O C T O B E R
A Prayer in Autumn for Country Living
GOOD and generous Lord, You have once more brought the year full circle, through planting and growing and ripening to harvest time, and autumn.
We thank You for the sun and the wind, the rain and the dew, the minerals of the earth and all the plants that grow and all the beasts and birds of farm and field. We marvel at Your wonderful ways of bringing food from the earth for man's good.
Dear God, help us to use Your rich gifts as You want us to. Teach us to share them with our neighbor when he is in need. Make us see, in the marvelous succession of sea sons, and in the growth and ripening of our crops, the merciful, generous hand of Your divine providence.
Help us to realize, too, that if we keep Your commandments and live according to the inspirations of Your grace, we shall also reap a plentiful harvest in the autumn of our lifetime: a harvest that we will be able to enjoy for ever and ever, where no rust can destroy, nor blight spoil any least part of it. Amen.
A Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angels
(Feast, October 2)
DEAR Angel at my side, my good and loyal friend, you have been with me since the moment I was born. You are my own personal guardian, given me by God as my guide and protector, and you will stay with me till I die. He who created you and me gave me to you as your particular charge. You assisted in great joy at my baptism, when I became part of the Mystical Body of Christ, and was made a member of the household of God and an heir of heaven. You saw the dangers that beset my path, and, if I sinned, it was in spite of you. You envied me when Christ came to me in Holy Communion. Even though you probably were there among the angels that adored Him the night that He was born, you have not been able to receive Him as I can. O, help me to appreciate these gifts! Help me to realize, as you do, with every fiber of my being, that to serve Christ is to be a King! Help me steadfastly to avoid evil and do good and always guard my soul from sin. Protect me as well from physical evils as I go about my daily work. You will be with me all my life, and at the hour of my death. Help me to face death bravely, patiently, with great love of God, knowing that it is only through death that I can come to Him in heaven! Then, come with me to my Judge, and when the hour of my salvation comes, take me home to my Father, God. Amen.
The Canticle of the Sun
Saint Francis of Assisi
(Feast, October 4)
Most high, all powerful, good Lord,
to You be praise, glory and honor and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and there is no man worthy to name You.
Praise be to You, my Lord, with all Your creatures.
Chief of all is Sir Brother Sun,
who is our day; through whom You give light.
Beautiful is he, radiant, with great splendor.
He is a true revealer of You, Most High.
Praise be to You, my Lord, for Sister Moon and for the stars.
In heaven You have formed them, bright, precious and fair.
Praise be to You, my Lord, for Brother Wind, and for the air,
and for the cloud, for clear sky and for all weathers,
by which You give nourishment to all Your creatures.
Praise be to You, my Lord, for Sister Water.
She is most useful and humble, precious and pure.
Praise be to You, my Lord, for Brother Fire, by whom You light up the night.
Fair is he and merry, mighty and strong.
Praise be to You, my Lord, for our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and keeps us.
She brings forth diverse fruits, the many-hued flowers and grass.
O Creatures all! Praise and bless my Lord,
and gratefully serve Him with deep humility.
Praise be to You, my Lord, for those who grant pardon for love of You, and bear weakness and buffetings. Blessed are they who live in peace, for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.
Praise be to You, my Lord, for our Sister, Bodily Death, From whom no living man can flee. Woe to them who die in mortal sin! But blessed they who shall find themselves in Your most holy will; to them the second death shall do no ill.
A Prayer to Saint Luke for the Family Doctor
(Feast, October 19)
GOOD Saint Luke, we are told that before you met our dear Lord and became a follower of His and a writer of His Gospel, you were a doctor. We beg you this day to bless and help and protect our doctor. Obtain for him the graces he most needs to do his work well and serve God generously. Help him to be strong and gentle, prudent and charitable, understanding and self-sacrificing. Give him great skill in the care of our bodies, so that, blessed with physical strength and health, we may more faithfully perform our daily tasks.
Help us all, good Saint Luke, to imitate very closely the life and virtues of our Blessed Mother Mary, about whom you wrote so beautifully, and of Him whom she bore into this world, Jesus Christ our Lord and our God, who lives and is King for ever and ever. Amen.
A Prayer to Christ the King
(Feast, Last Sunday of October)
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, after You had created heaven and earth, and all the living beings, plants and animals, then You created man. You made him king of Your whole creation. You put everything in the whole round world at his disposal. You gave to him alone, of all the creatures on this earth, the power to think and the power to will. Everything else was made to serve man.
Then, when man sinned, You sent Your Son to be the King of mankind, and the Redeemer of the human race. He is now King, not only of mankind, but of the whole universe. He is the "firstborn of every creature." He is our King, and everything that we have is made and given us to serve Him. We are to use it, not in selfishness and greed, but in gratitude and generosity, realizing that we are all subjects of the great King Jesus.
Help us to keep this in mind, as we plough His fields, lent to us for a time, and as we reap His crops, given to us by His generous hand. Help us to use with care the goods He here gives us, so that we may gain the eternal goods that He has won for us. Help us always and everywhere to be good, loyal subjects of Christ, our King, so that we may be with Him, our victor and King, forever in heaven. Amen.