THE ELDERLY GENT HAS GONE TO GOD
Dear Readers, Thank you with all my heart for your kind prayers for "the elderly gent" as he came to be known by my friends in London, or "Senior" as he was known among American allies. He was on his deathbed at the time I solicited prayers for him in this post. He has since died and I am happy to report that after an epic struggle between the forces of Heaven and of Hell, he died a holy death. We believe he may be in Purgatory, on his way to Heaven.
A special thank-you to regular reader, James Ignatius who was so generous in offering prayer so promptly. Also a big thank-you to Father Michael, a priest friend of mine who volunteered to offer a number of Tridentine Latin Masses for the elderly gent's intentions.
It is a cause of great thanksgiving that his death was like the illustration above, with a demon face-down on the ground lamenting his failure to snare his soul for Satan, while the dying man has a rosary in one hand and the crucifix in the other as his Guardian Angel waits to accompany him to eternity.
In the illustration below, however, we see a depiction of salvation, but also of damnation where the soul rejects the efforts of the priest and the help of his Guardian Angel and becomes a willing caprice of Hell.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that he had a holy death. I have continued to pray for him to help him along in purgatory.
Now, one of the prayers types I have used over the is the Breviary. My good friend the late Father Peter Scagnelli encouraged me to try and explore various breviaries. I had an inspiration a month ago and ordered the Syon Breviary, The Daily Office of Our Lady. It was put together by St. Bridget of Sweden in the 14th century and modified in accord with Vatican II. It is a beautiful breviary and every day at None there are prayers for the dead. The office has a lot in common with the pre-1910 Roman Breviary, because Lauds has the traditional Laudate Psalms of 148, 149, and 150 to be said every day.
The Grail Psalms are used and I modified Psalm 90 and 94 to match the Vulgate that Bridget would have known. They use the traditional Septuagint numbering go the psalms. Over half of the psalter is found, and one of great things is that the psalms are not redacted as they are in the Liturgy of the Hours. so you get the full psalm 136, and psalms that you di not find in the LOTH, such as 108, are found.
Matins now follows the format of the Office of Readings, but whereas most of the Office is a one week cycle, there is a three week cycle of readings from the works of St. Bridget. The readings from her mystical revelations (that I have never seen elsewhere in English) clearly demonstrate that St. Bridget was influenced by traditional Franciscan thought as her thoughts and revelations on Mary reflect the position of Bl. John Duns Scotus on Mary's Immaculate Conception and predestination and not those of St. Thomas Aquinas.
After I received the Breviary and began using it, I received a visit from Father Peter Scagnelli, I could feel his presence and he gave me a hug. He was so happy that I was using this breviary.
Mary, since you are over in the UK, I cannot help but recommend this office to you and your pals over there. It has a deeper Marian devotion than that found in the traditional Little Office of the Virgin Mary and the font is immensely easier to read! And, just like the Baronius Little Office of Our Lady, the late great Theo Keller was involved in putting this Breviary together.
Prayers continuing for your pal Katherine.
Fascinating. Thank you for this review of the Syon Breviary.
DeleteJames Ignatius, may you be rewarded for your most generous prayers. Catherine is very grateful.