August: The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Thank you for the novena prayers. My daughter was born in two Augusts ago. I had hoped she’d be early and I’d have her on the Feast of the Assumption. However, even though she was born 10 days later, I feel she was blessed to be born in the month dedicated to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. May my Catherine be ever faithful to Our Lady.

By the way — you have an incredible collection of prayers and information here. Two things that I was searching for and unable to find:
- some prayers in Latin (desperately trying to teach myself more)
- information on the Liturgy of the Hours. I always wanted to partake in this, but am not sure how to find my way around the book :*}

Thanks for the kind words. I intend to add a number of common prayers in Latin (my family and I belong to a Latin Mass parish); I simply haven’t had the time to do so yet. (There’s so much to write about, and so little time!) As for the Liturgy of the Hours, that’s a bit more long-term, but one good way to get started is to begin with a simplified version–either a traditional one, such as the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or one of the more modern arrangements.

Something to keep in mind, too, is that you don’t need to pray the entire Liturgy of the Hours in order to incorporate it into your prayer life. Start with those hours when you have the most time, or, for instance, use Vespers or Compline as your nighttime prayer.

I wish to echo the request of “little_mary” for more prayers in Latin.
I grew up with the Lain Mass but my current parish in the Boston Archdiocese refuses requests for a Latin Mass.

Scott:
I completely comprehend your prayers (some might say rituals), but I do not understand their reason. I think Jesus had a very simple message, and he wanted that message to be spread across clearly. The reason this concerns me is because the more ideas you draw out the more you can over illuminate and cause delusion in the minds of people. One example would be the Virgin of Guadalupe worshippers. I’m certain Jesus did not want people to worship his mother, or all the Saints that have been accumulated during the past several centuries. There is a large mass of people who do what the Church would call false idol worship (1st commandment). I believe the Church needs to be more responsible for its message and the things that it teaches people. Misunderstandings can lead to serious mental problems, possibly even neurosis or even psychosis.

Any good Catholic will tell you we never worship anyone but the Trinity! We love and have devotion to the saints and me, in particular to our Blessed Mother! I cannot fathom one minute of one day without Mary in it! She leads all of us to her Son, it’s never about her, it’s never a false devotion!
Mary’s intercession is very powerful. Just recite the Rosary daily, and see for yourself!

Alice: Thank you for your humble words. Also, thank you for taking a stance on the position and not hiding like the more masculine Scott. I believe your personal experience. I also think you have a genuine devotion to your faith. I do however, plead you to research the ramped worship of false idols in Mexico and the Americas. I will pass on the rosary practice. I get my spiritual feeding from every action I make not a ritual practice. I believe that the spiritual aspect of life is both valid and scientifically viable. I do not think however that there need be a medium. All religions serve as that medium, but accepting that all that they offer is true in all of them and that we do not need them is key. The father (I’m not Christian, but don’t think I’m dishonest) said: “The kingdom of heaven is within.”

Valdes, you’re a smart person. But, I was just thinking…Maybe the masculine Scott does not quite have the time right now to respond like the humble Alice.
Also, Valdes, if you can have your Bible out, and right next to that the Catholic Catechism and study our faith a little more you’ll see more officially where the Catholics are coming from on these issues. And, of course, probably somewheres in Mexico or elsewhere there are folks who overdo it a bit on the Virgin Mary. But, isn’t that better than if they went out and got involved with the drug trade and started shooting up bars and nightclubs and chopping off heads in the streets like we so much read about these days?

I pray that our Lord Jesus give our Holy Father strength & wisdom to lead His Holy church. May through the prayers of our Lady,we grow stroger in Crist.

Moloto: Pray the Father gets what he deserves. Pray for Justice and the disinfection of molestation in the church.

I must say, after reading all the comments of the subject of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I haven’t the slightest idea what “masculine” Scott and Valdes are talking about. This quote by Valdes: [To Moloto: Pray the Father gets what he deserves. Pray for Justice and the disinfection of molestation in the church.] sounds absurd. Also, another statement by Valdes: [The father (I’m not Christian, but don’t think I’m dishonest) ] makes no sense at all to me. What does that even mean? Everyone is overeacting to a simple devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. No one believes she is elevated to an equal level with Christ, but some of these comments make it seem like you think that way. Mary is Christ’s mother. Mary is an intercedent for us to her Son. Period.

Steven Hepburn, quoting an earlier blog post of his own, wrote:

“If one human is capable of acting in this fashion then all humans are, perhaps, also similarly capable. This suggestion is so revolting that faced with crimes of this kind we instinctively recoil from the notion and say “No, this man was no man but a monster, a beast, a madman!” In saying that we say nothing. He was not (I use the past tense as he himself was shot in the head) anything other than human and if he was mad, well if one human is capable of becoming mad in this fashion then all humans are, perhaps, also similarly capable”

Steven, I agree almost entirely with that entire paragraph, and wrote a 4500-word essay echoing that same theme, but with regard to the Penn State scandal. The key bit I disagree with isn’t contained in that paragraph, but what you say it’s about – Original Sin. So I guess you could say I agree with your conclusion and some of the premises, but don’t think that any supernatural premises such as Original Sin offer additional explanatory value. In fact, I think OS removes accountability, much like the idea of possession, because it replaces “The devil made him do it,” with “Original Sin made him do it.”

(And yes, I fully acknowledge the author of this blog was *not* saying possession made the Aurora shooter did it, but by the common understanding of possession he was trying to correct, it’s about as explanatory as Original Sin, which is even more widely believed.)

Thanks, Scartle, for this comment, which unfortunately you posted on the wrong thread. If you’d like to post it on the other, I’d appreciate it.

And please do continue to comment as you’d like on this blog. I appreciate thoughtful and respectful comments, even when I disagree with them.

For many prayers in Latin, try the iPieta App for iPhone, iPod or Android. I use it on my iPod and iPhone. You can view many of the prayers in English and Latin side by side. It also has audio files and it has helped me to learn more Latin. I am not trying to advertise for them, but it is a really great app! I think I paid $1.99 for it on iTunes.

thank you for your prayers. However could you explain more
on the 5 promises of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to
Sr. Lucy.

Thank you once again.
B/Regards
suma

Hello Scott, there is a request that I sent you some weeks ago on whether I can use you articles in our college magazine. I haven’t gotten a reply.

FREDRICK,
NAIROBI-KENYA.

hi Scott, thank you for the constant inspiration you so devotedly give us every week.