Thursday, February 7, 2013
Today is the Feast of St. Colette - Her Chaplet
The Chaplet of St. Colette
Blessed
be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ,
God and Man was born.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
by whom he was conceived.
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
of whom the Incarnate Word was born.
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
and in memory
of that most sacred hour
in which the Incarnate Word was born,
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases,
As God wills. (repeat ten times)
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
(You may choose to precede the Chaplet with a reading from scripture or I may take one of the Lord's self revealing proclamations:)
in which our Lord Jesus Christ,
God and Man was born.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
by whom he was conceived.
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
of whom the Incarnate Word was born.
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
and in memory
of that most sacred hour
in which the Incarnate Word was born,
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases,
As God wills. (repeat ten times)
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
(You may choose to precede the Chaplet with a reading from scripture or I may take one of the Lord's self revealing proclamations:)
I am the Way.
I am the Truth.
I am the Life.
I am the Resurrection.
I am the Good Shepherd.
I am the Gate of the Sheepfold.
I am the Light of the world.
I am the Alpha and the Omega.
I am the First and the last.
I Live.
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
The
first coming of the Lord
Blessed be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ,
God and Man was born.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
by whom he was conceived.
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
of whom the Incarnate Word was born.
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
and in memory
of that most sacred hour
in which the Incarnate Word was born,
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases,
As God wills. (repeat ten times)
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
Blessed be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ,
God and Man was born.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
by whom he was conceived.
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
of whom the Incarnate Word was born.
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
and in memory
of that most sacred hour
in which the Incarnate Word was born,
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases,
As God wills. (repeat ten times)
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES
The second coming of the Lord
Blessed be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ
is our Passover
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
given to us from the Cross
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
on whom the Incarnate Word bestows the Church
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
and in memory
of that most sacred hour
in which we receive the Passover of Christ.
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases,
As God wills. (repeat ten times)
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
The
last coming of the Lord
Blessed be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ,
King and Judge will come
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
who prepares our hearts for his reign
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
with whom the Incarnate Word will come again.
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
in memory of that most sacred hour
in which heaven shall be opened to our eyes.
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases,
As God wills. (repeat ten times)
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
Blessed be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ,
King and Judge will come
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
who prepares our hearts for his reign
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
with whom the Incarnate Word will come again.
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
in memory of that most sacred hour
in which heaven shall be opened to our eyes.
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases,
As God wills. (repeat ten times)
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
Here is the video of the Poor Clare Colettines of Ty Mam Duw monastery in Wales, UK singing The Chaplet of St. Colette:
A Few Miracles in the Early Life of St. Colette
Forget the "Mary had a little lamb story", children should be told of how St. Colette had a lamb that followed her around and prayed with her!:
Birds flew about her, and a lark drank from her cup, while a lamb trotted after her and stood quiet in her oratory while she prayed.
Colette's "tiny no more" story:
Colette was nearly grown up, but at sixteen she was no taller than she had been at ten or eleven.
"You are so small that you will never be able to keep the house clean when your mother dies," remarked her father one day, seeing Colette in vain trying to lift something from a shelf that was out of her reach, and though the words hurt her the girl knew that they were true. What would become of them when her mother died? and she was nearly sixty now. Night and day the thought [281] troubled her, and at length she resolved to go on a pilgrimage to the shrine of a saint not very far from Corbie to ask for help, as many of her friends had done before her.
"Let me become tall and strong," she prayed, and tall and strong she became, to her great joy, so that when her mother died she was able to take her place and do all that was required of her. St. Colette was small on the day of her departure to this pilgrimage shrine and on the day she returned, she was much taller! God granted her prayers.
Today is the Feast of St. Colette of Corbie!
Today is the Feast of St. Colette of Corbie, the second Holy Mother of the Poor Clare Colettines. The Poor Clare Colettines celebrate her feast on February 7th but her feast day is noted as to be on March 6th in the Roman Calendar and the regular Divine Office Proper of Saints.
“We
must faithfully keep what we have promised. If through human weakness
we fail, we must always without delay arise again by means of holy
penance, and give our attention to leading a good life and to dying a
holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the Son by his holy passion,
and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and love, fill us with
their consolation. Amen.”
Born Nicolette Boellet, but called Colette, her parents were well-advanced in age. Her father, known throughout the region of France, was a well-known carpenter, having constructed monasteries and abbeys in the region. Her mother, over 60 years old, had conceived late in life, following devout prayer to Saint Nicholas, the patron of children.
Colette
was orphaned at age 17, and promptly gave her inheritance to the poor
of the region. She sought to enter the religious life, but had
difficulty finding an order which matched her strict observances. She
unsuccessfully entered the Bequines, the Benedictines, and the Urbanist
Poor Clares, leaving each due to her perception of their relaxed rules
on poverty and obedience. Colette subsequently became a hermitess for
three years, living in a small hut adjacent to the church at Corbie, and
at age 21, became an anchoress, having herself walled into a cell with
only a small window which opened into the church. There she lived for
some time in complete solitude, in prayer, fasting, and poverty.
It was while she was secluded that she experienced the great visions which would move her to action. In her first vision, Colette witnessed the moral destruction of the world, a vision which left her frightened and moved. Later, had another vision in which she saw Saint Francis of Assisi come before the Lord, and kneeling down, he begged, “Lord, give me this woman for the reform of my Order” (as the Franciscan Order had been part of Colette's vision of a destroyed world). In the vision, the Lord bowed His head, giving ascent for her mission.
But
Colette refused. She was both frightened and unsure of what she had
seen. So Lord showed her another vision, this one of a great golden tree
from which sprung other trees. Colette understood the vision as she
being the first tree, and the nurslings representing the houses she was
to found. And yet, in her heart, she continued to refuse. Given that she
refused to listen to the Lord, she was struck deaf and dumb for three
days, and her inability to see Him, left her blind for another three
days. Understanding her physical manifestations as confirmation from God
that this was her path, Colette allowed her heart to be changed, and
willingly served the Lord.
Gaining
permission to leave her cell, Colette walked barefooted, clad in rags,
to an audience with the French-recognized Pope Benedict XIII, Pedro de
Luna (at that time, there was a great schism in the Church, with three
popes claiming authority. Colette would work with Saint Vincent Ferrer
to reconcile the Church to itself later in her life). Benedict
recognized her sanctity and bestowed upon her the black veil of the Poor
Clares, charging her to reformation, and granting her the authority of
Mistress over any community which she built or reformed.
Saint Colette set out across France, Belgium, and Spain, reforming and establishing more than 18 Poor Clare communities under the original Rule of Saint Clare. (These communities, for political reasons during the rule of Pope Urban IV, had been forced to adopt less austere ways of life). During her travels, Colette counseled peace between warring countries, miraculously crossing battlefields unharmed. It is said that every person who met her was changed for the better.
Within
the communities of the Poor Clares, however, her road was much more
difficult. She was treated with unkindness, ostracism, greeted with
slander, and accused of sorcery and heresy. Saint Colette received these
insults with humility and kindness, eventually meeting with success in
her mission. The reformed rule returned the order to extreme poverty,
the sisters going barefoot, and observing constant fasting and
abstinence. The Poor Clares, some of which are still referred to as
Colettines, grew in numbers and devotion under her leadership. They can
still be found today in Belgium, England, Spain, Germany, and the United
States.
Saint Colette, remembering the vision of the Lord depicting the moral decline of society and the Church, never ceased praying for the sanctity of the Church and it’s leaders. In response, she was continuously plagued by the Devil, who visited upon her torture and temptation. She was frequently surrounded by stinging insects, who swarmed around her, stinging her repeatedly. Decomposing corpses of criminals and heretics would miraculously appear in her cell, even while she was walled in. Saint Colette further would further undergo physical torture and the hands of demons, leaving her bruised, broken, and exhausted. Holy legend tells us that Saint Colette once complained to Our Lord that these demons and trials were keeping her from her prayers. The Devil is said to have responded to her, “Cease, then, your prayers to the great Master of the Church, and we will cease to torment you. For you torment us more by your prayers than we do you.”
Saint Colette serves as a reminder for us that times of struggle and suffering can lead to redemption and conversion. In her words, "If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured." These words, modeled after the life of Jesus Christ, His suffering for us, call us to patience in this world, and life everlasting in the next.
God, our Father,
“We
must faithfully keep what we have promised. If through human weakness
we fail, we must always without delay arise again by means of holy
penance, and give our attention to leading a good life and to dying a
holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the Son by his holy passion,
and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and love, fill us with
their consolation. Amen.”
Today, March 6, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Colette
(1381-1447), virgin, reformer of the Franciscan Order of Poor Clares,
and unifier of the Church. Saint Colette is remembered for her holiness,
but also for her initial resistance to the will of God, offered to her
in visions. Upon overcoming her fear and reservations, and accepting the
Lord’s calling, Saint Colette went on to accomplish great things in the
name of God.
Born Nicolette Boellet, but called Colette, her parents were well-advanced in age. Her father, known throughout the region of France, was a well-known carpenter, having constructed monasteries and abbeys in the region. Her mother, over 60 years old, had conceived late in life, following devout prayer to Saint Nicholas, the patron of children.
It was while she was secluded that she experienced the great visions which would move her to action. In her first vision, Colette witnessed the moral destruction of the world, a vision which left her frightened and moved. Later, had another vision in which she saw Saint Francis of Assisi come before the Lord, and kneeling down, he begged, “Lord, give me this woman for the reform of my Order” (as the Franciscan Order had been part of Colette's vision of a destroyed world). In the vision, the Lord bowed His head, giving ascent for her mission.
But
Colette refused. She was both frightened and unsure of what she had
seen. So Lord showed her another vision, this one of a great golden tree
from which sprung other trees. Colette understood the vision as she
being the first tree, and the nurslings representing the houses she was
to found. And yet, in her heart, she continued to refuse. Given that she
refused to listen to the Lord, she was struck deaf and dumb for three
days, and her inability to see Him, left her blind for another three
days. Understanding her physical manifestations as confirmation from God
that this was her path, Colette allowed her heart to be changed, and
willingly served the Lord.
Saint Colette set out across France, Belgium, and Spain, reforming and establishing more than 18 Poor Clare communities under the original Rule of Saint Clare. (These communities, for political reasons during the rule of Pope Urban IV, had been forced to adopt less austere ways of life). During her travels, Colette counseled peace between warring countries, miraculously crossing battlefields unharmed. It is said that every person who met her was changed for the better.
Within
the communities of the Poor Clares, however, her road was much more
difficult. She was treated with unkindness, ostracism, greeted with
slander, and accused of sorcery and heresy. Saint Colette received these
insults with humility and kindness, eventually meeting with success in
her mission. The reformed rule returned the order to extreme poverty,
the sisters going barefoot, and observing constant fasting and
abstinence. The Poor Clares, some of which are still referred to as
Colettines, grew in numbers and devotion under her leadership. They can
still be found today in Belgium, England, Spain, Germany, and the United
States.Saint Colette, remembering the vision of the Lord depicting the moral decline of society and the Church, never ceased praying for the sanctity of the Church and it’s leaders. In response, she was continuously plagued by the Devil, who visited upon her torture and temptation. She was frequently surrounded by stinging insects, who swarmed around her, stinging her repeatedly. Decomposing corpses of criminals and heretics would miraculously appear in her cell, even while she was walled in. Saint Colette further would further undergo physical torture and the hands of demons, leaving her bruised, broken, and exhausted. Holy legend tells us that Saint Colette once complained to Our Lord that these demons and trials were keeping her from her prayers. The Devil is said to have responded to her, “Cease, then, your prayers to the great Master of the Church, and we will cease to torment you. For you torment us more by your prayers than we do you.”
And
yet, Colette did not complain outwardly. In her own words, she viewed
the days in which she suffered no insult for the Lord as the least happy
of her life. Saint Colette was renowned for her sanctity and ecstatic
visions of the Passion. She would fast every Friday, prayerfully
contemplating the Passion, and following reception of the Holy Eucharist
would enter ecstatic visions of Christ, lasting hours into the evening.
Like Saint Francis, she had an affinity for animals, and demonstrated
care for all of God’s creatures. She foretold her own death in her
convent at Ghent, Belgium, on March 6, 1447.
Saint Colette serves as a reminder for us that times of struggle and suffering can lead to redemption and conversion. In her words, "If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured." These words, modeled after the life of Jesus Christ, His suffering for us, call us to patience in this world, and life everlasting in the next.
"If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured."
God, our Father,
You set Saint Colette as an example and leader of evangelical perfection for many virgins.
Grant
that the spirit of Saint Francis which she wisely taught and wondrously
confirmed by her holy example may ever abide in us.
Amen.
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