Litanies: Litany of the Sacred Heart

Today, being Friday, we'll focus on the Litany of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Like the Litany of St. Joseph, it was only approved for public prayer relatively late, in this case by Pope Leo XIII in 1899. This Litany is actually a composite of other litanies, primarily from the 17th century (please see the link above for more information). While virtually all litanies were forbidden from public use in 1601 (that of All Saints and of Loreto being exceptions), there was a slight loosening of this prohibition in the 19th century, during which the other approved Litanies received their approbation.

In structure, it is much like the other litanies which we have seen: the Kyrie, invocation of the three members of the Trinity to have mercy on us (first individually, then as a unity), the come petitions to the Heart of Jesus to have mercy upon us, followed by the invocations of the Agnus Dei. One of the notable features is that the series of petitions to the Heart of Jesus are 33 in number, reflecting the number of years which Jesus is said to have lived on earth.

Like other devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (for instance the Little Office of the Sacred Heart, mentioned in an earlier post), it seems best suited for Fridays, especially the First Fridays of the month and the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (third Friday after Pentecost). Additionally, it is well suited to every day during the month of June, which is typically held in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and is the month in which the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus usually falls. Like the other approved litanies, it is enriched with a partial indulgence

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

Thursday often devoted to the Eucharist, it seemed a good day to post on the Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, (found here). This is the last of the approved litanies to receive its approbation, which was given by Pope Bl. John XXIII in 1960 (which can be seen in AAS 52, pp. 412-13).

The structure begins and concludes like the other litanies. However, the response to the 25 petitions is "save us" (salva nos). It is noted for these petitions recalling biblical passages in the Directory of Popular Piety (no. 178).

In many ways, we can look upon this Litany as the most neglected of the six approved litanies. This might owe to its very recent approbation (which was quickly followed by a rejection in many quarters of anything traditional, leaving this rather new devotion to develop little following). While the other approved litanies are included in the Manual of Prayers published by the Midwest Theological Forum, for example, this prayer is unfortunately omitted. Fortunately, however, the U.S. bishops have seen fit to print it both in the Manual of Indulgences (translating the newest version the Enchiridion) and the book Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers.

This Litany is most suitable for every day of the month of July, which is traditionally devoted to the Precious Blood. Unfortunately, in the revised Roman Calendar, there is no longer a Feast of the Precious Blood. This is quite remarkable especially owing to the devotion to the Precious Blood which was held by Bl. John XXIII. However, this does not prevent priests from celebrating a Votive Mass of the Precious Blood. It may also be suitable for Thursdays (because of the Eucharist) or Fridays (because of the Passion). Like the other approved litanies, it is enriched with a partial indulgence.

Our Lady of the Rosary: The Rosary and October

Today, October 7th, is the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. October is in fact that month of the Rosary. You will hear it said that it commemorates the victory of a Christian fleet against an invading Muslim force at the Battle of Lepanto. More than anything, however, it commemorates the power of this prayer to Jesus through Mary, as exemplified by the victory given to that outnumbered fleet.

The Rosary, of course, has a long history ante-dating this event battle. Prayer beads had long been used with various styles of prayer from very early times. Indeed, they are also found in non-Christian cultures. Among Christians, as early as the seventh century, there was a practice among the laity to recite 150 Hail Marys, in imitation of the 150 Psalms, which were sung by monks throughout the week. It is out of this "Psalter of Mary" that the Rosary was to emerge, and it is still sometimes called by this name.

At its core, praying the Rosary consists of three sets of five "decades." These decades consist of one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory be. During each decade, one meditates on a Mystery (that is, a revealed truth) about Our Lord (or his Blessed Mother, those these mysteries be seen as an extension of the mystery of Our Lord, as they pertain to God's love for her). Offering a rosary is understood to consist in essence of praying five such decades. Nevertheless, various additions have been made to this prayer. I am not aware of any version of the Rosary where these decades are not preceded by an additional Our Father and three Hail Marys.

The beginning of the prayer varies according to local custom. In the United States (and I believe all of the English speaking world) the practice is to begin with the Sign of the Cross and the Apostles' Creed while holding the crucifix attached to the Rosary. In Rome, the practice is to begin with the opening words of the Divine Office: "Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will proclaim your praise. God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be . . ."Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina). This is usually followed by a collect (concluding prayer). Additionally, the Litany of Loreto (about which more will be written on Saturday) can follow. Finally, the prayer to St. Joseph might be made after the Rosary.

This certainly does not exhaust the possibilities of praying the Rosary, or the adaptations which can be made by an individual or group. For instance, one might desire to pray the Memorare before the Rosary in order to better set a prayerful mood. Moreover, various prayers may be added, for vocations, peace, etc

It should not go without saying that in 2002 John Paul II, in the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, introduced five new optional mysteries for meditation during the Rosary, known as the Luminous Mysteries. These include 1) the Baptism in the Jordan; 2) the Wedding at Cana; 3) the Proclamation of the Kingdom and Call to Repentance; 4) the Transfiguration; and 5) the Eucharist.

It should be noted that this has caused a great deal of consternation among a number of traditionalists. The primary reason is that it appears to sever the practice from its roots as substitution or complement for the Psalter (i.e., as "Mary's Psalter"). Nevertheless, one could argue that there are already various chaplets offered using Rosary beads anyway. We can see this simply as another of those chaplets.
Regarding the Rosary, we find the following text in the Enchiridion no. 17 sec. 1:

• A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who
• 1. devoutly recite the Marian rosary in a church or oratory, or in a family, a religious community, or an association of the faithful, and in general when several of the faithful gather for some honest purpose.
• 2. devoutly join in the recitation of the rosary while it is being recited by the Supreme Pontiff and broadcast live by radio or television.
• In other circumstances, the indulgence will be partial

Praying the Rosary under these circumstances is indeed one of six ways in which a member of the faithful may gain a plenary indulgence on any day. The other ways would include: 1) devoutly reading Sacred Scripture for 30 minutes; 2) devoutly praying before the Blessed Sacrament for 30 minutes; 3) praying the Stations of the Cross; 4) praying the Akathistos hymn under the same circumstances as the Rosary; 5) praying the Paraclesis service under the same circumstances

In this month of October, and on this Feast Day, we have a great opportunity to renew or take up this practice for the first time.

Litanies: Litany of St. Joseph

While it might seem a little out-of-order to write on the Litany of St. Joseph before the Litany of Loreto (Blessed Virgin Mary), it seemed appropriate as Wednesday is traditionally held in honor of St. Joseph.

This Litany (found here, here, and here) is much shorter than the two which we have previously treated. It begins normally, with the Kyrie, "Christ, hear us," and invocation of the Trinity (though the version in the current Manual of Indulgences omits the "Christ hear us"). Thereafter, we ask Holy Mary to pray for us, followed by St. Joseph. Following this, Joseph's intercession is invoked under a series of titles. It concludes with the Agnus Dei, a versicle to St. Joseph, and a collect.

Like many devotions to St. Joseph, it appears to have been approved late. Indeed, the version which we have was not approved and indulgenced until 1909.

As Wednesdays and the month of March are especially suited to St. Joseph, these times seem best for reciting this prayer. As with all Litanies, it lends itself well to common recitation. Of course, this does not limit the number of times when one might make use of this prayer, especially for fathers (who might have recourse to this model of fatherhood).

Litanies: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus

For our next installment on the approved litanies, we turn to the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus (found, for instance, here and here). This litany was first indulgenced by Pope Sixtus V in the late 16th century. However, despite being indulgenced, it appears that it was not "approved" until the reign of Bl. Pius IX, whose approval gave the prayer its current form. It may have originated with St. Bernardine of Siena or St. John Capistrano. Like the other five approved litanies, it retains a partial indulgence.

Looking at the structure, it appears to follow that of the Litany of the Saints fairly closely. It begins with the Kyrie and "Jesus, hear us," followed by the same invocation of the Trinity as in the longer Litany of Saints. Thereafter, it invokes Jesus in both his human and divine qualities. It further recognizes him as the models of various charisms. Thereafter, like in the Litany of Saints, we ask for deliverance from various forms of evil, and deliverance by means of various acts in Jesus' life. It concludes with the Agnus Dei, Jesus hear us, and a collect.

This litany was provided as a prayer suitable to the morning by F.X. Lasance in his Prayer Book for Religious. In this respect, it is complemented by the Litany of Loreto (of the Blessed Virgin Mary) in the evening. It would also be an excellent practice to recite this prayer daily during the month of January, which is traditionally devoted to the Holy Name of Jesus (especially on the Memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus, Jan. 3rd).

Litanies: Litany of the Saints

Today, we will begin a new series on Litanies. This is part of our broader series on Indulgences. There are six Litanies enriched with a partial indulgence: the Litany of the Saints, the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, the Litany of Loreto (for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Litany of the Most Sacred Heart, the Litany of the Most Precious Blood, and the Litany of St. Joseph. By far, the oldest of these is the Litany of the Saints. It is thus a good idea to turn first to this prayer, so important to our tradition, and well-used in both our Liturgy and Popular Devotions.

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The Litany of Saints is of undetermined antiquity. We can generally say that some form of it was common at the time of St. Gregory the Great, who ordered his Litania Septiformis. The practice of litanies used in procession goes back to the legalization of Christianity under Constantine. As there were sacred processions in the contemporary Pagan practice, so the Christians invented their own. One general practice during these processions was a series of invocations followed by a standard response. This has become what we know now as Litany. One can see that it would be easy to sing or recite such a prayer in procession, as only one needs to know the invocations, while the rest may simply offer the response.

The form adopted for the Litany of the Saints can be seen coming from the practice of the Roman processions. The most important of these would be held on the day of the Major Litany (April 25, St. Mark's Day, supplanting the Pagan procession of the Robigalia on the same day). It was also used for the Minor Litanies: the Rogation Days asking for a good harvest, on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Thursday.

The Litany of the Saints is used at numerous points in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite. However, there are different forms of this Litany used in each. In the case of the Ordinary Form, the Litany of the Saints used at the Easter Vigil has a rather short listing of Saints, and does not include the invocations to the Trinity before the invocation of the Saints to "have mercy on us." In the Rite of Baptism, there are only a handful of Saints invoked (oddly, this Litany is preceded by the Prayer of the Faithful, which is also a Litany).

A full form of the Litany may be found here, including both English and Latin text. Another easier-to-follow English version may be found here. Nevertheless, names of other Saints may be inserted at the appropriate place in the Litany (for instance, the patron of the parish or diocese). It is forbidden, however, to insert the names of those who are not venerated as Saints into the Litany (for this reason, we ought to avoid using the form of the Litany which includes the name of Origen in any liturgical celebration).

There are innumerable times during which this prayer may be said: during processions, obviously, and at those points appointed in the Liturgy; during an evening vigil; as a preparation for liturgical prayer; as a form of intercession for some particular need; on Sundays, uniting ourselves with the full Communion of Saints, on behalf of the Faithful Departed, expecially on Mondays, on which we especially traditionally remember the Poor Souls. It may also be used for processions to the church during Lent (and seems appropriate also on the Solemnity of All Saints, Nov. 1st).

This prayer is well-suited for prayer in common. It can be recited with minimal training for those who respond. It can likewise be easily chanted (especially with the settings we have for the Litany in the Easter Vigil). It is enriched with a partial indulgence.

Month of January: The Holy Name of Jesus

The Month of January is held in honor of the Holy Name of Jesus. Already yesterday, during the Gospel, we heard that, after he was circumcised, Jesus was given his name. In the old calendar, the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus was then celebrated on the Sunday between Jan. 1 and the Feast of the Epiphany (or on Jan. 2, if there was no intervening Sunday).

Under the rubrics of the new calendar, the Feast of the Holy Name was initially suppressed, and then restored as an optional memorial on Jan. 3 (Jan. 2 now celebrating Sts. Basil and Gregory Nazianzen, who are commemorated on Jan. 1 in the East). In the intervening time, however, much devotion to the Holy Name has certainly dried up.

Today would be an excellent time to remember to bow our heads when speaking his name (e.g., at the two points when we say his name in the Gloria). Further, we should recall that Our Salvation does have a name: that he is a person who was given by God the Father to us. Having just concluded Christmas, we have been reminded that God has been born for us as a little Child, and indeed now loves us with a human Heart. It reminds us to love him in return, and we know the name to call him.

Of the six approved Litanies, one is the Litany of the Holy Name. It would be good if we were to pray this name throughout this month. This prayer, carrying a partial indulgence, might be the best way to commemorate the Holy Name month, reminding us never to take it in vain. I hope that we can renew devotion to the Holy Name this year.