{"ok":true,"date":"2030-09-17","dateKey":"09-17","liturgicalDay":"Stigmata of St. Francis, Confessor","rank":"Double","color":"white","quoteOfTheDay":{"text":"Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.","author":"St. Stephen","source":"Acts 7:60, Douay-Rheims","category":"The Love of God"},"season":"Time after Pentecost","novenas":[],"octaveContexts":[],"subject":"City of God in Exile: Stigmata of St. Francis, Confessor - 2030-09-17","previewText":"Stigmata of St. Francis, Confessor. Valid Sacraments Are a Grave Priority. Resist home-alone despair when it becomes settled indifference to seeking valid sacraments.","plainText":"CITY OF GOD IN EXILE\nStigmata of St. Francis, Confessor\n2030-09-17 - Time after Pentecost - Double - white\nPLAIN-LANGUAGE GUIDE FOR TODAY\nOctave: an eight-day extension of a major feast, allowing the Church to continue praying over the same mystery.\nCardinal: a senior cleric of the Roman Church who advises the pope and, under the Church's law, ordinarily helps elect a successor.\nPassion of Christ: the sufferings and death Jesus freely accepted for our salvation, from His agony in Gethsemane through His Crucifixion.\nThe full Breviary lessons preserve an older English translation. Read the modern explanation first; it identifies the people, event, and doctrine before the historical wording appears.\nTODAY IN THE ROMAN YEAR\nPentecost does not end when the octave passes. Its fruit must remain in the soul: public confession of truth, docility to apostolic doctrine, courage before false authority, and charity strong enough to resist error without bitterness. Receive the examples of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost within God's freely established order of grace through Mary. Adore the Most Holy Trinity and accept with gratitude the Marian order freely chosen for the Incarnation, grace, and formation in Christ.\n\n\"Let us recall here, as a proof of the dependence we ought to have on our Blessed Lady, what I have said above in bringing forward the example which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost give of this dependence. The Father has not given, and does not give, His Son except by her; He has no children but by her, and communicates no graces but by her.\"\nSt. Louis-Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, no. 140\n\nThe Most Holy Trinity is infinitely perfect and depends upon no creature in the divine nature. St. Louis de Montfort speaks of the created order God freely willed: the Father gives the Incarnate Son through Mary; the Son takes flesh through her and forms His members in union with the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost forms Christ and His Mystical Body through her maternal cooperation.\n\nHuman dependence follows God's condescension, not an imagined necessity imposed upon Him. Consecrate yourself to Mary because the Trinity chose and honored her role. Go through her to God, receive grace gratefully within His order, and sacrifice yourself to Him without inventing a path of autonomous self-sufficiency.\n\nPRACTICE\nOffer today's inconveniences in reparation for irreverence, false worship, and indifference.\n\nQUOTE OF THE DAY\n\"Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.\"\nSt. Stephen, Acts 7:60, Douay-Rheims\n\nROMAN MARTYROLOGY - September 17\nThe commemoration of the Impression of the - Sacred Wounds which St. Francis, founder of the Order of Minorites, received, through a wonderful favor of God, in his hands, feet and side, on Mount Alvernia, in Tuscany. — At Rome, on the road to Tivoli, the birthday of St. Justin, priest and martyr, who distinguished himself by a glorious confession of the faith, during the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus. He buried the bodies of the blessed pontiff, Xystus, of Lawrence, Hippolytus, and many other saints, and finally consummated his martyrdom under Claudius. — Also, at Rome, the holy martyrs Narcissus and Crescentio. — In Phrygia, St. Ariadna, martyr, under the emperor Adrian. — In England, the holy martyrs Socrates and Stephen. — At Nevers, the holy martyrs Valerian, Macrinus, and Gordian. — At Autun, under the emperor Antoninus and the governor Valerian, St. Flocellus, a boy, who, after many sufferings, was torn to pieces by wild beasts, and thus won the crown of martyrs. — At Liege, blessed Lambert, bishop of Maestricht. Having, through zeal for religion, rebuked the royal family, he was undeservedly put to death by the guilty, and thus entered the court of the heavenly kingdom, to enjoy it forever. — At Saragossa, in Spain, St. Peter of Arbues, first inquisitor of the faith in the kingdom of Arragon, who received the palm of martyrdom by being barbarously massacred by apostate Jews, for defending courageously the Catholic faith, according to the duties of his office. He was canonized by Pius IX. in 1867. — The same day, St. Agathoclia, servant of an infidel woman, who was for a long time subjected by her to blows and other afflictions, that she might deny Christ. She was finally presented to the judge and cruelly lacerated, and as she persisted in confessing the faith, they cut off her tongue and threw her into the flames. — At Cordova, St. Columba, virgin and martyr. — At Milan, the departure from this world of St. Satyrus, confessor, whose distinguished merits are mentioned by his brother, St. Ambrose. — At Rome, in the persecution of Diocletian, St. Theodora, a matron, who carefully ministered to the martyrs. — At Bingen, in the diocese of Mayence, St. Hildegarde, virgin.\n\nHIGHLIGHTED SAINT\nThe Stigmata of St. Francis\nThe wounds of Christ impressed upon the servant.\nThe Martyrology commemorates the sacred wounds which St. Francis received through a wonderful favor of God in his hands, feet, and side on Mount Alvernia.\nThis feast teaches that love of Christ Crucified is not decorative. The saint who embraces holy poverty and penance is conformed to the wounds of the Master.\nLet the Stigmata sober and console you. Christ's friends are marked by love, and love becomes most real when it consents to the Cross.\nFROM MATINS\nThe servant visibly conformed to the wounds of his Lord.\nMatins - Second Nocturn - Stigmata of St. Francis, Confessor\nSt. Bonaventure, Cardinal Bishop of Albano\n\"I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.\"\n- The Breviary recounts St. Francis withdrawing to Mount Alvernia in fasting and prayer, where the Crucified appeared beneath the form of a seraph, one of the highest orders of angelic spirits.\n- The sacred wounds manifest an interior conformity already formed by poverty, penance, humility, and burning love for Christ crucified.\n- The feast prevents Franciscan simplicity from being detached from sacrifice: the servant resembles the Master through the Cross.\nLet love become cruciform. St. Francis teaches poverty of spirit, penance, humility, recollection, and consent to bear the likeness of the suffering Christ.\nFULL BREVIARY LESSONS\nFourth Lesson - Prayer upon Mount Alverno\nFrancis being indeed a faithful servant and minister of Christ, about the space of two years before he gave back his spirit to heaven, withdrew himself into an high mountain apart, even that mountain which is called Mount Alverno, and began to fast for forty days to the honour of the Archangel Michael. To think of the things above gave him sweeter comfort than beforetime he was wont, and the hot longing for heaven was kindled in him, so that he began to feel that the gifts from above were poured forth upon him in such fulness as he had never felt before. The burning of his desire made his heart rise towards God like the heart of a seraph, and his tender answering love yearned to be changed into the likeness of Him Who hath so loved us that He was content to bear the Cross. And it was so that one morning early, about the time of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he was praying upon the side of the mountain, and there appeared unto him as it had been one of the Seraphim, having six wings, glorious and fiery, flying to him from heaven. It came therefore very swiftly, and stood in the air, hard by the man of God. He beheld then the appearance thereof, that it was not winged only, but crucified also. His hands and feet were stretched forth and nailed to a Cross. Twain of his wings were lifted up and joined one to the other over his head, and twain were stretched forth to fly withal, and with twain he wrapped around his body. When Francis saw it, he was sore amazed, and his soul was filled with sorrow and gladness, for the eyes of him that appeared were full of strange love and tenderness, so that he conceived great rejoicing thereat, but the nailing to the Cross was so exceedingly dreadful, that as he saw it, a sword of sorrow pierced his soul.\nFifth Lesson - Changed into the Likeness of Christ Crucified\nThen He Whom he beheld with his bodily eyes, began to speak silently unto him in his heart, and he understood that albeit the deathless Seraphim cannot suffer or faint, this vision was nevertheless therefore set before him, that he might know that as a friend of Christ he was to be all changed into the likeness of Christ JESUS crucified, not by the martyrdom of the body, but by the fervour of the soul. Then they held together some sweet converse, as of a man with his friend, and the vision passed from him, but his heart was kindled inwardly with the fire of the Seraphim, and his body was outwardly changed into the likeness of Him Who was crucified, even as wax is softened by the fire and taketh the impression of the seal. From thenceforth there were in his hands and feet the marks of the nails. The heads of the nails were seen in the palms of his hands and on the insteps of his feet, and the points came out on the backs of his hands and the soles of his feet. In his right side also was a long raw wound, as though he had been pierced with a spear, from which wound his holy blood oftentimes ran and stained his shirt and breeches.\nSixth Lesson - The Marks Made by the Living God\nThereafter Francis was a new creature, famous for a new and awful sign. The holy marks of the Lord JESUS, whereon living man for twelve centuries had not been allowed to look, were his adornment. He came down from the mount bearing in himself the form of JESUS Crucified, not pourtrayed upon tables of stone or wood by the hand of any earthly craftsman, but drawn upon his flesh by the finger of the living God. The dying Seraph knew well that \"it is good to keep close the secret of a king,\" (Tobit xii. 7,) and knowing the secret of his King, he strove as far as in him lay to keep the sacred marks hidden from men. Nevertheless, forasmuch as it is the will of the Lord God for His Own glory to make manifest the greatness of His Own works, He openly showed forth divers wonders through these wounds which He had Himself made in secret, so that the hidden and wondrous power of the marks might become known by the fame of the miracles. The foregoing marvellous but thoroughly witnessed facts, which were already spoken of in Papal documents with especial praise and joy, were made, by the pleasure of Pope Benedict XI., the subject of a yearly memorial, which was afterwards extended by Paul V. to the whole Church, in the hope of fanning in the hearts of the faithful the love of Christ Crucified.\nTHE PILGRIM'S SPIRITUAL CONFERENCE\nValid Sacraments Are a Grave Priority\nThe Church places this truth before you today: The faithful must seek valid sacraments with prudence, sacrifice, and holy seriousness, without inventing sacraments or despising them. Do not hurry past it as though doctrine belonged only to books and controversies. A revealed truth is also a light by which the soul must judge its loyalties, its fears, its habits, and the duties immediately before it. Families often move for work, schools, or safety. The sacraments are a higher good, and should weigh heavily in practical decisions when God makes such a move possible.\nThe grace to be practiced is Conformity to Christ Crucified, drawn from today's saintly witness. Ask God for more than the natural appearance of this virtue. Temperament may make an action seem easy for a time, but supernatural virtue remains faithful because God is worthy of obedience, even when feeling offers no assistance and no one notices the cost. Practice theological humility by submitting private preference to God's revealed order while preserving His absolute sovereignty and freedom.\nThere is also an enemy to recognize: Resist home-alone despair when it becomes settled indifference to seeking valid sacraments. Do not study this danger only in other people. Look quietly for the door by which it seeks entrance into your own soul - perhaps through delay, curiosity, resentment, human respect, attachment to comfort, or the desire to control the outcome. Dying to self today means choosing conformity to Christ Crucified when pride, comfort, fear, resentment, or human respect asks for control.\nDo the faithful act and entrust its fruit to divine Providence, God's wise and loving governance of all things. Place effort and outcome into Our Lady's hands so that the whole offering may be presented to her Divine Son. Confidence in God is not passivity: obey, pray, work, and accept that visible success, consolation, or immediate relief may not be given. God remains faithful when the duty is hidden and the outcome uncertain. Therefore, perform the duty that belongs to you, use the lawful means God has provided, and then surrender the fruit. Renounce pride that resists mediation and confusion that exaggerates it, holding the complete Catholic distinction with fidelity. Receive Christ, grace, prayer, sacrifice, and duty within the Trinitarian order, allowing Our Lady to form deeper union with her Son.\nThe Church's witness: this truth manifests the Church's mark of holy; the witness placed beside it is St. Charles Borromeo.\nYour resolution before God: Offer today's inconveniences in reparation for irreverence, false worship, and indifference.\nCarry this word: Reparation answers public offense with hidden love.\nTHE PILGRIM'S MIRROR\n\"Thou alone art the true refection of the soul, and he that worthily eateth Thee shall be partaker and heir of eternal glory.\"\nThomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book IV, chapter 14, p. 203\nThe Blessed Sacrament is not one devotion among many: it is Jesus Christ, the soul's true food. Let every Marian offering lead you more faithfully to her Eucharistic Son.\n\nIf you can assist at Mass and receive worthily, approach with recollection and hunger rather than habit. If you cannot, do not allow absence to become forgetfulness. Turn toward the tabernacle, confess your desire, and ask Our Lady to prepare in you a more faithful welcome for Jesus.\nToday's Practice: Make a reverent Spiritual Communion, or prepare carefully for Holy Communion if you will receive today.\nDAILY EXAMEN\nExamine whether self-sufficiency resisted God's chosen means or careless language obscured His sovereign freedom and divine perfection.\n- For what grace or mercy should I thank God today?\n- What sin, fault, neglected duty, or resistance to grace must I confess?\n- What definite amendment will I carry into tomorrow?\nPRAYER\nO Lord, where Thou art forgotten, mocked, or coldly received, let me answer with prayer, penance, reverence, and love for Thy Sacred Heart.\nDAILY RULE FOR THE PILGRIM\nA brief rule to keep every day:\nBegin with morning prayer\nAdore the Blessed Trinity and offer the whole day to Jesus through Mary before other duties claim the mind.\nKeep the Angelus\nPause morning, noon, and evening to remember the Incarnation.\nSeek Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament\nAttend Holy Mass when duty permits; otherwise make a Spiritual Communion and renew desire for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.\nReturn to Jesus and Mary\nUse frequent holy aspirations during work, waiting, suffering, and temptation.\nPray the Rosary\nKeep the mysteries of Christ before the mind with Our Lady and learn to imitate what they contain.\nEnd with night prayer and examen\nGive thanks, confess faults, forgive injuries, make a practical amendment, and entrust the night to Our Lady.\nCONTINUE STUDY\nHow to Judge a Traditionalist Chapel: https://cityofgodinexile.com/the-counterfeit/how-to-judge-a-traditionalist-chapel?entered=1\nOpen this day in the Sacred Calendar: https://cityofgodinexile.com/sacred-calendar?date=2030-09-17&entered=1\nOpen this day's Daily Pilgrimage: https://cityofgodinexile.com/daily-dispatch?date=2030-09-17&entered=1\nBrowse the Formation Index: https://cityofgodinexile.com/daily-dispatch/formation?entered=1","html":"\n\n \n \n \n City of God in Exile: Stigmata of St. Francis, Confessor - 2030-09-17\n \n \n
\n Stigmata of St. Francis, Confessor. Valid Sacraments Are a Grave Priority. Resist home-alone despair when it becomes settled indifference to seeking valid sacraments.\n
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City of God in Exile

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Stigmata of St. Francis, Confessor

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2030-09-17 - Time after Pentecost - Double - white

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“Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not.”
John 12:35
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Plain-Language Guide for Today

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Octave
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an eight-day extension of a major feast, allowing the Church to continue praying over the same mystery.
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Cardinal
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a senior cleric of the Roman Church who advises the pope and, under the Church's law, ordinarily helps elect a successor.
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Passion of Christ
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the sufferings and death Jesus freely accepted for our salvation, from His agony in Gethsemane through His Crucifixion.

The full Breviary lessons preserve an older English translation. Read the modern explanation first; it identifies the people, event, and doctrine before the historical wording appears.

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Today in the Roman Year

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Pentecost does not end when the octave passes. Its fruit must remain in the soul: public confession of truth, docility to apostolic doctrine, courage before false authority, and charity strong enough to resist error without bitterness.

Receive the examples of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost within God's freely established order of grace through Mary.

Adore the Most Holy Trinity and accept with gratitude the Marian order freely chosen for the Incarnation, grace, and formation in Christ.

“Let us recall here, as a proof of the dependence we ought to have on our Blessed Lady, what I have said above in bringing forward the example which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost give of this dependence. The Father has not given, and does not give, His Son except by her; He has no children but by her, and communicates no graces but by her.”

St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, no. 140

The Most Holy Trinity is infinitely perfect and depends upon no creature in the divine nature. St. Louis de Montfort speaks of the created order God freely willed: the Father gives the Incarnate Son through Mary; the Son takes flesh through her and forms His members in union with the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost forms Christ and His Mystical Body through her maternal cooperation.

Human dependence follows God's condescension, not an imagined necessity imposed upon Him. Consecrate yourself to Mary because the Trinity chose and honored her role. Go through her to God, receive grace gratefully within His order, and sacrifice yourself to Him without inventing a path of autonomous self-sufficiency.

Offer today's inconveniences in reparation for irreverence, false worship, and indifference.

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Quote of the Day

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“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
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St. Stephen, Acts 7:60, Douay-Rheims

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Roman Martyrology - September 17

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The commemoration of the Impression of the - Sacred Wounds which St. Francis, founder of the Order of Minorites, received, through a wonderful favor of God, in his hands, feet and side, on Mount Alvernia, in Tuscany. — At Rome, on the road to Tivoli, the birthday of St. Justin, priest and martyr, who distinguished himself by a glorious confession of the faith, during the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus. He buried the bodies of the blessed pontiff, Xystus, of Lawrence, Hippolytus, and many other saints, and finally consummated his martyrdom under Claudius. — Also, at Rome, the holy martyrs Narcissus and Crescentio. — In Phrygia, St. Ariadna, martyr, under the emperor Adrian. — In England, the holy martyrs Socrates and Stephen. — At Nevers, the holy martyrs Valerian, Macrinus, and Gordian. — At Autun, under the emperor Antoninus and the governor Valerian, St. Flocellus, a boy, who, after many sufferings, was torn to pieces by wild beasts, and thus won the crown of martyrs. — At Liege, blessed Lambert, bishop of Maestricht. Having, through zeal for religion, rebuked the royal family, he was undeservedly put to death by the guilty, and thus entered the court of the heavenly kingdom, to enjoy it forever. — At Saragossa, in Spain, St. Peter of Arbues, first inquisitor of the faith in the kingdom of Arragon, who received the palm of martyrdom by being barbarously massacred by apostate Jews, for defending courageously the Catholic faith, according to the duties of his office. He was canonized by Pius IX. in 1867. — The same day, St. Agathoclia, servant of an infidel woman, who was for a long time subjected by her to blows and other afflictions, that she might deny Christ. She was finally presented to the judge and cruelly lacerated, and as she persisted in confessing the faith, they cut off her tongue and threw her into the flames. — At Cordova, St. Columba, virgin and martyr. — At Milan, the departure from this world of St. Satyrus, confessor, whose distinguished merits are mentioned by his brother, St. Ambrose. — At Rome, in the persecution of Diocletian, St. Theodora, a matron, who carefully ministered to the martyrs. — At Bingen, in the diocese of Mayence, St. Hildegarde, virgin.

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Highlighted Saint

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The Stigmata of St. Francis

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The wounds of Christ impressed upon the servant.

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The Martyrology commemorates the sacred wounds which St. Francis received through a wonderful favor of God in his hands, feet, and side on Mount Alvernia.

This feast teaches that love of Christ Crucified is not decorative. The saint who embraces holy poverty and penance is conformed to the wounds of the Master.

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Let the Stigmata sober and console you. Christ's friends are marked by love, and love becomes most real when it consents to the Cross.

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From Matins

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The servant visibly conformed to the wounds of his Lord.

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Matins - Second Nocturn - Stigmata of St. Francis, Confessor

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St. Bonaventure, Cardinal Bishop of Albano, Life of St. Francis, chapter 13

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“I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”
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  • The Breviary recounts St. Francis withdrawing to Mount Alvernia in fasting and prayer, where the Crucified appeared beneath the form of a seraph, one of the highest orders of angelic spirits.
  • The sacred wounds manifest an interior conformity already formed by poverty, penance, humility, and burning love for Christ crucified.
  • The feast prevents Franciscan simplicity from being detached from sacrifice: the servant resembles the Master through the Cross.
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Let love become cruciform. St. Francis teaches poverty of spirit, penance, humility, recollection, and consent to bear the likeness of the suffering Christ.

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Full Breviary Lessons

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Fourth Lesson - Prayer upon Mount Alverno

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Francis being indeed a faithful servant and minister of Christ, about the space of two years before he gave back his spirit to heaven, withdrew himself into an high mountain apart, even that mountain which is called Mount Alverno, and began to fast for forty days to the honour of the Archangel Michael. To think of the things above gave him sweeter comfort than beforetime he was wont, and the hot longing for heaven was kindled in him, so that he began to feel that the gifts from above were poured forth upon him in such fulness as he had never felt before. The burning of his desire made his heart rise towards God like the heart of a seraph, and his tender answering love yearned to be changed into the likeness of Him Who hath so loved us that He was content to bear the Cross. And it was so that one morning early, about the time of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he was praying upon the side of the mountain, and there appeared unto him as it had been one of the Seraphim, having six wings, glorious and fiery, flying to him from heaven. It came therefore very swiftly, and stood in the air, hard by the man of God. He beheld then the appearance thereof, that it was not winged only, but crucified also. His hands and feet were stretched forth and nailed to a Cross. Twain of his wings were lifted up and joined one to the other over his head, and twain were stretched forth to fly withal, and with twain he wrapped around his body. When Francis saw it, he was sore amazed, and his soul was filled with sorrow and gladness, for the eyes of him that appeared were full of strange love and tenderness, so that he conceived great rejoicing thereat, but the nailing to the Cross was so exceedingly dreadful, that as he saw it, a sword of sorrow pierced his soul.

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Fifth Lesson - Changed into the Likeness of Christ Crucified

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Then He Whom he beheld with his bodily eyes, began to speak silently unto him in his heart, and he understood that albeit the deathless Seraphim cannot suffer or faint, this vision was nevertheless therefore set before him, that he might know that as a friend of Christ he was to be all changed into the likeness of Christ JESUS crucified, not by the martyrdom of the body, but by the fervour of the soul. Then they held together some sweet converse, as of a man with his friend, and the vision passed from him, but his heart was kindled inwardly with the fire of the Seraphim, and his body was outwardly changed into the likeness of Him Who was crucified, even as wax is softened by the fire and taketh the impression of the seal. From thenceforth there were in his hands and feet the marks of the nails. The heads of the nails were seen in the palms of his hands and on the insteps of his feet, and the points came out on the backs of his hands and the soles of his feet. In his right side also was a long raw wound, as though he had been pierced with a spear, from which wound his holy blood oftentimes ran and stained his shirt and breeches.

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Sixth Lesson - The Marks Made by the Living God

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Thereafter Francis was a new creature, famous for a new and awful sign. The holy marks of the Lord JESUS, whereon living man for twelve centuries had not been allowed to look, were his adornment. He came down from the mount bearing in himself the form of JESUS Crucified, not pourtrayed upon tables of stone or wood by the hand of any earthly craftsman, but drawn upon his flesh by the finger of the living God. The dying Seraph knew well that "it is good to keep close the secret of a king," (Tobit xii. 7,) and knowing the secret of his King, he strove as far as in him lay to keep the sacred marks hidden from men. Nevertheless, forasmuch as it is the will of the Lord God for His Own glory to make manifest the greatness of His Own works, He openly showed forth divers wonders through these wounds which He had Himself made in secret, so that the hidden and wondrous power of the marks might become known by the fame of the miracles. The foregoing marvellous but thoroughly witnessed facts, which were already spoken of in Papal documents with especial praise and joy, were made, by the pleasure of Pope Benedict XI., the subject of a yearly memorial, which was afterwards extended by Paul V. to the whole Church, in the hope of fanning in the hearts of the faithful the love of Christ Crucified.

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The Pilgrim's Spiritual Conference

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Valid Sacraments Are a Grave Priority

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The Church places this truth before you today: The faithful must seek valid sacraments with prudence, sacrifice, and holy seriousness, without inventing sacraments or despising them. Do not hurry past it as though doctrine belonged only to books and controversies. A revealed truth is also a light by which the soul must judge its loyalties, its fears, its habits, and the duties immediately before it. Families often move for work, schools, or safety. The sacraments are a higher good, and should weigh heavily in practical decisions when God makes such a move possible.

The grace to be practiced is Conformity to Christ Crucified, drawn from today's saintly witness. Ask God for more than the natural appearance of this virtue. Temperament may make an action seem easy for a time, but supernatural virtue remains faithful because God is worthy of obedience, even when feeling offers no assistance and no one notices the cost. Practice theological humility by submitting private preference to God's revealed order while preserving His absolute sovereignty and freedom.

There is also an enemy to recognize: Resist home-alone despair when it becomes settled indifference to seeking valid sacraments. Do not study this danger only in other people. Look quietly for the door by which it seeks entrance into your own soul - perhaps through delay, curiosity, resentment, human respect, attachment to comfort, or the desire to control the outcome. Dying to self today means choosing conformity to Christ Crucified when pride, comfort, fear, resentment, or human respect asks for control.

Do the faithful act and entrust its fruit to divine Providence, God's wise and loving governance of all things. Place effort and outcome into Our Lady's hands so that the whole offering may be presented to her Divine Son. Confidence in God is not passivity: obey, pray, work, and accept that visible success, consolation, or immediate relief may not be given. God remains faithful when the duty is hidden and the outcome uncertain. Therefore, perform the duty that belongs to you, use the lawful means God has provided, and then surrender the fruit. Renounce pride that resists mediation and confusion that exaggerates it, holding the complete Catholic distinction with fidelity. Receive Christ, grace, prayer, sacrifice, and duty within the Trinitarian order, allowing Our Lady to form deeper union with her Son.

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The Church's witness: this truth manifests the Church's mark of holy; the witness placed beside it is St. Charles Borromeo.

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Your Resolution Before God

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Offer today's inconveniences in reparation for irreverence, false worship, and indifference.

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Reparation answers public offense with hidden love.
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The Pilgrim's Mirror

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How shall I imitate Christ today?

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“Thou alone art the true refection of the soul, and he that worthily eateth Thee shall be partaker and heir of eternal glory.”
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Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book IV, chapter 14, p. 203

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The Blessed Sacrament is not one devotion among many: it is Jesus Christ, the soul's true food. Let every Marian offering lead you more faithfully to her Eucharistic Son.

If you can assist at Mass and receive worthily, approach with recollection and hunger rather than habit. If you cannot, do not allow absence to become forgetfulness. Turn toward the tabernacle, confess your desire, and ask Our Lady to prepare in you a more faithful welcome for Jesus.

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Today's Practice

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Make a reverent Spiritual Communion, or prepare carefully for Holy Communion if you will receive today.

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Daily Examen

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Three questions before night prayer

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Examine whether self-sufficiency resisted God's chosen means or careless language obscured His sovereign freedom and divine perfection.

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  • For what grace or mercy should I thank God today?
  • What sin, fault, neglected duty, or resistance to grace must I confess?
  • What definite amendment will I carry into tomorrow?
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Prayer

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O Lord, where Thou art forgotten, mocked, or coldly received, let me answer with prayer, penance, reverence, and love for Thy Sacred Heart.

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Daily Rule for the Pilgrim

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A brief rule to keep every day:

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Begin with morning prayer

Adore the Blessed Trinity and offer the whole day to Jesus through Mary before other duties claim the mind.

Keep the Angelus

Pause morning, noon, and evening to remember the Incarnation.

Seek Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament

Attend Holy Mass when duty permits; otherwise make a Spiritual Communion and renew desire for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Return to Jesus and Mary

Use frequent holy aspirations during work, waiting, suffering, and temptation.

Pray the Rosary

Keep the mysteries of Christ before the mind with Our Lady and learn to imitate what they contain.

End with night prayer and examen

Give thanks, confess faults, forgive injuries, make a practical amendment, and entrust the night to Our Lady.

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Continue Study

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Carry today's lesson into a focused chapter from the library.

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Persevere, pilgrim.

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The gates remain open to the faithful.

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