A little nugget to help sinners

Today I was reading in 'The Liturgical Year' the readings which will be in the Traditional Masses said today around the world. Today's Gospel refers to when Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. His being wrapped is to remind us that we are all wrapped up in sin. However, if we look to Jesus, Who is the resurrection and the life, we can be made clean once again. And now, what our beloved Abbot Gueranger has to say concerning this event:

'The early Christians loved to see this history of our Lord's raising Lazarus to life painted on the walls of the catacombs. We also find it carved on the sarcophagi of the fourth and fifth centuries; and later on, it was not infrequently chosen as a subject for the painted windows of our cathedrals. This symbol of spiritual resurrection was formerly honored by a most solemn ceremony, in the great monastery of Holy Trinity, at Vendome, in France. Every year, on this day, a criminal who had been sentenced to death, was led to the Church of the monastery. He had a rope around his neck, and held in his hand a torch weighing thirty-three pounds, in memory of the years spent on earth by our Saviour. The monks made a procession, in which the criminal joined; after which, a sermon was preached, at which he also assisted. He was then taken to the foot of the altar, where the abbot, after exhorting him to repentance, imposed on him, as a penance, the pilgrimage to St. Martin's Church at Tours. The abbot loosened the rope from his neck, and declared him to be free. The origin of this ceremony was, that when Louis of Bourbon, Count of Vendome, was prisoner in England, in the year 1426, he made a vow that, if God restored him to liberty, he would establish this custom in the Church of Holy Trinity, as a return of gratitude, and as a homage to Christ, Who raised up Lazarus from the tomb. God accepted the vow, and the prince soon recovered his freedom.' (This story reminds me of the Romans, who, on a day of the year, release a prisoner, such as Barrabas)


I'm going to end with a prayer of this day. Copy, paste, and print it to your little heart's content, and recite it often.

O God, the most loving Creator, and most merciful Redeemer of mankind! who, when man, through the devil's malice, forfeited eternal life, didst redeem him by the Blood of thine only son; restore to life these thy servants, who thou willest not should be dead to thee. Thou abandonest not them that go astray; receive these that have returned to the right path. We beseech thee, O Lord, let thy mercy be moved by the tears and sighs of these thy servants; heal their wounds; stretch forth thy saving hand, and raise them up, lest thy Church be robbed of a part of her body; lest thy flock should suffer loss; lest the enemy should rejoice in the perdition of them that are of thy family; lest the second death should seize them that were regenerated in the waters of salvation. To thee, therefore, O Lord, do we thy suppliants pour forth our prayers, to thee the weeping of our heart. Spare them that trust in thee, and, in thy mercy, suffer them not to fall under the sentence of thy judgment to come, whereby they would be condemned to punishment. Let not the horrors of darkness, or the scorching of flames come nigh to them. They have returned from the way of error to the path of justice; let them not be again wounded. What thy grace hath conferred, and thy mercy hath reformed, let it remain in them whole and for ever. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.