8, 2

Keep me as the apple of Your eye, O Lord; protect me under the shadow of Your wings.

V. Let my judgment come from You; let Your eyes behold what is right.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 64:2.

It is fitting to praise You in Sion, O God, and to fulfill our vow to You in Jerusalem. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 18:9-14

At that time, Jesus spoke this parable also to some who trusted in themselves as just and despised others. "Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: 'O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican. I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

CREED 

 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 24:1-3

I have lifted up my soul to You, O Lord; I place my trust in You, O my God. Let me not be put to shame, nor let my enemies exult over me. No one who waits for You shall be left in confusion.

SECRET

This Sacrifice was instituted by You, O Lord, to give glory to Your name. May we offer it in such a manner that we may find in it healing for our weaknesses. Through our Lord . . .

O God, Your almighty power is made most evident in Your mercy and pity. Be even more merciful toward us, that we may aspire after Your promises and come to share Your heavenly rewards. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ALPHONSUS MARY DE LIGUORI

Let our hearts be consumed by the flame of this sacrifice of heaven so that they may be a sweet fragrance to You, O Lord Jesus Christ, just as You enabled blessed Alphonsus to offer himself as a holy victim in the celebration of these sacred mysteries; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of SAINT STEPHEN

We have offered our gifts to You, O Lord. Let Your light graciously shine upon Your Church, so that this flock may everywhere prosper, and its pastors, under Your guidance, may be truly pleasing to You. Through our Lord . . .

 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 50:21

You shall be pleased with sacrifices which are Your due; with oblations and holocausts offered upon Your altar, O Lord.

Post Communion
We beseech You, O Lord our God, that in Your mercy You will not withhold Your help from those whom You constantly restore with divine sacraments.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

 

O God, Your almighty power is made most evident in Your mercy and pity. Be even more merciful toward us, that we may aspire after Your promises and come to share Your heavenly rewards. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ALPHONSUS MARY DE LIGUORI

O God, You made the blessed confessor bishop Alphonsus Mary a faithful minister and preacher of this Divine Sacrament. May his merits and prayers win for the faithful the grace to receive it frequently and join with him in singing its ceaseless praise. Through our Lord . . .

 

Commemoration of SAINT STEPHEN

O Lord, govern the Church, which You have been pleased to nourish with Your Heavenly Food. Guide her by Your powerful direction, so that she may enjoy greater freedom and remain unshaken in the fullness of faith. Through our Lord . . .

The Portiuncula Indulgence: August 2nd.

"The Portiuncula indulgence [given until the end of time!] is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis

petitioned for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, had been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence" (Source) See a more detailed history of the indulgence at the link below. The “Portiuncula” is a nickname of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, the church that St. Francis literally “rebuilt” at the beginning of his career and served as his base of operations.

Aug. 2 is the feast of Our Lady of the Angels. A plenary indulgence is available to anyone who will:1. Receive sacramental confession (8 days before of after)
2. Receive the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass on August 2nd
3. Enter a parish church and, with a contrite heart, pray the Our Father, Apostles Creed, and a prayer of his/her own choosing for the intentions of the Pope.
(To gain more than 1 plenary indulgence)
"toties quoties" Plenary Indulgence
According to "The Raccolta", 1957, the prayers for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff for the Portiuncula Indulgence consist of
"at least SIX TIMES Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be, at each visit".
(Sacred Penitentiary, July 10, 1924)
The prayers in the box are for a normal Plenary Indulgence; those in the Raccolta are for one obtained by visiting a SPECIFIC church on a SPECIFIC day.

Please tell every Catholic person you know that remission of the punishment for all sins committed from the day of baptism to the reception of the indulgence is available.

The Sunday Sermon Archive

Image via Wikipedia

http://friarsminor.org/sermons/portiuncula.html1.
The Portiuncula indulgence, which we can gain every year on the first Sunday of August, we owe to the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. In the year 513 four hermits who had visited the holy places in Palestine, came to Italy and settled down in Spoleto, in the vicinity of Assisium. There they built a little chapel, which afterwards came into the possession of the Benedictines and had various names, of which the most common was The Portiuncula church. The Benedictines held possession of it up to the thirteenth century. About that time there lived in Assisi a very pious and holy man, named Francis. In the year 1210 he founded a new Order, the Order of the Friars Minor, at present known throughout the whole world under the name of the Franciscan Order. As this saint esteemed poverty and lowliness above all, he greatly loved the poor little Portiuncula church and besought the Benedictine Abbot to let him and the brothers of his Order have the little church for their use, which request the Abbot cheerfully granted. From that date the little Portiuncula church, which in course of time was enlarged and beautified, has remained in the possession of the Franciscans.

It was in this little church that St. Francis implored of God the Portiuncula indulgence. One day (it was in October, 1221) while he was bitterly weeping in his cell over poor, unfortunate sinners, an angel suddenly appeared and told him that the Son of God in company with his Virgin Mother and a host of angels had visibly descended into the Portiuncula church and would permit him to appear before His throne of grace. Without delay the saint repaired to the little church and found there all as the angel had told him. Full of holy awe he threw himself upon his face and adored Jesus most profoundly. Jesus looked graciously upon him and permitted him to ask any favor, with the assurance of obtaining the object of his request. The saint took courage and begged that all sinners visiting the church and confessing their sins with a contrite heart might receive full pardon. Jesus replied to him: "Francis, you ask much, but I will favor you with greater things still; your prayer is granted, but go to my vicar, the Pope, and in my name ask for the indulgence which I have granted to you." The wonderful apparition disappeared; no one was more rejoiced than Francis. The next day in company with one of his brothers he hastened to Pope Honorius III. and, prostrate before him, besought him to proclaim that every one visiting the church and there confessing his sins with a contrite heart would be as pure from all sin and punishments as he was immediately after baptism. Honorius was astonished at this strange petition, and hesitated to grant it. But Francis said: "What I ask, I do not ask of myself; our Lord Jesus Christ sends me to you and commands me to make this request." The Pope having been convinced of the truth of his speech, granted his petition and ordered that the little church should be solemnly consecrated and the indulgence proclaimed for the second day of August. From that time pilgrims from all parts of the world flocked to the Portiuncula church in order to gain the indulgence, and numberless were the conversions which occurred at that shrine of grace. In order to make this indulgence more accessible to the faithful, the Popes subsequently extended it to all the churches of the Franciscans. Afterwards it was extended to all parish churches, and the first Sunday of August was appointed as the day for gaining it.

Moreover, let us consider that it is St. Francis that appeals to this apparition as a fact, and upon the strength of it asks of the Pope the confirmation of the indulgence. Who could believe that this saint would have made himself guilty of such a base misrepresentation, that he would allege an apparition with which he had not been favored? How could this be reconciled with the character of a man who was so sincere and humble and who scarcely knew dissimulation by name? Or how could God have favored this saint, if he had been an impostor, with so many miracles and even with the sacred marks of his wounds?

Finally, the disciples and contemporaries of St. Francis confirm these apparitions. The learned and pious Pope Benedict XIV. says: "This history (of the Portiuncula indulgence) is fully proved by the testimony of Peter Galvani, who heard St. Francis preach and announce the said indulgence, as also by the testimony of two members of the Order., who related that in the year 1277 they heard the whole history from Father Matthew, the companion of St. Francis. Besides, the Church herself vouches for the reality of these apparitions and of everything connected with them, since she has sanctioned the indulgence and even to this day exhorts the faithful to gain it. The Portiuncula indulgence is of course a plenary indulgence. He who gains it obtains the remission of all the temporal punishments that he would be obliged to atone for either here or in Purgatory, and can, if he sins no more, go immediately to heaven after his death. Certainly this is a great grace, which the Portiuncula indulgence has in common with all other plenary indulgences. But this indulgence has some prerogatives which other plenary indulgences have not, and we will now consider them.
1. The Portiuncula indulgence is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis petitioned for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, bad been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence.

2. This indulgence comes immediately from Christ and was granted by Him in person. It is true, all indulgences have their origin from Christ; for it is to his merits we owe not only the remission of sin and of eternal punishment but also the remission of temporal punishment, therefore indulgences have their origin in Him. Again, it is He who gave to St. Peter and his successors the plenary power of binding and loosing, therefore also the power of granting indulgences, in these words: "Whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." Mall. 16: 19. Every indulgence, therefore, that the Pope grants, comes from Christ, not immediately, however, as is the case with the Portiuncula indulgence, which St. Francis obtained from Christ himself, the Pope only confirming it. On account of its origin the Portiuncula indulgence is more venerable than other indulgences.

3. This indulgence is granted for all time to come, i. e., until the consummation of the world. In the primitive ages of Christianity it was not customary to grant indulgences for ever, they could be gained only during a certain period. It was with them as it is with our jubilee indulgences, which are limited to a certain time, and which, after the lapse of that space of time, cannot be gained. When St. Francis preached in the Portiuncula church in the presence of several bishops, and solemnly announced to the assembled people the indulgence granted by Christ and confirmed by his vicar on earth, the Pope, and added that this indulgence could be gained on the first Sunday of August for all time to come, the bishops were shocked at this addition and would have it only for ten years. They therefore raised their voice and were going to say, only for ten years, but miraculously guided by God, they unanimously cried out, for all time to come! The Portiuncula, indulgence, which has already continued for more than six hundred years, will continue till the end of the world, and even shortly before the coming of Christ to judgment this indulgence could still be gained.

4. The Portiuncula indulgence is comparatively easy to be gained. In all other indulgences several conditions are to be complied with, if we wish to gain them. He who wishes to gain a Jubilee indulgence must visit either several churches, or one church several times, fast a certain number of days, and give alms. He who wishes to gain a confraternity indulgence must belong to the confraternity and diligently keep its rules. Thus, for instance, the members of the Rosary confraternity must say the whole Rosary of fifteen decades, in order to gain the indulgences of the confraternity. All these more or less difficult conditions are not necessary for the Portiuncula indulgence; all that is required to gain it is worthily to receive the Sacraments of Penance and of the Blessed Eucharist and to say in a church of the Franciscans or in the parish church the customary prayers for an indulgence. What could be easier than the gaining of this indulgence? How would it be possible for our divine Savior to require less of us in order to remit to us not only sin and eternal punishment, but even all temporal punishments?

5. Finally, what distinguishes the Portiuncula, indulgence especially from all others is, that on the day on which it is granted, it can be gained not only once, but oftener. You can gain other indulgences only once on the same day, but the Portiuncula indulgence you can gain on the first Sunday of August, and that, too, as often as on that day you visit a church of the Franciscans, or the parish church, and there pray for some time according to the intention of the Holy Father. The Congregation of the Council has twice so decided, on the 17th of July, 1700, and again on the 4th of December, 1723. In fact, when doubts were submitted to the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences as to whether the faithful who visit a church of the Franciscans on the first Sunday of August can obtain the indulgence as often as the visit is repeated, the answer was in the affirmative, February 22nd, 1847, and it was declared at the same time that it is not necessary to receive Communion in any of the churches of the Franciscans. Pope Pius IX. confirmed these decisions by a decree of the same Congregation, dated July 12th, 1849. It is indeed true that on one day we can gain a plenary indulgence for ourselves only once, but this does not interfere with the doctrine that the Portiuncula indulgence can be gained more that once on the same day, for we may apply it to the souls in purgatory, if we gain it the second and the third time, etc.
PERORATION.
The Portiuncula indulgence then is a great grace of which we should avail ourselves every year. Try to gain it. See above all, that you make a humble, contrite and sincere confession, for a good confession is the first and most necessary requisite for the forgiveness of sins and the gaining of the indulgence. Receive Holy Communion with the most profound humility and adoration. Say the prayers for an indulgence with devotion and sentiments of repentance, according to the intention of the Holy Father, and relying on the merits of Jesus Christ, on the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Francis, and the other saints, beseech God with confidence to impart to you the indulgence and to deliver you from all temporal punishments. Promise to be thankful to him for this grace all the days of your life by carefully keeping your conscience free from even small faults. Visit the church several times and after repeating the prayers for an indulgence apply it to the poor souls that they may partake of the grace thereof. Thus the Portiuncula indulgence will be to you a key with which you will open heaven, both for yourselves and for many poor souls. Amen.