St. Paul of the Cross

27th December 1720

Through the infinite goodness of God, I enjoyed great repose and tenderness, especially at Holy Communion. Through infused understanding and deepest consolation of the Spirit, I enjoyed a certain spiritual rest, mingled with the sufferings of the Redeemer, in which my soul takes delight. There was a mingling of love and sorrow. On this point I cannot give a clearer explanation because it is impossible to explain.

During the time I was serving Mass and while I beheld Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I kept asking him to send the seraph to pierce me through with darts of love. This comes from the loving impulses which the Infinite Mercy imparts to the heart. I also asked him to allow me to quench my thirst for his love by allowing me to drink from the infinite font of his most Sacred Heart, but this last happened to me at Holy Communion.

from the Spiritual Diary of St. Paul of the Cross

Sickness as grace

“Yesterday I received your letter in which I read you have been ill and that you still aren’t well. Truly sickness is a great God-given grace. It makes us discover who we are. In sickness we learn to be truly patient, meek and mortified.” (Letters of St. Paul of the Cross)

Meditate on the Christmas Scene

“When you meditate on the Christmas scene and its Mystery, look at Jesus, Mary most Holy and St. Joseph. Think of what they endured: the discomforts, the cold, the poverty of the place, the lack of ordinary human needs. Resolve to imitate their holiness in accepting these things”.  (Letters of St. Paul of the Cross)

New Translations ..

MASS OF ST. PAUL OF THE CROSS

Entrance Antiphon

I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except for Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2)

Collect

May the Priest Saint Paul, whose only love was the Cross, obtain for us your grace, O Lord, so that, urged on more strongly by his example, we may each embrace our own cross with courage. Though our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer over the Offerings

Look, upon the sacrificial gifts we offer, almighty God, in commemoration of Saint Paul of the Cross and grant that we who celebrate the mysteries of the Lord’s Passion may imitate what we now enact. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon

We proclaim Christ Crucified; Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor 1:23,24)

Prayer after Communion

O God, who in Saint Paul had wonderfully made known the mystery of the Cross, graciously grant that, drawing strength from this sacrifice, we may cling faithfully to Christ and labour in the Church for the salvation of all. Through Christ our Lord.