CHAPLET OF SAINT AGUSTINE.

 

A Prayer Composed by St. Augustine,

and Recommended to the Devotion of all Catholics by Urban VIII

Before thy eyes, O Lord, we bring our sins, and with them compare the stripes we have received. If we weigh the evil we have done, we find what we suffer to be much less than what we deserve. "What we have committed far outweighs what we endure. We feel the punishment of sin, and yet we turn not from our willfulness in sinning. Our weakness faints under Thy scourges; but our perverseness is still the same. Our diseased mind is racked with pain, and our neck is as stiff as ever. Our life is spent in sighs and grief; but in our actions we are not reformed. If Thou expect our amendment, we grow no better; if Thou take revenge, we are not able to subsist. When we are chastised, we acknowledge what we have done; but when thy visitation is over, we forget what we have wept for. If Thou stretch out Thy hand, we promise duty; if Thou suspend Thy sword, we keep not our promise. If Thou strike, we cry for pardon; and if Thou pardon, we provoke Thee again to strike. Here, O Lord, are criminals confessing their guilt; we know that unless Thou forgive Thou mayst justly destroy us. Grant, without our merit, what we ask, O Almighty Father, Who out of nothing didst create us to ask Thee, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Anthem. We wait in expectation of our Saviour's coming, Who will reform our frail bodies according to the model of his glorious Body.

V. Behold, the God of heaven is our Redeemer.

R. In Him, without fear, we will put our trust.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, who, for the redemption of mankind, didst send Thy only Son to take our flesh, and suffer death on the cross, we humbly pray that as our Saviour has left us here the example of His patience, He may vouchsafe to make us hereafter partakers of his glory, Who liveth and reigneth one God, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, forever and ever. Amen.

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Novena to St. Augustine

O Glorious St. Augustine, our dear holy father, vouchsafe me your blessing; look down upon me with compassion, and obtain for me to be a worthy child of yours. Let me say with a love like that with which your seraphic heart burned for Jesus: "Too late have I known Thee, too late have I loved Thee," so that I may repair my past sinful life by the most ardent, generous love for my divine Spouse, "for many sins are forgiven those who love much." Ask for me a share in your profound humility, that I may ever be little and humble in my own eyes, preferring to be made little account of, in order to resemble Him, Who underwent such deep humiliations for the love of me. Obtain also for me, my beloved holy father, an unbounded courage and confidence, and that the sight of my faults may humble, but not deject me. Make me unchangeably patient and kind to all; at the hour of death may you own me for your child, and may I, in your dear company, praise almighty God for all eternity. Amen.

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Rosary of St. Augustine and St. Monica

As explained in Part III., this little Rosary bears partial indulgences of 200 days on every bead (Bened. XIII., Feb. 29, 1728): hence a total of over fourteen years each time it is recited. But the following prayers, by "way of meditation, on the Twelve Articles of the Creed, are not necessary as a condition. The mere recital of the thirteen Paters and Aves, concluded with a Hail, Holy Queen, are all that is necessary.

Under the Invocation of Our Blessed Lady, Mother of Consolation.

Let us recite thirteen "Our Fathers" and thirteen "Hail Marys" in remembrance and veneration of our Lord Jesus Christ and the twelve Apostles who composed the Creed, epitomizing in it the principal mysteries of our Holy Faith; and that our prayers maybe acceptable, let us implore the assistance of Holy Mary, Mother of Consolation, of our Holy Father Augustine, and St. Monica our Mother.

Direct, we beseech thee, O Lord, our actions by thy holy inspirations, and carry them on by thy gracious assistance, that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from thee, and by thee be happily ended, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

1ST ART. I believe in God, the Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.--Let us consider how Almighty God created from nothing heaven and earth and all things. --Most holy Virgin, assist us to despise the vanities of earth, that we may obtain the everlasting rewards of heaven. Pater, Ave.

2ND ART. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.--Let us consider that Jesus Christ our Lord is the true and only Son of the Eternal Father.--Most holy Virgin, help us to believe and hope in Him, and love Him with all our hearts, because He alone is the true Saviour of the world. Pater, Ave.

3RD ART. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.--Let us consider that Jesus is the true Son of Mary ever Virgin: she conceived Him in her most chaste womb by the operation of the Holy Ghost, and brought Him forth without injury to her immaculate purity.--Most glorious Virgin, help us to recover and preserve the divine grace, that, as you are the natural mother, so we may be the adopted children of God. Pater, Ave.

4TH ART. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.--Let us consider the passion, death, and burial of our crucified Redeemer, tenderly compassionating Him in our hearts.--Most afflicted Mother, obtain for us, that the wounds of our Blessed Lord may be always deeply impressed on our hearts. Pater, Ave.

5TH ART. He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead.--Let us consider that the soul of Jesus descended into Limbo to liberate the Holy Fathers, with whom He arose glorious the third day after His death.--O holy Virgin, consoled in seeing your Divine Son arisen, assist us to arise from sin to a new life of grace and glory. Pater, Ave.

6TH ART. He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.--Let us consider that Jesus, forty days after his resurrection, blessed his Holy Mother, apostles, and disciples, and the faithful, who followed Him to Mount Olivet, in whose presence He ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of his Divine Father.--O Blessed Virgin, assist us to humble ourselves and bear our cross here, that we may be afterwards exalted and enjoy eternal glory in heaven. Pater, Ave.

7TH ART. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.--Let us consider that Jesus Christ will descend from heaven to the Valley of Josaphat to judge the whole human race on the last day.--Holy Mary, advocate of sinners, assist us, that being faithful during life, we may be at the right hand of God with the elect on that dreadful day. Pater, Ave.

8TH ART. I believe in the Holy Ghost.--Let us consider the most profound mystery of the Blessed Trinity, and with an act of lively faith let us believe that, as the Divine Son was generated from eternity by the Father, so the Holy Ghost in like manner proceeds from eternity, from the Father and the Son, and is with them one God.--Most pure Virgin, obtain for us from your Divine Spouse, an ardent charity, that our hearts, cleansed from all terrene affections, may burn always with the fire of divine love. Pater, Ave.

9TH ART. The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints.--Let us consider that God, through his infinite goodness, without any merit of ours, caused us to be born and brought up in the bosom of the Catholic Church, in which we participate of the infinite merits of Christ and the saints.--Most pious Virgin, assist us to thank Him for so great a favour, and to be ready, if necessary, to shed our blood to confess the truth of our holy faith. Pater, Ave.

10TH ART. The forgiveness of sins.--Let us consider that the Divine Goodness is infinitely greater than our wickedness, and that God can remit the faults which we miserable sinners commit.--Most pure Virgin, obtain for us true contrition both now and at the hour of our death, that, reconciled with God, we may afterwards feel the happy effects of the divine mercy. Pater, Ave.

11TH ART. The resurrection of the body.--Let us consider that on the day of general judgment we shall all rise again, each receiving his own body.--O immaculate Virgin, may thy holy Cincture preserve us from carnal impurities, that we may all appear spotless and unsullied on that glorious day. Pater, Ave.

12TH ART. Life everlasting.--Let us consider the ultimate end of man, namely, the everlasting life prepared by God for His faithful servants.--Most prudent Virgin, assist us to make a good use of our time now, that we may obtain hereafter the eternal joys of the blessed in heaven. Pater, Ave.

FINALLY. Let us consider how the Holy Cincture represents the Sacred Humanity of our Divine Redeemer, who for love of us shed his most Precious Blood, and laid down His life amidst the cruel torments and mockery of His enemies.--O holy Mother of God, assist us to meditate with fruit on the Sacred Cincture which we wear, as it is a mysterious emblem of your Divine Son, our Blessed Redeemer. Pater, Ave.

Prostrate at your feet, O most Holy Mary, Mother of Consolation, we recommend to you the preservation and exaltation of the Holy Catholic Church, the extirpation of heresies, peace among Christian rulers and all the faithful, and, above all, the conversion of poor sinners, and the relief of the suffering souls in Purgatory.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy; Our life, our sweetness, and our hope, To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thy eyes of mercy towards us, And after this our exile show unto us The blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O most clement, most pious, most sweet Virgin Mary. (7 years indulgence.)

This final offering of a Pater and Ave is in honour of the Sacred Humanity of our Lord.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of Consolation.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Father Augustine.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother Monica.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Defend, we beseech thee, O Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, of our Holy Father Augustine, and of our Holy Mother Monica, this society (or family) from all adversity, and graciously preserve it, prostrate in spirit before thee, from all the snares of our enemies.

O God, our refuge and strength, and the foundation of all goodness, mercifully hear the fervent prayers of thy Church, and grant that what we ask with faith we may effectually obtain: through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Only the above thirteen Paters and Aves, and the Hail, Holy Queen, are necessary to be entitled to all our daily indulgences.