OCTOBER DEVOTION: UNDERSTANDING THE MARIAN TITLES IN THE LITANY OF LORETO (PART 2) – DAY 23: “COMFORT OF MIGRANTS” (SOLACIUM MIGRANTIUM)

DAY 23 PRAYER INTENTION: Today, pray for all those (refugees/migrants) displaced from their homeland as a result of war/violence, famine, diseases, security, and other economic reasons, in search of better living conditions. May Our Lady, Comfort of Migrants visit them, assist them, comfort and enable them to settle and earn a living peacefully amidst the difficulties that surround them, to the greater glory of God. Amen (Also add your own intention…)

Now, say the 20 decades of the Rosary…

At the end of the 20 decades, say the following Prayers:

Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! St. Joseph, pray for us!

Litany of Loreto

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us (Repeat after each invocation)

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,

Holy Mary,
pray for us (Repeat after each invocation)
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of Mercy,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother of Hope,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Saviour,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Solace of Migrants,
Comfort of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most Holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray
Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants, may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body;
and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may be delivered from present sorrow, and obtain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Prayer to Saint Joseph after the Rosary

To you, O Blessed Joseph, we come in our trials, and having asked the help of your most holy spouse, we confidently ask your patronage also. Through that sacred bond of charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you to look graciously upon the beloved inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by his blood, and to aid us in our necessities with your power and strength.

O most provident guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ. Most beloved father, dispel the evil of falsehood and sin. Our most mighty protector, graciously assist us from heaven in our struggle with the powers of darkness. And just as you once saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity. Shield each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your help, we may be able to live a virtuous life, die a holy death, and obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

DAY 23 REFLECTION: “COMFORT OF MIGRANTS” (SOLACIUM MIGRANTIUM)

Dear friends in Christ, today being the twenty-third day of our October Devotion brings us to the “terminus ad quem” of our reflections on the Marian titles in the Litany of Loreto. In other words, today, we shall be contemplating the last of the recently added Marian title in the Litany of Loreto, introduced by Pope Francis, which is: “Comfort of Migrants” (Latin, Solacium Migrantium) to be invoked after “Refuge of Sinners” (Refugium Peccatorum). Now, how could we understand the Blessed Virgin Mary as the “Comfort of Migrant?” Did she have migration experience? Does Scripture give us a clue about this?

To begin with, we understand that migration corresponds to the spatial mobility of people from place to place; that is, the act of changing countries, states, regions, or even homes. International migration consists of moving to another country. The international migration process can be triggered by several factors: as a result of environmental disasters, wars, political, ethnic, or cultural persecutions, and causes related to studies in search of work and better living conditions, among others. The main reason for these international migratory flows is the economic one, in which people leave their country of origin in order to obtain employment and better life prospects in other nations.

The invocation of Mary, “Comfort of Migrants” takes our minds to her experience (together with Joseph her Spouse and the Child Jesus), when they had to flee as migrants to a foreign country – Egypt, in order to save the Child Jesus (cf. Mat. 2:13-15). Needless to say, the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph was a forced and a “political” migrant. In Egypt, at first, they experienced homelessness; without food, without work, without understanding the language and the foreign way of life. They felt the hardship of looking for a future, they experienced poverty, insecurity, etc. Thus, we could say that the Blessed Virgin Mary went through the experiences that many refugees, today, bitterly go through. This Scriptural truth is reflected in the introductory part of the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII (1952): “Exsul Familia Nazarethana.” Here the Holy Father declares that: “The émigré Holy Family of Nazareth, fleeing into Egypt, is the archetype of every refugee family. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, living in exile in Egypt to escape the fury of an evil king, are, for all times and all places, the models and protectors of every migrant, alien and refugee of whatever kind who, whether compelled by fear of persecution or by want, is forced to leave his native land, his beloved parents and relatives, his close friends, and to seek a foreign soil.” Therefore, nothing is more spontaneous than invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary as “Comfort of Migrants.”

Unfortunately, today, there are millions of refugees and displaced persons who are constantly migrating for different reasons – especially for economic motives, political motives, motives of war, etc. Migration generates widespread poverty, unemployment, homeless people with no certainty and future, in addition to despair and hunger; such that we can only imagine the great difficulties in the life of a refugee and migrant. Amidst these difficulties, the Blessed Virgin Mary (together with St. Joseph) could serve as models of lively faith, hope, perseverance and total trust and dependence in the “Divine Providence.” Put differently, Mary remains a great icon and close to our migrants, the homeless, political refugees and unemployed.

Above all, through the difficult experiences of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are called to see Christ in every migrant and refugee and show them love. Pope St. John Paul II (in his address to the Participants in the Assembly of the Council of the ICMC, 12 November 2001), invites us to an ever deeper awareness of the mission of the Catholic Church: “to see Christ in every brother and sister in need, to proclaim and defend the dignity of every migrant, every displaced person and every refugee. In this way, assistance given will not be considered alms from the goodness of our heart, but an act of justice due to them.”

Let Us Pray
Lord our God, You willed that Your Son Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Joseph migrate from place to place in search of refuge, safety and security. Grant us the grace to always see our Lord Jesus Christ in the lives of our suffering brothers and sisters exiled from their homeland in seeking refuge in another land, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may refugees and migrants find support, solace and trust in divine providence. Amen.

Oh “Comfort of Migrants” (Solacium Migrantium), pray for us that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen

Blessing
Through the intercession of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, may Almighty God bless + you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Great job reflecting on Day 23! Click here for Day 24 – “The Marian Apparition in October – Last Apparition”

Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Paroquia Nossa Senhora de Fatima, Vila Sabrina, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com

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PS: Have you prayed your Rosary today?