Showing posts with label Catholic Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catholic Church. Show all posts
Saturday, 12 February 2022
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Monday, 29 March 2021
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Friday, 26 March 2021
Wednesday, 24 March 2021
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Wednesday, 18 March 2020
Monday, 29 October 2018
All Saints Day! November 1
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| All Saints |
All Saints Day!
Solemnity of All Saints, November 1
Today we honor those holy men and women who have gone before
us in faith and have done so in a glorious way.
As we honor these great champions of faith, let’s reflect upon who they
are and what role they continue to play in the life of the Church. The following excerpt is from Chapter 8 of My Catholic Faith!:
The Church Triumphant:
Those have gone before us and now share in the glories of Heaven, in the
Beatific Vision, are not gone. Sure, we
do not see them and we cannot necessarily hear them speak to us in the physical
way they did while on Earth. But they
are not gone at all. St. Therese of
Lisieux said it best when she said, “I want to spend my Heaven doing good on Earth.”
The saints in Heaven are in full union with God and make up
the Communion of Saints in Heaven, the Church Triumphant! What’s important to note, however, is that
even though they are enjoying their eternal reward, they are still very much
concerned about us.
The saints in Heaven are entrusted with the important task
of intercession. Sure, God already knows
all our needs and He could ask us to go directly to Him in our prayers. But the truth is that God wants to use the
intercession, and therefore, the mediation of the saints in our lives. He uses them to bring our prayers to Him and,
in return, to bring His grace to us.
They become powerful intercessors for us and participators in God’s
divine action in the world.
Why is this the case?
Again, why doesn’t God just choose to deal with us directly rather than
go through intermediaries? Because God wants all of us to share in His
good work and to participate in His divine plan. It would be like a dad who buys a nice
necklace for his wife. He shows it to
his young children and they are excited about this gift. The mom comes in and the dad asks the
children to bring the gift to her. Now
the gift is from her husband but she will most likely thank her children first
for their participation in giving this gift to her. The father wanted the children to be part of
this giving and the mother wanted to make the children a part of her receiving
and gratitude. So it is with God! God wants the saints to share in the distribution
of His manifold gifts. And this act
fills His heart with joy!
The saints also give us a model of holiness. The charity they live on Earth lives on. The witness of their love and sacrifice was
not just a onetime act in history.
Rather, charity is living and continues to have an effect for the
good. Therefore, the charity and witness
of the saints lives on and affects our lives.
This charity in their lives creates a bond with us, a communion. It enables us to love them, admire them and
want to follow their example. It is
this, coupled with their continuing intercession, that establishes a powerful
bond of love and union with us.
Lord, as the saints in
Heaven adore You for eternity,
I beg for their intercession.
Saints of God, please come to my aide.
Pray for me and bring to me the grace
I need
to live a holy life in imitation
of your own lives.
All saints of God, pray for us.
Jesus, I Trust in YOU.
From the book – Daily Reflections
for Ordinary Time: Weeks 18-34 by John Paul Thomas
I highly recommend
this series of books… Reflections for every day on the Roman Catholic scripture
readings. You can purchase this book on Amazon book form or ebook.
Litany of the Saints
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, Have Mercy On Us.
Lord, Have Mercy On Us.
Christ, Hear Us.
Christ, Graciously Hear Us.
God, The Father Of Heaven, Have Mercy On Us.
God The Son, Redeemer Of The World, Have Mercy On Us.
God The Holy Ghost, Have Mercy On Us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have Mercy On Us.
Holy Mary, Pray For Us.
Holy Mother Of God, Pray For Us.
Holy Virgin Of Virgins, Pray For Us.
St. Michael, Pray For Us.
St. Gabriel, Pray For Us.
St. Raphael, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Angels And Archangels, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Orders Of Blessed Spirits, Pray For Us.
St. John The Baptist, Pray For Us. St. Joseph, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Patriarchs And Prophets, Pray For Us.
St. Peter, Pray For Us.
St. Paul, Pray For Us.
St. Andrew, Pray For Us.
St. James, Pray For Us.
St. John, Pray For Us.
St. Thomas, Pray For Us.
St. James, Pray For Us.
St. Philip, Pray For Us.
St. Bartholomew, Pray For Us.
St. Matthew, Pray For Us.
St. Simon, Pray For Us.
St. Thaddeus, Pray For Us.
St. Barnabas, Pray For Us.
St. Luke, Pray For Us.
St. Mark, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Apostles And Evangelist, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Disciples Of Our Lord, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Innocents, Pray For Us.
St. Stephen, Pray For Us.
St. Lawrence, Pray For Us.
St. Vincent, Pray For Us.
Ss. Fabian And Sebastian, Pray For Us.
Ss. John And Paul, Pray For Us.
Ss. Cosmos And Damian, Pray For Us.
Ss. Gervase And Protase, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Martyrs, Pray For Us.
St. Sylvester, Pray For Us.
St. Gregory, Pray For Us.
St. Ambrose, Pray For Us.
St. Augustine, Pray For Us.
St. Jerome, Pray For Us.
St. Martin, Pray For Us.
St. Nicholas, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Bishops And Confessors, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Doctors, Pray For Us.
St. Anthony, Pray For Us.
St. Benedict, Pray For Us.
St. Bernard, Pray For Us.
St. Dominic, Pray For Us.
St. Francis, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Priest And Levites, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Monks And Hermits, Pray For Us.
St. Mary Magdalen, Pray For Us.
St. Agatha, Pray For Us.
St. Lucy, Pray For Us.
St. Agnes, Pray For Us.
St. Cecilia, Pray For Us.
St. Catherine, Pray For Us.
St. Anastasia, Pray For Us.
All Ye Holy Virgins And Widows, Pray For Us.
All Ye Men And Women, Saints Of God, Make Intercession For
Us.
Be Merciful, Spare Us, O Lord!
Be Merciful, Graciously Hear Us, O Lord!
From All Evil, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From All Sin, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Thy Wrath, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From A Sudden And Unprovided Death, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From The Deceits Of The Devil, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Anger, Hatred, And All Ill Will, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From The Spirit Of Fornication, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Lightning And Tempest, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From The Scourge Of Earthquake, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Pestilence, Famine, And War, O Lord, Deliver Us.
From Everlasting Death, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through The Mystery Of Thy Holy Incarnation, O Lord, Deliver
Us.
Through Thy Coming, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Nativity, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Baptism And Holy Fasting, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Cross And Passion, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Death And Burial, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through Thine Admirable Ascension, O Lord, Deliver Us.
Through The Coming Of The Holy Ghost, The Paraclete, O Lord,
Deliver Us.
In The Day Of Judgment, We Sinners Beseech Thee, Hear Us.
That Thou Wouldst Spare Us, We Beseech Thee, Hear Us.
That Thou Wouldst Pardon Us, We Beseech Thee, Hear Us.
That Thou Wouldst Vouchsafe To Bring Us To True Penance, We
Beseech Thee Hear Us.
That Thou Wouldst Vouchsafe To Govern And
Preserve Thy Holy
Church.... We Beseech Thee, Hear Us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve our Apostolic
Prelate and all Ecclesiastical Orders in Holy Religion. We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to humble the enemies of Thy Holy church, we beseech thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouch safe to give peace and true concord
to christian kings and princes, we beseech thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant peace and unity to all
Christian people, we beseech thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring back to the unity of
the church all those who have strayed away, and lead to the light of the gospel
all unbelievers, we beseech thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to confirm and preserve us Thy
holy service, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires, we
beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst render eternal blessings to all our
benefactors, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst deliver our souls and those of our
brethren, relative, and benefactors from eternal damnation, we beseech thee,
hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits
of the earth, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to give eternal rest to all the
faithful departed, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe graciously to hear us, we
beseech thee, hear us.
Son of God, we beseech thee, hear us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare
us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.......
Christ, graciously hear us.......
Lord, have mercy on us.......
Christ, have mercy on us.......
Lord, have mercy on us.......
Our Father, etc, (in secret.)
V- and lead us not into temptation.
R- but deliver us from evil.
Psalm 69
Incline unto my aid, O God.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul.
Let them be turned backward and blush for shame that desire
evils to me.
Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that
say to me, "Tis well, 'tis well."
Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let
such as love Thy salvation say always, The Lord be magnified. But I am needy
and poor: O God, help me.
Thou art my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, make no delay.
Glory Be To The Father, etc.
V- Save Thy servants.
R- Trusting in Thee, O my God.
V- Be unto us, O Lord, a tower a strength.
R- From the face of the enemy.
V- Let not the enemy prevail against us.
R- Nor the son of iniquity have power to hurt us.
V- O Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
R- Neither reward us according to our iniquities.
V- Let us pray for our chief bishop: (name)
R- The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him
blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
V- Let us pray for our benefactors.
R- Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy name's sake, to reward with
eternal life all those who do us good.
V- Let us pray for the faithful departed.
R- Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual
light shine upon them.
V- May they rest in peace.
R- Amen.
V- For our absent brethren.
R- Save Thy servants who hope in Thee, O my God.
V- Send them help, O Lord, from Thy holy place.
R- And from Sion protect them.
V- O Lord, hear my prayer.
R- And let my cry come unto Thee.
LET US PRAY:
O God, Whose property is always to have mercy and to spare,
receive our petition, that we and all Thy servants who are bound by the chain
of sin, may, by the compassion of Thy goodness, mercifully be absolved.
Hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the prayers of Thy
supplicants, and pardon the sins of those who confess to Thee, that, in Thy
bounty, Thou mayest grant us both pardon and peace.
In Thy clemency, O Lord, show Thy unspeakable mercy to us,
that so Thou mayest both loose us from all our sins and deliver us from the
punishments which we deserve for them.
O God, who by sin art offended and by penance pacified,
mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people, who make supplication to Thee, and
turn away the scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our sins.
O Almighty and Eternal God, have mercy on Thy servant (N).,
our chief bishop, and direct him according to Thy clemency, in the way of
everlasting salvation, that, by Thy grace, he may desire the things that are
pleasing to Thee, and perform them with all his strength.
O God, from Whom are all holy desires, righteous counsels,
and just works, give to Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give;
that, our hearts being disposed to keep Thy commandments, and the fear of
enemies taken away, the times, by Thy protection, may be peaceful.
Inflame, O Lord, our reins and hearts with the fire of the
Holy Spirit; that we may serve Thee with a chaste body, and please Thee with a
clean heart.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to
the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that
through pious supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always
desired.
Direct, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy holy
inspirations, and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance; that every prayer
and work of ours may always begin from Thee, and through Thee be happily ended.
O almighty and eternal God, Who hast dominion over the
living and the dead, and art merciful to all who Thou foreknowest will be Thine
by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom we have
purposed to offer our prayers, whether this present world still detains them in
the flesh or the next world hath already received them divested of their
bodies, may, by the intercession of Thy saints and the clemency of Thy
goodness, obtain pardon and full remission of all their sins.
Through Our Lord
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R- Amen.
V- O Lord, hear my prayer.
R- And let my cry come unto Thee.
V- May the almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear us.
R- Amen.
V- And my the souls of the faithful departed through the
mercy of God, rest in peace.
R- Amen.
Thursday, 4 October 2018
Our Lady of the Rosary October 7
Our
Lady of the Rosary
October 7
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| Battle of Lepanto |
This commemorative feast was established by Saint Pius V on
the anniversary of the naval victory won by the Christian fleet at
Lepanto (against Muslim invaders). The victory was attributed to
the help of the Holy Mother of God whose aid was invoked through praying the
rosary.
The celebration of this day
invites all to meditate upon the mysteries of Christ, following the example of
the Blessed Virgin Mary who was so singularly associated with the incarnation,
passion and glorious resurrection of the Son of God.
We
should meditate on the
Mysteries of Salvation
From a sermon by Saint Bernard, abbot
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| St. Bernard, abbot |
The child to be born of you will be called holy, the Son of
God, the fountain of wisdom, the Word of the Father on high. Through you, blessed Virgin, this Word will
become flesh, so that even though as He says: I am in the Father and the Father is in me, it is still true for
Him to say: “I came forth from God and I
am here.”
In the beginning was
the Word. The spring was gushing forth, yet still within Himself. Indeed, the
Word was with God, truly dwelling in inaccessible light. And the Lord said from the beginning: I think thoughts of peace and not of
affliction. Yet your thought was
locked within you, and whatever you thought, we did not know; for who knew the
mind of the Lord, or who was His counselor?
And so the idea of peace came down to do the work of peace: The Word was made flesh and even now dwells among us. It is by faith that He dwells in our
hearts, in our memory, our intellect and penetrates even into our
imagination. What concept could man have
of God if He did not first fashion an image of him in His Heart? By nature incomprehensible and inaccessible,
He was invisible and unthinkable, but now He wished to be understood, to be
seen and thought of.
But how, you ask was this done? He lay in a manger and rested on a virgin’s
breast, preached on a mountain, and spent the night in prayer. He hung on a cross, grew pale in death, and
roamed free among the dead and ruled over those in hell. He rose again on the third day, and showed
the apostles the wounds of the nails, the sign of victory; and finally in their
presence He ascended to the sanctuary of heaven.
How can we not contemplate this story in truth piety and
holiness? Whatever of all this I
consider, it is God I am considering; in all this He is my God. I have said it is wise to meditate on these
truths, and I have thought it right to recall the abundant sweetness, given by
the fruits of this priestly root; and Mary drawing abundantly from heaven, has
caused this sweetness to overflow for us.
taken from Liturgy of the Hours Weeks 18-34
Guardian Angels October 2
Guardian Angels
Feast Day October 2
From a Sermon by Saint Bernard, abbot
That
they may guard you
in all of your ways
He has given His
angels charge over you to guard you in all of your ways. Let them thank the Lord for His Mercy; His wonderful
works are for the children of men. Let
them give thanks and say among the nations, the Lord has done great things for
them. O Lord, what is man that you have
made yourself known to him, or why do you incline your heart to him? And you do inline your heart to him; you show
him your care and your concern. Finally,
you send your only Son and the grace of your Spirit, and promise him a vision
of Your countenance. And so, that nothing
in heaven should be wanting in your concern for us, you send those blessed
spirits to serve us, assigning them as our guardians and our teachers.
He has given His
angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. These words should
fill you with respect, inspire devotion and instill confidence; respect for the
presence of angels, devotion because of their loving service, and confidence
because of their protection. And so the
angels are here, they are at your side, they are with you, present on your
behalf. They are here to protect you and
to serve you. But even if it is God Who
has given them this charge, we must nonetheless be grateful to them for the
great love with which they obey and come to help us in our great need.
So let us be devoted and grateful to such
great protectors;
let us return their love and honor them
as much as we can
and should.
Yet all our love and honor must go to Him,
for it is from Him that they receive all that makes them worthy of our love and
respect.
We should then, my brothers show our affection for the
angels, for one day they will be our coheirs just as here below they are our
guardians and trustees appointed and set over us by the Father. We are God’s children although it does not
seem so, because we are still but small children under guardians and trustees,
and for the present little better than slaves.
Even though we are children and have a long, a very long and
dangerous way to go, with such protectors what have we to fear? They who keep us in our ways cannot be
overpowered or let astray, much less lead us astray. They are loyal, prudent, powerful. Why then are we afraid?
We have only to follow them,
stay close to
them,
and we shall dwell under
the protection of God’s heaven.
taken from Liturgy of the Hours Week 18-34
Saint Francis of Assisi October 4
Saint Francis
of Assisi
 |
Memorial October 4
Saint Francis was born at Assisi in 1182. After a carefree youth, he renounced his
paternal wealth and committed himself to God.
He led a life of evangelical poverty and preached the love of God to
all. He established a rule which a
number of his companions followed and which gained the approval of the Holy
See. Subsequently, he founded an order
of nuns and a society of laypersons who practice penance while living in the
world. He died in 1226 at age 44.
We
must be simple,
humble and pure
From a letter written to all the faithful by Saint Francis
of Assisi
It was through His archangel, Gabriel, that the Father above
made known to the holy and glorious Virgin Mary that the worthy, holy and
glorious Word of the Father would come from heaven and take from her womb the
real flesh of our human frailty. Though
He was wealthy beyond reckoning, He still willingly chose to be poor with His
Blessed Mother. And shortly before His
passion He celebrated he Passover with His disciples. Then He prayed to the Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken
from Me.
Nevertheless, He reposed His will in the will of the Father. The Father willed that His blessed and
glorious Son, Whom He gave to us and who was born for us, should through His own blood offer Himself as
a sacrificial victim on the altar of the cross.
This was to be done not for Himself through Whom all things are made,
but for our sins. It was intended to
leave us an example of how to follow in His footsteps.
And He desires all of us to be saved
through
Him, and to receive Him
with pure heart and chaste body.
O how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do
as the Lord Himself said in the gospel: You
shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, and
your neighbor as yourself.
Therefore, let us love God and adore Him with pure heart and mind. This is His particular desire when He says: True worshipers adore the Father in spirit
and in truth. For all who adore Him
must do so in the spirit of truth. Let
us also direct to Him our praises and prayers saying: Our Father, who art in heaven, since we
must always pray and never grow slack.
Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neighbors as
ourselves. Let us have charity and
humility. Let us give alms because these
cleanse our souls from the stains of sin.
Men lose all the material things they leave behind in this world, but
they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For those they will receive from the Lord the
reward and recompense they deserve.
We
must not be wise and prudent
according to the flesh.
Rather we must be simple, humble and
pure.
We should never desire to be over
others. Instead, we ought to be servants
who are submissive to every human being for God’s sake. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who
live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father’s children who do his
work. They are the spouses, brothers and
mothers of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Taken from Liturgy of the Hours, Ordinary Time Weeks
18-34. Francis of Assisi Memorial
Saturday, 29 September 2018
St. Therese of the Child Jesus October 1
 |
| St. Therese of the Child Jesus |
St.
Therese of the
Child Jesus, Virgin
Memorial October 1
Saint Therese was born at Alencon in France in 1873. While still a young girl, she entered the
Carmelite monastery at Lisieux. There
she lived a life of humility, evangelical simplicity and trust in God. By word and example she taught those virtues
to the novices of the community.
Offering her life for the salvation of souls and the growth of the Church. She died September 30, 1897.
 |
| St. Therese of the Child Jesus |
In
the Heart of the Church
I will be Love
From the autobiography of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus,
virgin
Since my longing for martyrdom was powerful and unsettling,
I trusted in the epistles of Saint Paul in the hope of finally finding an
answer. By chance the twelfth and thirteenth
chapters of the first epistle to the Corinthians caught my attention, and in
the first section I read that not everyone can be an apostle, prophet or
teacher, that the Church is composed of a variety of members, and that the eye
cannot be the hand. Even with such an
answer revealed to me, I was not satisfied and did not find peace.
 |
| St. Therese of Lisieux |
I persevered in the reading and did let not my mind wander
until I found this encouraging theme: Set
your desires on the greater gifts. And I
will now show you the way which surpasses all others. For the Apostle insists that the greater
gifts are nothing as all without love and that this same love is surely the
best path leading directly to God. At
length I had found peace of mind.
When I looked upon the Mystical body of the Church, I recognized
myself in none of the members which Saint Paul described, and what is more, I
desired to distinguish myself more favorably within the whole body. Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my
vocation. Indeed I knew that the Church
had a body composed of various members, but in this body the necessary and
noble member was not lacking; I knew that the Church had a heart and that such
a heart appeared to be aflame with love.
I knew that the one love drove the members of the Church to action, that
if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel
no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more. I saw and realized that love sets off the
bounds of all vocation, that love is everyting, that this same love embraces
every time and every place. In one word,
that love is everlasting.
Then, nearly ecstatic with supreme joy in my soul, I
proclaimed:
O Jesus, my love!
at last I have found my calling:
my call is
love!
Certainly I have found my proper
place in the Church, and you gave me the very place, my God. In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will
be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction.
Prayer:
God our Father, you
have promised your kingdom to those who are willing to become like little
children. Help us to follow the way of
Saint Therese with confidence so that by her prayers we may come to know your
eternal glory. Grant this through Our
Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Taken from Liturgy of the Hours, Ordinary Time 18-34 October 1 Therese of the Child Jesus
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