Prayer to Consecrate the New Year to Jesus

 

Jeremiah 29:11

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 

Welcoming the New Year
SUPPLICATION AND RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR
O Eternal Father, after having thanked thy infinite bounty for thy exceeding benefits in the past, we humbly implore pardon for our manifold sins and negligences, for the time we have consumed and wasted in vanities and in things that profit not unto salvation, and for the woeful want of correspondence with Thy graces which we have so habitually manifested.
But filled with confidence in Thy mercy, so lavishly displayed in a multitude of ways, we ask Thy blessings upon our good purposes and resolutions. For now we renew the sacred promises we made in Baptism, when we first became Thy children and heirs of the heavenly kingdom, and we renounce Satan with all his works and pomps.
Firmly convinced that the salvation of our immortal souls is the one great business of life, the purpose for which we have come into the world, we solemnly resolve for the future not only to do all in our power to avoid every grievous sin in thought, word, and deed but also to shun every unnecessary occasion that might imperil our souls. We further resolve to fulfill with greater exactness and fidelity the duties of our station in life, to give more attention to our progress in things spiritual, to be more devoted to holy Mass, to receive the Sacraments more frequently, and to pray more often and more fervently.
Bless, O my God, these good resolutions which we offer to Thee at this, the threshold of a new year. Give us Thy precious grace and make us truly wise. The days and years of our life are passing so swiftly away. Help us, in Thy mercy, to utilize them, as we ought to do, for Thy greater honor and glory, for the good of our neighbor, and for our sanctification. The night cometh in which no man can work longer; soon, at best, we shall have to appear before Thee to render an account of our stewardship. May we then be found worthy to receive from Thee that divine welcome: "Well done, good and faithful servants, enter into the joy of thy Lord."
PRAYER TO CONSECRATE THE NEW YEAR
O Sweet Savior of my Soul! From the depths of my heart I salute Thee at the beginning of this year. O my Infant Savior, I most confidently approach Thy crib and implore Thee to give efficacy by Thy Precious Blood to the resolutions I now make, of living from this moment in the manner I shall wish to have done when time shall be about to close forever on me.
May each action of the coming year be offered in union with the adorable actions of Thy mortal life; may every intention be renounced save that of laboring for Thy love and glory. O merciful Jesus! By the helplessness of Thy Holy Infancy, strengthen my weakness and fortify my resolution nevermore to offend Thee. Amen.


Plenary Indulgence reminder: Te Deum

A plenary indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who, in a church or in an oratory, are present [take part] in a recitation or solemn chant of: ...
2° the Te Deum hymn, on the last day of the year, in thanksgiving to God for the favors received in the course of the entire year.

Gratias agimus tibi, omnipotens Deus,
pro universis beneficiis tuis,
qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

HYMN OF THANKSGIVING
(Te Deum)

Holy God, we praise Thy name!
Lord of all, we bow before Thee!
All on earth Thy scepter claim,
All in heav'n above adore Thee:
Infinite Thy vast domain,
Everlasting is Thy reign.
Hark! The loud celestial hymn,
Angel choirs above are raising!
Cherubim and seraphim,
In unceasing chorus praising,
Fill the heavens with sweet accord;
Holy, holy, holy Lord.
Holy father, holy Son,
Holy Spirit, three we name Thee,
While in essence only one,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.

V. Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Ghost.
R. Let us praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Let us Pray
O God, Whose mercy is without measure and the treasure of Whose goodness is infinite, we give thanks to Thy most comforting Majesty for the gifts conferred upon us, and we beg Thee continually through Thy clemency, that Thou Who grantest the request of those who ask Thee, mayest not abandon them now but rather dispose them for future rewards. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

500th anniversary of the excommunication of arch-heretic, Martin Luther

Saint Thomas writes that Saint Augustine,, in the book De verb. Dom., Considers as blasphemy or sin against the Holy Spirit the final impenitence, that is, the permanence in mortal sin until death.

By Mark Thomas

Rorate Caeli

This Sunday, January 3, 2021, is the 500^th anniversary of the excommunication of Martin Luther as a heretic and schismatic – the greatest damage ever done to the Holy Catholic Church. He died unrepentant, without the sacraments and outside the One True Church.

Yes, Pope Leo X, who issued the excommunication decree and the previous Exsurge Domine warning (6/15/1520) to Luther, had a mixed record of papal righteousness – but in this event he is nearly unsurpassed and fairly vindicated. 

In this writer's view, these documents are two of the most formidable, necessary and courageous decrees emanating from the Chair of Peter, defending the Holy Roman Catholic Church from doctrinal attack. They were subsequently, fully upheld by the Council of Trent – also one of the greatest Councils in Church history – to which we owe very much, especially on the Eucharist!

We still face great danger. With Luther, there was no warning, just 95 absurd theses appearing out of thin air. 

Here today, we had a warning in 1917 at Fatima. “Russia will spread her errors throughout the world,” did Our Lady alert the three children and us Catholics. 

We feel these effects today – a far more serious warning than Luther. In full deference to Our Lady and the Most Holy Trinity – it is extremely doubtful (despite assertions to the contrary) that the full, correct Consecration to Russia was done; or that the decisive 3^rd Secret text was totally revealed. 

The errors, it is said, will lead to “The Great Apostasy.” There seems no appetite in the Vatican, at any level, to humbly accept and remedy those grave errors. Rather, a desire to hurtle into the future with Pachamama; Amazon Culture; ecology; and global secular solutions – as moral virtue is completely ignored and vocations and faithful Catholics disappear at record speeds.

Will the Church (and our Country) continue its decline? Will we still continue to receive God’s Divine Mercy and Graces? Are we due for a severe Divine Chastisement? 

I am not going to advance an opinion here – only to charitably say, we would all do well to place our own souls in a state of grace, and urge our families, friends and others to do the same. 

And Pray. God is very good.

Prophecies of Hildegard of Bingen about the time of the Son of Perdition:

and there will be so many heresies that heretics will preach their errors openly and certainly; and there shall be so much doubt and incertitude in the Catholic faith of Christians that men shall be in doubt of what God they invoke...

Bergoglio supported gay adoptions in Argentina, and profaned the sacrament of baptism

Bergoglio repeats the heresy of the 'Crossbreed the Incarnation' of Eutchyes who was condemned as a heretic and excommunicated.

Indigenous priest who receives Bergoglio's support relies on the Amazonian's Instrumentum Laboris to violate the First Commandment and commit apostasy

Cardinal Burke: Amazon synod working doc is ‘apostasy’, cannot become Church teaching

Apostate nun push homosexuality: Protecting Amazon Means Protecting Homosexuals

Several times in Argentina Bergoglio stopped celebrating the Christmas Mass to celebrate Christmas Eve with Talmudic Jews 

The apostate Bergoglio proposes as a model for priest his Marxist friend, "Fr." Lucio Gera, the greatest exponent of the so-called People’s Theology in the letter to priests for the anniversary of St. John Vianney

The unrepentant Marxist Ernesto Cardenal rehabilitated by Bergoglio continues to celebrate sacrilegious masses in his house

In 2006, Dr. Antonio Caponnetto denounced Bergoglio's betrayal as a Collaborationist of the Marxist subversives in Argentina.

Bergoglio is confirming the Sodomites in their vice in rebellion against God

Trump Honors Catholic Martyr St. Thomas Becket For Defense Of Religious Liberty

President Trump praised Saint Thomas Becket as a “lion of religious liberty.”

DailyCaller

• President Donald Trump declared Dec. 29 the anniversary of the Catholic martyr St. Thomas Becket, hailing the 12th century English bishop as “a lion of religious liberty” in a proclamation.
• “Thomas Becket’s death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an essential element of our liberty,” the proclamation said. 
• “It is our priceless treasure and inheritance. And it was bought with the blood of martyrs.” 

“For the Name of Jesus and the protection of the Church I am ready to embrace death.”

President Donald Trump declared Dec. 29 the anniversary of the Roman Catholic martyr St. Thomas Becket, honoring the 12th century English bishop as “a lion of religious liberty.”

“Thomas Becket’s death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an essential element of our liberty,” the president’s proclamation said. “It is our priceless treasure and inheritance. And it was bought with the blood of martyrs.”

The president highlighted Archbishop Becket’s martyrdom in a proclamation issued Monday, describing how knights of King Henry II of England murdered the Catholic saint in his own church after he refused to acknowledge the king as his supreme ruler.

“His last words on this earth were these,” the proclamation said, “‘For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.’ Dressed in holy robes, Thomas was cut down where he stood inside the walls of his own church.” (RELATED: Biden’s HHS Pick Once Said Religious Institutions Don’t Merit The Same Freedoms As Individuals)

The president’s proclamation heralds Becket as the precursor to “numerous constitutional limitations on the power of the state over the Church across the West,” particularly the Magna Carta, which declared that “[T]he English church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished and its liberties unimpaired.” (RELATED: Supreme Court Ruling Sends A Message Churches Can’t Be Treated Like ‘Second Class’ Citizens, Legal Experts Say)

“It is because of great men like Thomas Becket that the first American President George Washington could proclaim more than 600 years later that, in the United States, ‘All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship’ and that ‘it is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights,'” the proclamation said.

Trump invited “the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches and customary places of meeting with appropriate ceremonies in commemoration of the life and legacy of Thomas Becket” through the proclamation, and highlighted “brave and inspiring shepherds” such as Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong and Calvinist Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu, who was imprisoned by the Chinese government.

“To honor Thomas Becket’s memory, the crimes against people of faith must stop, prisoners of conscience must be released, laws restricting freedom of religion and belief must be repealed, and the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed must be protected,” the president’s proclamation said. “The tyranny and murder that shocked the conscience of the Middle Ages must never be allowed to happen again. As long as America stands, we will always defend religious liberty.”

“A society without religion cannot prosper,” the proclamation added. “A nation without faith cannot endure — because justice, goodness, and peace cannot prevail without the grace of God.”

The president’s comments come amidst several high profile religious freedom disputes that have come to a head during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lawmakers across the United States have issued orders restricting or prohibiting religious services to slow the spread of the disease. The Department of Justice and Attorney General William Barr have repeatedly fought against such restrictions, warning that  “even in times of emergency,” federal law prohibits religious discrimination.

St. Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury

by Father Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876  

Proclamation on 850th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket Pray for Us. 

 

Prayer to Saint Thomas Becket, Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury

Great Saint Thomas, Bishop, Priest, Martyr, and sacrificial lamb for the Faith, pray for us.

You who were a fearless Shepherd of the people of God, pray for us to have courage in all the circumstances of our lives, to living according to the light that your example gives to our consciences. May we be faithful unto death, as you were. May we always seek God’s Holy will in our lives.

Saint Thomas, many were brought to you for healing both in your lifetime and especially after your martyrdom, please hear and accept my prayers  for:

       (Names)

We pray for the living and the dead:

      (Names)

 confident that you who now stand before Gods Holy Throne will intercede for us and draw us closer to Christ.

 St Thomas pray for us that in Him, and With Him, we may live and move and have our being.

 Amen.

 

 Composed 2015 by a Poor Clare Cloistered Nun

Prayer for Parents to St. John

 

                       Saint John the beloved disciple of Christ

St. John, chosen and favored disciple of our Lord, selected as the son of His sorrowful Mother, how great your privilege of being allowed to repose on the bosom of Jesus at the Last Supper, and to stand beneath the cross, there to receive Mary for your spiritual Mother! O happy disciple! How did you deserve such great prerogatives and favors? The whole Christian Church knows and acknowledges that it was your carefully guarded virginal purity which made you worthy of the special love of Jesus Christ; and that it was your ardent love and filial reverence toward His Blessed Mother that strengthened your heart to persevere to the end in the way of His holy cross. 

O happy child of our dear Lady, how greatly I desire that my children and I may resemble you in purity of heart, in love for Jesus, and in devotion towards His Virgin Mother! In you do we place our trust. You will obtain for us this threefold grace. By your intercession you will dispose the Divine Mercy to pour out these graces into our hearts also. You are so highly favored by our Divine Master, He can refuse you nothing, least of all the graces He has so lavishly bestowed upon you. We confidently hope for these graces through your intercession, O chaste disciple of Jesus and devoted son of Mary! When you have obtained them for us, you must likewise watch over them, that we may never again lose them during our whole life. O pure St. John, obtain our request for the honor of Jesus and Mary and your own eternal praise! Amen.

Homily of St. Augustine

from the Roman Breviary

"At that time: Jesus said to Peter Follow me. Turning round, Peter saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved (John the Apostle)."--John 21, 19-24 

The Church recognizes two lives which Divinity himself has revealed and recommended. One is the life of faith, the other the life of vision; one the life of pilgrimage, the other life in the mansions of eternity; one the life of labor, the other the life of rest; one the life of the journey, the other the life of home; one the life of action, the other the life of contemplation. The one avoids evil and does good, the other knows no evil to avoid, but only a great good to enjoy. The one fights with the enemy, the other, having no enemy, reigns.

The one aids the needy, the other is where no needy are; the one forgives the trespasses of others that its own might be forgiven, the other has neither trespasses to forgive nor does anything which calls for forgiveness. The one is scourged with evils, lest it be made presumptuous by prosperity; the other possesses such a fullness of grace that it is without evil. Free from any temptation to pride, it adheres to the Supreme Good.

Wherefore one life is good, but as yet full of sorrows; the other is better, yea even blessed. The first is typified by the Apostle Peter, the other by John. The one life endures all labors up to the end of its alotted time, and there finds an end; the other, having fulfilled all things, stretches beyond the end of time, and in eternity finds no end. So, to Peter is said: "Follow me." Of the other, however; "If I wish him to remain until I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me." What is the meaning of this? How much can I know of it? How much can I understand? What is it?--unless this: "You are to follow me, imitating me in suffering temporal evils. Let him remain until I come, bringing eternal rewards." 

http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/

Indulgenced Prayer to St. John, the Apostle

 

O Glorious Apostle, who, on account of thy virginal purity, wast so beloved by Jesus as to deserve to lay thy head upon his divine breast, and to be left, in his place, as son to his most holy Mother; I beg thee to inflame me with a most ardent love towards Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me from our Lord that I, too, with a heart purified from earthly affections, may be made worthy to be ever united to Jesus as a faithful disciple, and to Mary as a devoted son, both here on earth and eternally in heaven. Amen.

(Indulgence 200 days, once a day, Leo XIII, 1897)

December 27th the Feast Day of
St. John the Apostle

It is God Whom we adore at Bethlehem at Christmastime. Thus it was natural that St. John, the chief Evangelist of the Divinity of Christ, should be found beside the crib, to disclose the greatness of the Infant Who reposes therein.

It is to him that Jesus wished to entrust His Mother when Joseph will have passed away. The liturgy therefore, likes to show together, beside the Child and His Mother, him whom the Gospel calls the Apostle the Just Man, and whom the Church today honors with the same title.

The Infant God in the crib gathers around Him pure souls; Mary is the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph the chaste spouse, St. Stephen the first martyr who washes his robe in the blood of the Lamb. Now behold St. John, the virgin apostle. Crowned with the halo of those who knew how to conquer their flesh, for this reason he became "the disciple whom Jesus loved, and whom also leaned on His breast at supper." Thanks to his angelic purity, he imbibed that wholesome wisdom of which the Epistle speaks and which won for him the halo of Doctor.

It is to St. John who wrote a Gospel, three Epistles and the Apocalypse that we owe the most beautiful pages on the Divinity of the Word made flesh; and it is for this reason that he is symbolized by the eagle which sores in the heights. Finally he received the halo of martyr, since he only escaped a violent death by that special protection of which the Gospel speaks and which made man believe that the beloved disciple would not die. Actually, he did not depart this life until all of the other Apostles passed away. His name is mentioned with theirs in the cannon of the mass.

(St. Andrew's Daily Missal)

 

When Padre Pio celebrated Christmas the baby Jesus would miraculously appear

 

WITNESSES ATTEST TO SEEING A VISION OF THE BABY JESUS IN THE ARMS OF PADRE PIO.

Aleteia

St. Padre Pio loved Christmas. He held a special devotion to the Baby Jesus ever since he was a child.

According to Capuchin priest Fr. Joseph Mary Elder, “At his home in Pietrelcina, he prepared the crib himself. He would often begin working on it as early as October. While pasturing the family’s sheep with friends, he would search for clay to use to fashion the small statues of shepherds, sheep, and the magi. He took particular care in crafting the infant Jesus, making and re-making it continually until he felt he had it just right.”

This devotion remained with him during his entire life. In a letter to spiritual daughter, he wrote, “When the Holy Novena begins in honor of the Baby Jesus, it felt as though my spirit were being born again to a new life. I felt as though my heart were too small to embrace all our heavenly blessings.”

Midnight Mass in particular was a joyous celebration for Padre Pio, who celebrated it every year, taking many hours to carefully celebrate the Holy Mass. His soul was lifted up to God with great joy, a joy that others could easy see.

Additionally, witnesses have recounted how they would see Padre Pio holding the Baby Jesus. This was not a porcelain statue, but the Baby Jesus himself in a miraculous vision.

Renzo Allegri recounts the following story.

We were reciting the rosary while waiting for the Mass. Padre Pio was praying with us. All of a sudden, in an aura of light, I saw the Baby Jesus appear in his arms. Padre Pio was transfigured, his eyes gazing upon the glowing child in his arms, his face transformed by an astonished smile. When the vision disappeared, Padre Pio realized from the way I was looking at him that I had seen everything. But he drew close to me and told me not to mention it to anyone.

A similar story is told by Fr. Raffaele da Sant’Elia, who lived next to Padre Pio for many years.

I had got up to go to the church for the Midnight Mass of 1924. The corridor was huge and dark, and the only illumination was the flame of a small oil lamp. Through the shadows I could see that Padre Pio, too, was making his way to the church. He had left his room and was making his way slowly along the corridor. I realized he was swathed in a band of light. I took a better look and saw that he had the Baby Jesus in his arms. I just stood there, transfixed, in the doorway of my room, and fell to my knees. Padre Pio passed by, all aglow. He didn’t even notice I was there.

These supernatural events highlight the deep and abiding love of Padre Pio for God. His love was further marked by simplicity and humility, with a heart wide open to receive whatever heavenly graced God had planned for him.

May we too open our hearts to receive the Baby Jesus on Christmas day and let God’s unfathomable love overcome us with Christian joy.

IN URGENT NEED NOVENA TO THE INFANT OF PRAGUE     

A NINE-HOUR NOVENA TO THE INFANT OF PRAGUE. IT CAN BE DONE IN ONE DAY BY PRAYING AT THE SAME TIME EVERY HOUR FOR NINE CONSECUTIVE HOURS. OR IT CAN ALSO BE DONE OVER NINE DAYS.

Jesus, You said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.”

Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I knock, I seek. I ask that my prayer be granted.

(Make your request.)

Jesus, You said, “All that you ask of the Father in My name, He will grant you.”

Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Your Father in Your Name that my prayer be granted.

(Make your request.)

Jesus, You said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass.”

Through the intercession of Mary, Your holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.

(Make your request.)

St. Thérèse’s Christmas Conversion

 

“God would have to work a little miracle to make me grow up in an instant.” –St. Therese of Lisieux

In her school years, St. Therese had a sensitive personality. However, on Christmas in 1886 the Lord performed an unforgettable miracle that brought her to the third and most beautiful period of her life.

Grace intervened to change her life. On Christmas day in 1886, the fourteen-year-old hurried home from Midnight Mass at Saint Peter's Cathedral. In France, young children left their shoes by the hearth at Christmas, and then parents would fill them with gifts. By fourteen, most children outgrew this custom. But her sister Céline didn't want Thérèse to grow up. So they continued to leave presents in "baby" Thérèse's shoes.

As she and Céline climbed the stairs to take off their hats, their father's voice rose up from the parlor below. Standing over the shoes, he sighed, "Thank goodness that's the last time we shall have this kind of thing!" Thérèse froze, and her sister looked at her helplessly. Céline knew that in a few minutes Thérèse would be in tears over what her father had said.

But the tantrum never came. Something incredible had happened to Thérèse. Jesus had come into her heart and done what she could not do herself. He had made her more sensitive to her father's feelings than her own.

She swallowed her tears, walked slowly down the stairs, and exclaimed over the gifts in the shoes, as if she had never heard a word her father said. The following year she entered the convent. In her autobiography she referred to this Christmas as her "conversion."

The holy Child's strength supplanted her weakness. The strong character she had had at the age of four and a half was suddenly restored to her. A ten-year struggle had ended. Her tears had dried up. Freed at last from herself, she embarked on her "Giant's Race." "My heart was filled with charity. I forgot myself to please others and, in doing so, became happy myself." Now, she could fulfill her dream of entering the Carmel as soon as possible to love Jesus and pray for sinners.

The Miracle of the First Christmas Manger in 1223

 

TFP Student Action

The beautiful custom of setting up mangers to commemorate the birth of the Infant Jesus was started by Saint Francis of Assisi.

The First Creche

It was the year 1223. Saint Francis went to Rome to obtain from Pope Honorius III authorization to celebrate Christmas in a totally new way. Saint Francis chose a forest in the vicinity of the village of Greccio, in the region of Umbria, not too far from Rome, where a good friend of his lived, the noble Giovanni Velita.

About 15 days before Christmas, Saint Francis said to him: “If you want to celebrate the feast of the Divine birth in Greccio make haste to prepare what I indicate to you.

“So that we can properly remember the circumstances in which the Divine Child was born and all the inconveniences he endured as he lay in the manger on straw between an ox and a ass, I would like to re-create this in a palpable way, as if I had seen it with my own eyes.”

Many religious and the residents of Greccio and the surrounding area were all invited for this special commemoration. Just before midnight, the Franciscan friars went in procession to the spot chanting the antiphons of Advent. They were accompanied by the villagers who carried flaming torches.

The wind blew strongly and the light of the torches projected their flickering shadows on the dense forest. However, in the clearance where the crib had been set-up, there reigned an ambience of sacrality and peace; only the cold was a nuisance.

When the village bell of Greccio began to toll midnight, a priest began to celebrate Mass. The altar had been placed in front of the crib with the ox and ass on either side. A beautiful full-size statue of the Child Jesus rested on the straw.

As is well known, Saint Francis never wanted to be ordained a priest out of humility. Because of this, as deacon, it was his duty to solemnly sing the Gospel of that Christmas Mass.

After the reading of the Gospel, all waited attentively to hear the sermon that Saint Francis himself gave on the grandeurs and mercies of the Savior of the human race, who that night was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Saint Francis spoke words with a supernatural sweetness about the poverty in which the God-man was born and about the insignificant city of Bethlehem. It is difficult to imagine the fiery love that the sweet, clear, and sonorous voice of Saint Francis produced in the hearts of those privileged to hear him.

The Miracle

At the end of his sermon, Saint Francis bent over to kiss the statue of the Divine Child. At this moment a miracle took place that only he and Giovanni Velita saw. The statue became alive. It was as if it had been woken from a profound sleep with Saint Francis’s kiss, and then the Child Jesus smiled at Saint Francis.

At the consecration, when the bread and wine truly become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Francis was able to contemplate the Messiah in two ways: in the form of the Holy Eucharist and laying in the manger.

At the end of the solemn midnight Mass, and after having incensed the manger, the friars returned to Greccio and the villagers to their homes. Everyone was full of supernatural joy.

The veracity of this event can be certified by the sanctity of the one who experienced it, as well as by the miracles that happened afterwards. The straw from the manger was carefully kept by the people and was an efficacious remedy to miraculously cure sick animals and an antidote against many other diseases.

A Tradition Is Born

This devout and hitherto unknown institution of the manger was enthusiastically received by the faithful. Saint Clare of Assisi established it in her convents. Every year she set-up the manger herself.

The Franciscan friars also spread this custom far and wide. Whether composed of figurines artistically carved from clay, porcelain, or wood, the crib became the very symbol of Christmas.

From the majestic cathedral to the simplest rural chapel, from the palace or mansion to the humblest abode, Catholics worldwide, since that time, have had the pious custom of setting up a manger. In this way they repeat the custom that Providence inspired from the seraphic Saint Francis of Assisi in the remote year of 1223.

A Prayer for Peace of Mind by Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini

Fortify me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit and give Your peace to my soul that I may be free of all needless, anxiety, solicitude and worry. Help me to desire always that which is pleasing and acceptable to you so that Your will may be my will.

Related:

Bergoglio today would also persecute Mother Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants

Great Apostasy:

Mother Cabrini Shrine is on the list of Gay friendly Parishes of the apostates New Ways Ministry