Collect (Opening Prayer) for the Feast of Saint Albert the Great
O God, who made the Bishop Saint Albert great by his joining of human wisdom to divine faith, grant, we pray, that we may so adhere to the truths he taught, that through progress in learning we may come to a deeper knowledge and love of you. Through 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. Amen.
O God, who made the Bishop Saint Albert great by his joining of human wisdom to divine faith, grant, we pray, that we may so adhere to the truths he taught, that through progress in learning we may come to a deeper knowledge and love of you. Through 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. Amen.
Prayer for Wisdom
O God, who didst bestow upon Thy servant Saint Albert the Great the spirit of wisdom and scientific knowledge, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to profit by his teaching that we may in our lives show forth the glory of Thy name. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, who didst bestow upon Thy servant Saint Albert the Great the spirit of wisdom and scientific knowledge, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to profit by his teaching that we may in our lives show forth the glory of Thy name. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Students and Scientists
Dear scientist and Doctor of the Church, natural science always led you to the higher science of God. Though you had an encyclopedic knowledge, it never made you proud, for you regarded it as a gift of God. Inspire scientists to use their gifts well in studying the wonders of creation, thus bettering the lot of the human race and rendering greater glory to God. Amen.
Dear scientist and Doctor of the Church, natural science always led you to the higher science of God. Though you had an encyclopedic knowledge, it never made you proud, for you regarded it as a gift of God. Inspire scientists to use their gifts well in studying the wonders of creation, thus bettering the lot of the human race and rendering greater glory to God. Amen.
General Intercession
Saint Albert the Great, patron of scientists and students, you who sought knowledge to better understand God’s creation and to help humanity, intercede for us that we may grow in wisdom and understanding. Help us to use our intellectual gifts for the glory of God and the service of our brothers and sisters. Amen.
Saint Albert the Great, patron of scientists and students, you who sought knowledge to better understand God’s creation and to help humanity, intercede for us that we may grow in wisdom and understanding. Help us to use our intellectual gifts for the glory of God and the service of our brothers and sisters. Amen.
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Prayer Composed by St. Albert the Great
Be Thou Blessed, O Humanity of my Saviour, Which was united to the Divinity in the womb of a Virgin Mother! Be Thou Blessed, O sublime and eternal Divinity, Who wast pleased to come down to us under the veil of our flesh! Be Thou for ever Blessed Who, by the power of the Holy Ghost, didst unite Thyself to virginal flesh! I salute you also, O Mary, in whom the fulness of the Divinity dwelt! I salute you in whom the fulness of the Holy Ghost dwelt! May the most pure Humanity of the Son be equally Blessed, Which, consecrated by the Father, was born of you! I salute thee, O unspotted virginity, now raised above all the choirs of Angels. Rejoice, O Queen of Heaven, who didst merit to become the temple of the spotless Humanity of Christ! Rejoice, and be glad, O Virgin of virgins, whose pure flesh united the Divinity with the Sacred Humanity! Rejoice, and be glad, O Spouse of the holy Patriarchs, who wast deemed worthy to nourish and suckle at thy breast the Sacred Humanity. I salute thee, ever blessed and fruitful virginity, which didst merit to obtain the fruit of life and the joys of eternal salvation. Amen.
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Sermon of St. Albert the Great on the Feast of All Saints
After portraying their beatitude, St. Albert explains this passage of the Apocalypse: "The Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall rule them, and shall lead them to the fountains of the waters of life" (vii. 17).
"In God's kingdom, there are five fountains, to which the Lamb will lead His elect. The first is the source of consolation; there the Lord shall wipe away their tears. The second is the fountain of repose; for after having dried up their tears, the Spirit, that is the Holy Trinity, will say: 'Henceforth they shall rest from their labours.' The third is the source of refreshment; for they who are at rest shall be refreshed and inebriated with the superabundance of God's house. The fourth is the source of joy. The elect, by reason of the heavenly consolations, the sweets of repose and the most agreeable refreshment, shall be in jubilation. They shall sing their salutations with gladness in the courts of the predestined. The fifth is the fountain of love. How ardently will they not love Him, Who consoles them, Who gives them rest and loads them with every good? Isaias, speaking of this fountain, says: 'You shall draw water with joy from the fountain of the Lord.'"
"On the other hand, in hell there are, five fountains, to which the infernal dragon thrusts the souls of the reprobate, that they may drink thereof. The first is called Styx. When souls drink of those waters, they conceive a mutual hatred of each other. The second is named Phlegethon. The property of its waters is to enkindle the rage of the damned, first against themselves, then against those through whose fault they are lost. The name of the third is Lethe: scarcely have the reprobate tasted of it than they lose the knowledge and recollection of past joys and pleasures. The fourth is Acheron. The damned on applying their lips to it immediately sink into indescribable sadness. The fifth bears the name of Gocytus. The effects of those waters are such that they who drink of them weep without ever experiencing the least consolation."
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