Pray with our holy patron, St Alphonsus:

0 my God, help me to remember---
That time is short, eternity is long.
What good is all the greatness of this world at the hour of death?

To love You, my God, and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without You, there is no peace, no joy.

My God, I need fear nothing but sin.
For to lose You, my God, is to lose all.

0 my God, help me to remember---
That to gain all I must leave all,
That in loving You I have all good things:
the infinite riches of Christ and His Church, the motherly protection of Mary,
peace beyond understanding,
joy unspeakable!

Eternal Father, your Son has promised that whatever we ask in His Name will be given to us.

In His Name I pray:
give me a burning faith,
a joyful hope,
a holy love for Jesus Christ.

Give me the grace of perseverance in doing Your will in all things.
  Do with me what You will.

I repent of having offended You.

Grant, O Lord, that I may love You always and never let me be separated from You.

O my God and my All, make me a saint!

Amen.  Amen.

As a young man, St Alphonsus painted this beautiful image of his beloved Madonna, Our Lady.  How he loved Mary!  And how he spoke his own love in so many ways--from his great prayers and hymns, and his marvellous book "The Glories of Mary."  St Alphonsus Mary believed that devotion to Mary is a sure sign of predestination!

Pray with our holy patron, St Alphonsus:

Most Holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, * to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the Advocate, the Hope, and the Refuge of sinners, * I  have recourse today, I , who am the most miserable of all. * I render thee my most humble homage, 0 great Queen, * and I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me until now; * particularly for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved.

I love thee, 0 most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, * I promise to serve thee always and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. * I place in thee all my hopes, I confide my salvation to thy care.

Accept me for thy servant, and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of Mercy. * And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, * or rather obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death. * Of thee I ask a perfect love for Jesus Christ.

Through thee I hope to die a good death. * 0 my Mother, by the love which thou bearest to God, * I beseech thee to help me at all times, * but especially at the last moment of my life. * Leave me not, I beseech thee, until thou seest me safe in Heaven; blessing thee and singing thy mercies for all eternity.

Amen. So I hope. So may it be.

pray with our holy patron St Alphonsus
yearning for communion with Our Lord Jesus Christ

An Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art present in the most holy sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire to receive Thee into my soul. Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as if Thou wert already there, and unite myself wholly to Thee: never permit me to be separated from Thee. 

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Visit to The Most Blessed Sacrament

My Lord Jesus Christ, out of love for us all, You stay night and day in this
Sacrament, full of compassion, waiting for, calling and welcoming all who come
to visit you. I believe that you are really here in this sacrament. Night I
adore you out of my nothingness. I thank you for all the wonderful graces you
have given me. But I thank you especially for having given me yourself in this
sacrament, for having asked your own Mother to mother me, for having called me
here to talk to you.
I am here before you today to do three things: to thank you for these precious
gifts, to make up for all the disrespect that you receive in this sacrament from
those who offend you, to adore you everywhere in the world where you are present
in this living bread but are left abandoned and unloved.
My Jesus, I love you with all my heart. I know I have displeased you often in
the past- I am sorry. With your help I promise never to do it again. I am only a
miserable sinner, but I consecrate myself to you completely. I give you my will,
my love, my desires, everything I own. From now on do what you please with me.
All I ask is that you love me, that you keep me faithful to the end of my life.
I ask for the grace to do your will exactly as you want it done.
I pray for the souls in purgatory--especially for those who were close to you in
this sacrament and close to your Mother Mary. I pray for every soul hardened in
sin. May Savior, I unite my love to the love of your divine heart, and I offer
them both together to your Father. I beg him to accept this offering in your
name. Amen.

---

Meditation during Visit to Blessed Sacrament

"Her conservation hath no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness"-Wisd. 8:16

FRIENDS on earth find such pleasure in being together that they lose entire days in each other's company. With Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, those who love him do not get weary.

To every soul who visits Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, he addresses the words which He said to the sacred spouse: "Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come" (Cant. 2:10). Soul which visits me, "arise" from your miseries; I am here to enrich you with graces. "Make haste," approach, come near me; fear not my majesty, which has humbled itself in this sacrament, in order to take away your fear, and to give you confidence. "My beloved," you are no longer my encmy, but my friend; since you love me and I love you. "My beautiful one," my grace has made you fair, "And come," draw near and cast yourself into my arms and ask me with the greatest confidence for whatever you want.

St. Teresa says that this great King of Glory has disguised himself in the sacrament under the species of bread, and that he has concealed his majesty, to encourage us to approach his divine heart with greater confidence. Let us, then, draw near to Jesus with great confidence and affection; let us unite ourselves to him, and let us ask him for graces. Oh, eternal Word made man, and present for my sake in this sacrament, what joy should be mine now that I stand in thy presence, who art my God, who art infinite majesty and infinite goodness, and who has so tender an affection for my soul!

---

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Most Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,  Father of the poor, Comforter of the afflicted, Light of hearts, Sanctifier of souls; behold me prostrate in Thy presence.

I adore Thee with profoundest homage: I bless Thee a thousand times, and with the Seraphim who stand before Thy throne, I also say: "Holy, holy, holy."

I firmly believe that Thou art eternal,  consubstantial with the Father and the Divine Son.  I hope in Thy goodness that Thou wilt deign to save and sanctify my soul. I love Thee, 0 Divine Love, with all my affections above all the things of this world, because Thou art Infinite Goodness,  alone worthy of all love.

And since in my ingratitude and blindness to Thy holy inspirations, I have so often offended Thee by my sins, with tears in my eyes I beg Thy pardon a thousand times, and am more sorry for having offended Thee, the Sovereign Good, than for any other evil.

I offer Thee this most cold heart of mine, and I pray Thee to pierce it with a ray of Thy light, and with a spark of Thy fire, which shall melt the hard ice of my iniquities.

Thou who didst fill the soul of the most holy Mary with immense graces, and didst inflame the hearts of the Apostles with holy zeal, inflame, I beseech Thee, my heart also with Thy love.

Thou art the Divine Spirit; give me courage against all evil spirits. Thou art Fire; enkindle in me Thy love. Thou art Light; enlighten my mind with the knowledge of eternal things. Thou art the Dove; give me innocence of life. Thou art the gentle Breeze; disperse the storms of my passions. Thou art the Tongue; teach me how to bless Thee always. Thou art the Cloud; shelter me under the shadow of Thy protection.

And lastly, Thou art the Giver of all heavenly gifts; animate me, I beseech Thee, with Thy grace; sanctify me with Thy charity; enlighten me with Thy wisdom; adopt me by Thy goodness as Thy son, and save me in Thy infinite mercy;  so that I may ever bless Thee, praise Thee, and love Thee; first during this life on earth, and then in heaven for all eternity. Amen.

Thanksgiving for the Gift of Holy Faith:

O Savior of the world, I thank Thee for myself and all my brethren in the faith, that Thou hast called and admitted us to live in that true faith which the holy Catholic Roman Church teaches.

With St Francis of Sales I will say to Thee: 'Good God, many and great are the blessings by which I am bound to Thee, and for which I give Thee most hearty thanks; but how can I sufficiently thank Thee for having enlightened me with the holy faith? I tremble, O Lord, when I compare this Thy great gift with my own ingratitude'.

Nevertheless, I thank Thee, O Lord, as much as such a miserable creature is able, and I beseech Thee to make known to all men the beauty of Thy holy faith.

'O God,' exclaimed the same Saint, 'the beauty of Thy holy faith appears so lovely that I die of love for it; and it seems to me that I ought to preserve this precious gift of God in a heart all perfumed with devotion.'

But, alas! O Jesus, my Redeemer, how few are they who live in this holy faith! O God, the greatest part of mankind lies buried in the darkness of infidelity or of heresy!

Thou didst humble Thyself to death, even to the death of the Cross, for the salvation of men, and these very men ungratefully refuse even to know Thee. Ah, I beseech Thee, Almighty God, O supreme infinite Good, make Thyself known by all, make Thyself loved by all.

O Mary, great Mother of God, thou art the protectress of all; behold the havoc which hell in our times is causing, and daily causes more and more, by spreading on every side so many poisonous books, containing many errors against faith, which, for our misfortune, freely circulate even in Catholic countries. Ah, in pity beseech thy God, who loves thee so much. Beseech Him, and remedy this great ruin.

Pray, pray; thy prayers are all-powerful with Jesus thy Son, who delights to grant thee all thy requests. Amen

Prayer of St Clement Mary Hofbauer for Strengthening of The Gift of Faith

I include here, along with prayers of St Alphonsus, a beautiful prayer by one of his most devoted sons, the great apostle, St Clement Mary Hofbauer.

O Jesus, Author of our faith, let me live for You and die for You. Amen

Some Hymns Written by St Alphonsus

O God of Loveliness

O God of loveliness, 0 Lord of heaven above,
How worthy to possess my heart's devoted love.
So sweet thy countenance, so gracious to behold
That one, one one only glance to me were bliss untold.

Raise your Voices, Vales and Mountains
(The Blessed Virgin Mary)

Raise your voices, vales and mountains,
Flowr'y meadows, streams and fountains,
Praise, O praise the loveliest Maiden
The Creator ever made.

Murm'ring  brooks your tribute bringing,
Little birds with joyful singing,
Come with mirthful praises laden
To your Queen be homage paid.

LIke a sun with splendor glowing
Gleams thy heart with love o'erflowing,
Like the moon in starry heaven
Shines thy peerless purity.

Like the rose and lily blooming,
Sweetly heaven and earth perfuming,
Stainless, spotless thou appearest:
Queenly beauty graces thee.

Jesus, Lord, be Thou mine own

Jesus, Lord, be Thou my own;
Thee I long for, Thee alone;
All myself I give to Thee;
Do whate'er Thou wilt with me.

Life without Thy Love would be
Death, O Sov'reign Good, to me;
Bound and held by Thy dear chains
Captive now my heart remains.

Thou, O God, my heart inflame,
Give that love which Thou dost claim;
Payment I will ask for none;
Love demands but love alone.

God of beauty, Lord of light,
Thy good will is my delight;
Now henceforth Thy will divine
Ever shall in all be mine.

A CHRISTMAS REFLECTION

St Alphonsus Liguori

"A child is born to us, and a son is given to us" -Isa. 9:6

CONSIDER that after so many centuries, after so many prayers and sighs, the Messiah, whom the holy patriarchs and prophets were not worthy to see, whom the nations sighed for, "the desire of the everlasting hills," our Savior, has come; he is already born, and has given himself entirely to us: "A child is born to us, and a son is given to us."

The Son of God has made himself little, in order to make us great.

He has given himself to us, in order that we may give ourselves to him.

He has come to show us his love, in order that we may respond to it by giving him ours.

Let us, therefore, receive him with affection. Let us love him, and have recourse to him in ill our necessities.

"A child gives easily," says St. Bernard; children readily give anything, that is asked of them. Jesus came into the world as a child in order to show himself ready and willing to give us all! good gifts: "The Father hath given all things into his hands."

If we wish for light, he has come on purpose to enlighten us.

If we wish for strength to resist our enemies, he has come to give us comfort.

If we wish for pardon and salvation, he has come to pardon and save us.

If, in short, we desire the sovereign gift of divine love, he has come to inflame our hearts with it; and, above all, for this very purpose, he has become a child, and has chosen to show himself to us worthy of our love, in proportion as he was poor and humble, in order to take away from us all fear, and to gain our affections.

"So," said St. Peter Chrysologus, "should he come who willed to drive away fear, and seek for love." And Jesus has chosen to come as a little child to make us love him, not only with an appreciative but even a tender love.

All infants attract the tender affection of those who behold them; but who will not love, with all the tenderness of which they are capable, a God whom they behold as a little child, in need of milk to nourish him, trembling with cold, poor, abased, and forsaken, weeping and crying in a manger, and lying on straw?

It was this that made the loving St. Francis exclaim: "Let us love the child of Bethlehem, let us love the child of Bethlehem. Come, souls, and love a God who has become a child, and poor, who is so lovable, and who has come down from heaven to give himself entirely to you."