Segnalazione di don Anthony Cekada
Assumption Novena and Sacramentals
August 14–22, Blessed Herbs and Flowers
The “summer Holy Day,” the Assumption, the most ancient and greatest of Our Blessed Lady’s feast days, is fast upon us. As is often the case with Holy Days in our unholy world, it means only “getting in” a Mass around work and family schedules. But there is so much more to it than that.
The Church prepares us for the feast with the ancient penitential Vigil Mass on Thursday, and continues it for a full eight days throughout the Octave, closing with the feast of Mary’s Immaculate Heart on August 22nd. (Bugnini, of course, abolished all of this — “liturgy lite,” brought to you by the Lodge!)
But did you know that there is an ancient blessing and a very powerful sacramentalassociated with the Assumption? Herbs, first fruits and flowers are traditionally blessed in Our Lady’s honor before the High Mass, “adding to their natural power, the grace of Thy new blessing… to ward off disease and adversity from men and beasts.”
And there are still more graces obtained “through the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose Assumption we celebrate.” These blessed objects “wherever they are kept or carried, act as a protection against diabolical mockeries, cunnings and deceptions.”
We thought you might want not only to participate in our Assumption Mass and Novena that begins Thursday, but also to receive some of these powerful sacramentals for your own use and protection.
If you send us a little donation, together with your intentions, we will put the latter on the altar for the entire Novena. We will also send you a beautiful holy card with dried herbs and flowers blessed in honor of Our Lady’s Assumption, “to use these fruits of the soil for our temporal and eternal welfare.”
We also invite you to view our live webcast of 9:00 AM Pontifical Mass on Friday here.
