"Rome Sweet Home" - Ponte Sant'Angelo

Notes on Ponte Sant'Angelo:

The Wikipedia page on Ponte Sant'Angelo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Sant%27Angelo

Taken from: https://web.archive.org/web/20070224170408/http://www.beliefnet.com/features/bridgeofangels/index.html

 The Meaning of the Bridge of Angels

The Bridge of Angels (in Italian, Ponte Sant'Angelo) spans the Tiber River in Rome. Only a few steps away from St. Peter's Basilica, the bridge reflects the psychological shift from secular to sacred the occurs when pilgrims crossed from the busy streets of Rome over to the churches of the Vatican. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the famed Italian sculptor, originally designed the bridge's angel sculptures in the seventeenth century. Though few of the angels standing today were done by his hand, Bernini's vision for the bridge lives on.

Five angel sculptures flank each side of the bridge, with statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on the eastern bank. At the base of each sculpture is a line from the Bible in Latin. The verses inscribed on many of the sculptures are dissimilar to the verses readers find in today's Bibles, because they are based on an old and superseded scripture translation called the Latin Vulgate.

Below are the Latin inscriptions, their translations, and an explanation of their religious significance.

Angel with the Column
Inscription: "Tronus meus in columna"
Translation: My throne is upon a column (Sirach 24:4)
Significance: According to tradition, Roman prisoners were whipped while bound to a low pillar or column. The book of Sirach is found in Catholic Bibles, but considered apocryphal by certain Christian denominations.

Angel with the Scourge
Inscription: "In flagella paratus sum"
Translation: I am ready for the scourge (Psalm 37:18, Latin Vulgate version) Significance: According to Mark 15:15, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate had Jesus scourged before having him crucified.

Angel with the Crown of Thorns
Inscription: "In aerumna mea dum configitur spina"
Translation: The thorn is fastened upon me (Psalm 31:4, Latin Vulgate)
Significance: According to Mark 15:17, Roman soldiers crowned Jesus with thorns before they crucified him.

Angel with Veronica's Veil
Inscription: "Respice faciem Christi tui"
Translation: Look upon the face of your Christ (Psalm 84:9)
Significance: According to Roman Catholic tradition, a woman named Veronica wiped Jesus' face with a cloth while he was carrying the cross; Jesus' image remained on the cloth.

Angel with the Garment and Dice
Inscription: "Super vestimentum meum miserunt sortem"
Translation: For my clothing they cast lots (Psalm 22:18)
Significance: According to Mark 15:24, Roman soldiers took Jesus' well-made garments and played dice for them.

Angel with the Cross
Inscription: "Cuius principatus super humerum eius"
Translation: Dominion rests on his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6)
Significance: This scripture verse links the "Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero" of Isaiah's prophecies to Jesus. Earlier in the same Isaiah passage, the prophet announces that "a child is born to us, a son is given us." The cross resting on Jesus' shoulders is symbolically linked to his dominion.

Angel with the Nails
Inscription: "Aspicient ad me quem confixerunt"
Translation: They will look upon me whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10)
Significance: According to Thomas' words in John 20:25, Jesus was nailed to the cross. The crucifixion narrative in John's gospel (John 19:37) quotes this Zechariah verse. Zechariah chapter 12 prophesies Jerusalem's victory and vindication, accompanied by mourning for those who suffered for her sake.

Angel with the Superscription "INRI"
Inscription: "Regnavit a ligno deus"
Translation: God has reigned from the tree (sixth-century hymn)
Significance: The lyrics to this ancient hymn about the cross describe the "blest Tree, whose happy branches bore/ the wealth that did the world restore." The inscription INRI is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews." According to the gospels, the INRI sign was affixed to Jesus' cross.

Angel with the Wine-Soaked Sponge
Inscription: "Potaverunt me aceto"
Translation: They gave me vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21)
Significance: The gospels of Matthew and Mark report that just before Jesus died, one of the soldiers who crucified him placed a sponge dipped in "sour wine" on a stick and held the stick to Jesus' lips.

Angel with the Spear
Inscription: "Vulnerasti cor meum"
Translation: You have ravished my heart (Song of Solomon 4:9)
Significance: According to John's gospel, after Jesus died, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear to confirm that he was dead. Christian tradition has tied this action to the "ravishing" or "wounding" of the heart of the beloved in the Song of Solomon. This tradition emphasizes that Jesus underwent death by crucifixion as an act of love for humankind.

Vexilla Regis: https://gregobase.selapa.net/chant.php?id=2120

carraig an aifrinn: Mass Rock - An raibh tú ar an gCarraig - Were You at the Rock?

 "An raibh tú ar an gCarraig” 

Were You at the Rock?

Or did you yourself see my love.

Or did you see a brightness.

the fairness and the beauty of the woman?

Or did you see the apple.

the sweetest and the most fragrant blossom?

Or did you see my Valentine?

Is she being subdued as they are saying?

O, I was at the rock.

And I myself saw your love

O, I saw a brightness,

the fairness and the beauty of the woman

O, I did see the apple

The sweetest and the most fragrant blossom

and I saw your Valentine

she is not being subdued as they are saying

At first glance, “An raibh tú ar an gCarraig” appears to be a series of questions and answers about a young woman, but in reality, it contains a coded message:

I was at the Mass I saw the Virgin Mary.

I received communion, and said the rosary

I saw the chalice,

And saw the sacrifice of the Mass

And I practiced the faith:

We are not being subdued as they are saying.

It was a privilege to be able to attend Mass at a Mass Rock in 2019 and what greater privilege than to be able to continue to be attending Mass!

from: https://sites.google.com/site/credo2019/massrock

In Ireland in the Penal Days of the late 17th and early 18th century, it was forbidden for the people to gather together to celebrate the Eucharist and there was a price on the head of anyone who convened such a gathering. Any priest who was captured was executed, as were those who harbored him. There was even a special reward -thirty pounds- for anyone who told the authorities where a priest was being hidden. Because of the dangers involved, the Eucharist, or Mass, was celebrated in hiding, often in desolate places – in woodlands and forests or in inaccessible caves by the sea shore. Often, rocks and other such surfaces became the altar and the places of prayer. As people gathered to pray, others would act as ‘lookouts’ to protect the men, women, and children as they shared the Eucharist together in hiding. Many beautiful texts have been written of these tragic times and were often disguised in different forms and images to protect the people involved. One such piece is called “An raibh tú ar an gCarraig” (“Were You at the Rock?”)- the ‘carrig’ was the ‘Mass rock’ used as a meeting place.

The song "An raibh tú ar an gCarraig” (“Were You at the Rock?”) – the ‘gCarraig’ was the “Mass rock” used as a meeting place.

Were you at the Rock and did you see my Valentine? (meaning either the priest or the host)

It was a code addressed to a disguised priest or the people present, so the enemy would not grasp the true meaning. Even if he spoke Irish. Death was also the penalty for those caught attending Mass.  

https://sspx.ca/en/news/mass-rocks-and-survival-faith-ireland-father-mcmahon-24227

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/secret-paths-ireland-catholic-forbidden-mass-photography

https://irishpage.com/poems/carraig.html

Good St Anne

 

Text from: https://taylormarshall.com/2013/07/the-mysterious-relics-of-saint-anne.html

On Easter AD 792, Charlemagne discovered the relics of Saint Anne with the help of a deaf handicapped boy. It’s a wonderful tale for this feast day of Saint Anne.

Below is the account, preserved in the correspondence of Pope Saint Leo III, concerning the mysterious discovery of the relics of Saint Anne in the presence of Emperor Charlemagne.

Fourteen years after Our Lord’s death, Saint Mary Magdalen, Saint Martha, Saint Lazarus, and the others of the little band of Christians who were piled into a boat without sails or oars and pushed out to sea to perish — in the persecution of the Christians by the Jews of Jerusalem — were careful to carry with them the tenderly loved body of Our Lady’s mother. They feared lest it be profaned in the destruction, which Jesus had told them was to come upon Jerusalem. When, by the power of God, their boat survived and finally drifted to the shores of France, the little company of saints buried Saint Anne’s body in a cave, in a place called Apt, in the south of France. The church, which was later built over the spot, fell into decay because of wars and religious persecutions, and as the centuries passed, the place of Saint Anne’s tomb was forgotten.

The long years of peace, which Charlemagne’s wise rule gave to southern France, enabled the people to build a magnificent new church on the site of the old chapel at Apt. Extraordinary and painstaking labor went into the building of the great structure, and when the day of its consecration arrived [Easter Sunday, 792 A.D.], the beloved Charlemagne, little suspecting what was in store for him, declared himself happy indeed to have journeyed so many miles to be present for the holy occasion. At the most solemn part of the ceremonies, a boy of fourteen, blind, deaf and dumb from birth — and usually quiet and impassive — to the amazement of those who knew him, completely distracted the attention of the entire congregation by becoming suddenly tremendously excited. He rose from his seat, walked up the aisle to the altar steps, and to the consternation of the whole church, struck his stick resoundingly again and again upon a single step.

His embarrassed family tried to lead him out, but he would not budge. He continued frantically to pound the step, straining with his poor muted senses to impart a knowledge sealed hopelessly within him. The eyes of the people turned upon the emperor, and he, apparently inspired by God, took the matter into his own hands. He called for workmen to remove the steps.

A subterranean passage was revealed directly below the spot, which the boy’s stick had indicated. Into this passage the blind lad jumped, to be followed by the emperor, the priests, and the workmen.

They made their way in the dim light of candles, and when, farther along the passage, they came upon a wall that blocked further advance, the boy signed that this also should be removed. When the wall fell, there was brought to view still another long, dark corridor. At the end of this, the searchers found a crypt, upon which, to their profound wonderment, a vigil lamp, alight and burning in a little walled recess, cast a heavenly radiance.

As Charlemagne and his afflicted small guide, with their companions, stood be fore the lamp, its light went out. And at the same moment, the boy, blind and deaf and dumb from birth, felt sight and hearing and speech flood into his young eyes, his ears, and his tongue.

“It is she! It is she!” he cried out. The great emperor, not knowing what he meant, nevertheless repeated the words after him. The call was taken up by the crowds in the church above, as the people sank to their knees, bowed in the realization of the presence of something celestial and holy.

The crypt at last was opened, and a casket was found within it. In the casket was a winding sheet, and in the sheet were relics, and upon the relics was an inscription that read, “Here lies the body of Saint Anne, mother of the glorious Virgin Mary.” The winding sheet, it was noted, was of eastern design and texture.

Charlemagne, overwhelmed, venerated with profound gratitude the relics of the mother of Heaven’s Queen. He remained a long time in prayer. The priests and the people, awed by the graces given them in such abundance and by the choice of their countryside for such a heavenly manifestation, for three days spoke but rarely, and then in whispers.

The emperor had an exact and detailed account of the miraculous finding drawn up by a notary and sent to Pope Saint Leo III, with an accompanying letter from himself. These documents and the pope’s reply are preserved to this day. Many papal bulls have attested, over and over again, to the genuineness of Saint Anne’s relics at Apt.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Anne, Thérèse I love You; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori. (Luke 18:13)

Sancte Filumena (Philomena), ora pro nobis

Pure Aim - Reineszeal

 PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH BEFORE WORK

Composed by St. Pius X (1906)

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who devote their lives to labour, obtain for me the grace

- to work in the spirit of penance in order thereby to atone for my many sins;

- to work conscientiously, setting devotion to duty in preference to my own whims;

- to work with thankfulness and joy, deeming it an honour to employ and to develop by my labour the gifts I have received from God;

- to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties;

- to work above all with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill spent, of talents wasted, of good omitted, and of vain complacency in success, which is so fatal to the work of God.

All for Jesus, all through Mary, all in imitation of you, O Patriarch Joseph! This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen!

Happy Birthday Mama Mary 🌹

 

My Mother, My Heart

 

https://www.drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drl&bk=49&ch=1&l=46#x

 46 And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord
Et ait Maria : Magnificat anima mea Dominum :  [Luke 1:46]

 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo.

 48 Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae : ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes,

 49 Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.
quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est : et sanctum nomen ejus,

 50 And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.

 51 He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo : dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.

 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
Deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles.

 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Esurientes implevit bonis : et divites dimisit inanes.

 54 He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:
Suscepit Israel puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae :

 55 As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini ejus in saecula.

Eternal Beauty

“ It was for love only, and not because He had to, that He drew us out of Himself.  We never asked Him to create us but moved by the fire of His charity He did, so that we might experience and enjoy His supreme eternal beauty.”

-Saint Catherine of Siena 

St Alphonsus Ligouri

 http://rachelanne25.blogspot.com/2007/08/sancta-alphonsum-mariam-ligouri.html

Reposting a post I made a long time ago: 

The Signature of St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri:

Today's the Feast of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri, Doctor of the Church!! One of my favourite saints, and I do really think he is one of the best spiritual writers I've ever read! As a quick search on my blog will show. His Uniformity with the Will of God, Glories of Mary, The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, The Holy Eucharist, Victories of Martyrs etc. etc. a whole long list of his ascetical works - so lovingly written with a depth so infinitely beautiful ... has helped me a lot, a lot! And I cannot but Thank God and Mother Mary for one of the greatest Saints of the Church. :) Deo gratias et Mariae!

From the Collect at Mass today:

O God, Who didst kindle in blessed Alphonsus Mary, Thy Confessor and Bishop, burning zeal for the salvation of souls, and through him didst enrich Thy Church with a new offspring: grant, we beseech Thee, that imbued with his saving doctrine and strengthened by his example, we may be able happily to come to Thee. Through our Lord.

An example of one of his beautiful writings:

Affections of Love towards the Heart of Jesus

This was written by St. Alphonsus, but remained unpublished till 1875.

O amiable Heart of my Saviour! Thou art the seat of all virtues, the source of all graces, the burning furnace in which are inflamed all holy souls. Thou art the object of all God’s love; thou art the refuge of the afflicted, and the abode of the souls that love thee, O Heart worthy of reigning over all hearts, and of possessing the affection of all hearts! O Heart that was wounded for me on the Cross by the lance of my sins, and that remained afterwards continually wounded for me on the altar in the Blessed Sacrament, but not by any other lance than that of the love that thou entertainest for me! O loving Heart, that loves men with so much tenderness, and that is so little loved by men! Do thou apply a remedy to so great an ingratitude, inflame thou our hearts with a true love for thee. Ah! Why can I not go all over the world to make known the graces, the sweetness, the treasures that thou dispensest to those who truly love Thee? Accept the desire that I have of seeing all hearts burning with love for thee. O Divine Heart! Be Thou my consolation in trials, my repose in labours, my solace in anxieties, my haven in tempests. I consecrate Thee my body and my soul, my heart and my life, together with all that I am. I unite to Thine all my thoughts, all my affections, all my desires. O Eternal Father! I offer Thee the pure affections of the Heart of Jesus. If Thou dost reject mine, Thou canst not reject those of Thy Son, who is sanctity itself; may they supply what is wanting in me, and may they render me pleasing in Thy eyes!

And his love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, so - ever true, fervent and beautiful!

Here's a prayer from his book, The Holy Eucharist:

A Visit to the Blessed Virgin

(Read the visit of the day, and finish by the following prayer, thereby to obtain the most powerful patronage of Mary:)

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, the refuge of sinners, I have recourse to-day,-I, who am the most miserable of all. I render thee my most humble homages, O 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, O 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 me the strength to triumph over them until death. Of thee I ask a perfect love for Jesus Christ. From thee I hope to die a good death. O 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.

Mary, my mother, my hope, my refuge, to thee I recommend myself; to thee I consign my soul: pray to Jesus for me.

Read here, a very beautiful spiritual reading by St. Alphonsus Ligouri on Death. Whence death alone is our only certainty. Memento Mori!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Holy Week Meditation, The Holy Shroud

Part 1: The Last Supper and the Shroud

What can I offer to Jesus? From one Mass to the next? What else can I offer my Lord?
Part 2: The Last Supper and the Shroud

Cor Jesu sacratissimum, miserere nobis.Cor Jesu sacratissimum, miserere nobis. 
Cor Jesu sacratissimum, miserere nobis.
Be like St. John:Be a soul of reparation.Be a consoler of the Sacred Heart. 
St Vincent de Paul on Humility:
The poor are your masters. You are the servant. Humility is nothing but TRUTH and pride is nothing but lying.Be careful to give no credit to yourself for anything;if you do, you are stealing from God, to whom alone every good thing is due.
The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is HUMILITY.For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it. 
Go to the poor: you will find God.
We should spend as much time in thanking God for His benefits as we do in asking Him for them. Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favourable light at all times and under all circumstances. 
Fear not; calm will follow the storm, and perhaps soon. 
Virtues is not found in extremes, but in prudence, which I recommend as strongly as I can. 
There is nothing good that does not meet with opposition, and it should not be valued any less because it encounters objections. 
Part 3: The Last Supper and the Shroud

The Holy Shroud, a Powerful Tool of Apologetics

The Crucifixion of Jesus

https://www.amazon.com/Crucifixion-Jesus-Completely-Revised-Expanded/dp/1590770706

The Crowning of Thorns of Jesus: 

Dr Zugibe said that the crowning of thorns was perhaps the most painful pain since it seriously wounded the trigeminal nerve which is like an electric wire…

The trigeminal nerve is the largest cranial nerve and is the great sensory nerve of the head and face, and the motor nerve of the muscles of mastication.

The thorns, affecting the Trigeminal nerve, the 5th cranial nerve and it is the main nerve of the face responsible for sensation (e.g. heat and pain). The last picture shows clearly where the trigeminal nerve innervates the face (with the different colours). Note that every region of the face is innervated by the trigeminal nerve, top of head, nose, mouth, sides of face, cheeks etc (!) 
This means that every time Jesus spoke, it must have been very very painful - like many electric shocks(!) 

It is really really wonderful that Jesus managed to speak at all throughout His passion (after scourging, talking to P.Pilate, way of the cross a few times, on the cross (7 times!!) amidst all the other pains caused by all the other tortures Jesus had to go through: scourging, carrying the cross, removal of thorns and putting it back on, the actual crucifixion. This makes all of Jesus's words during his Passion really really really precious!
Here, the SEVEN, the words that sparkled faith throughout the whole world! 

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I love You; Save Souls! Amen.


I have been also watching and reading and hearing about why people need to wear masks or not and the arguments surrounding it. 
I am writing some considerations, for readers to think about:

Wearing of (normal disposable) masks can be considered a sacrifice on the part of the wearer of the mask, why? 
(1) because the wearer of the mask is not protected from the Covid-19 virus or any much other virus - the mask also needs to allow you to breathe and viruses are so so so so so tiny anyway, they can get through the pore sizes and the air spaces all around the mask
(2) if you wear a mask, you are protecting others from whatever you may spit / sneeze / cough / produce 
- anyway, all of us have a microbiome on our surfaces and we have thousands beyond thousands of microorganisms on our skin and inside our GI tract etc everywhere on and in our body - and if you wear a mask, you drastically help to decrease the spread of all the icky things that come out of our bodies ... thereby protecting others from what you yourself have in as much as the mask can prevent / decrease the spread of aerosols that we generate 
HENCE, wearing a mask is by far a very sacrificial thing that we can do FOR others, but NOT for ourselves.