Sunday, November 02, 2008

November 2: All Souls and St. Eustachius

LITANY OF THE HOLY SOULS

Almighty God, Father of goodness and love, have mercy on the poor suffering souls and grant them Your aid:

To our parents and ancestors, Lord, have mercy.
To our brothers and sisters and relatives...
To our spiritual and temporal benefactors...
To our former friends and subordinates...
To all for whom love or duty bids us to pray...
To those who suffered disadvantage or harm through us...
To those who have offended us...

To all those who are especially beloved by You, Lord, have mercy.
To those whose release is at hand...
To those who desire most to be united with You...
To those who endure the greatest suffering...
To those whose release is most remote...
To those who are least remembered...
To those who are most deserving on account of their services to the Church...
To the rich, who are now the most destitute...
To the mighty, who are now as lowly servants...
To the blind, who now see their folly...
To the frivolous, who spent their time in idleness...
To the poor, who did not seek the treasures of Heaven...
To the tepid, who devoted little time in prayer...
To the indolent, who were negligent in performing good works...
To those of little faith, who neglected the frequent reception of sacraments...
To the habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace...
To parents, who failed to watch over their children...
To superiors, who were not solicitous for the salvation of those entrusted to them...
To the souls of those who strove for hardly anything but riches and pleasures...
To the worldly minded, who failed to use their wealth and talents in the service of God...
To those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own...
To those who did not provide for the great journey beyond and the days of tribulation...

To those whose judgment is so severe because of the great things entrusted to them...
To the popes, rulers, kings and princes...
To the bishops and their counselors...
To teachers and advisors...
To the deceased priests of this diocese...
To the priest and religious of the whole Church...
To the defenders of the Holy Faith...
To those who died in the battlefield...
To those who are buried at sea...
To those who died suddenly...
To those who died without the last rites of the Church...
To those who will die within the next twenty-four hours...
To my own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Your judgment seat...

V: Eternal rest grant unto all those souls of the faithful departed, Lord.
R: And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V: May they rest in peace.
R: Amen.
Today is also the memorial (in the Eastern Church) of St. Eustachius. Eustachius, whose birth name is said to have been Placidus, was a general in the army of the Emperor Trajan. One day, while out hunting, he saw a stag with a glowing crucifix between its horns, and heard Christ inviting him to be baptized and, from that point forward, pursue the salvation of his soul. He, his wife and his two sons accepted the invitation.

Whereupon the world turned against them. Everything Eustachius owned was taken away from him, and his family was broken up. But when barbarians threatened Rome, military exigencies took precedence over pagan scruples, and the emperor restored Eustachius to his post. He also restored the family, with the expectation that they would give thanks to pagan idols. When they refused, the emperor had them thrown to the lions; but the lions would not harm them. So the family was shut up inside a bronze bull and roasted to death.

St. Eustachius, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, is a patron of firefighters, hunters and victims of torture.

NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST. EUSTACHIUS

Preparatory Prayer
For Each Novena to a Holy Helper

ALMIGHTY and eternal God! With lively faith and reverently worshiping Thy Divine Majesty, I prostrate myself before Thee and invoke with filial trust Thy supreme bounty and mercy. Illumine the darkness of my intellect with a ray of Thy Heavenly light and inflame my heart with the fire of Thy Divine love, that I may contemplate the great virtues and merits of the Saint in whose honor I make this novena, and following his example imitate, like him, the life of Thy Divine Son.

Moreover, I beseech Thee to grant graciously, through the merits and intercession of this powerful Helper, the petition which through him I humbly place before Thee, devoutly saying, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Vouchsafe graciously to hear it, if it redounds to Thy greater glory and to the salvation of my soul. Amen.

Prayer in Honor of St. Eustachius

O GOD, Who didst lead Thy holy Martyr Eustachius safely through many trials and dangers to the glorious crown of Martyrdom; enlighten and strengthen us through his intercession, that we persevere in Thy love amid the trials of this life, and by resignation to Thy holy will come forth from the darkness of this earth into the light of Thy eternal glory. Amen.

Invocation of St. Eustachius

HEROIC servant of God, St. Eustachius, cast from the height of earthly glory and power into the deepest misery, thou wast engaged for a long time in the labor of a menial servant, eating the bitter bread of destitution; but never didst thou murmur against the severe probation to which God subjected thee. I implore thee to aid me with thy powerful intercession, that in all conditions I may resign myself to the holy will of God, and particularly that I may bear poverty and its consequences with patience, trusting in God's providence, completely resigned to the decrees of Him Who humbles and exalts, chastises and heals, sends trials and consolations, and who has promised to those who follow Him in the spirit of poverty His Beatific Vision throughout all eternity. Amen.

Prayer

My Lord and God! I offer up to Thee my petition in union with the bitter passion and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, together with the merits of His immaculate and blessed Mother, Mary ever virgin, and of all the Saints, particularly with those of the holy Helper in whose honor I make this novena.

Look down upon me, merciful Lord! Grant me Thy grace and Thy love, and graciously hear my prayer. Amen.

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