Month: June 2017

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Saints’ Memorials and Feast Days of The Blessed Virgin Mary – 26 June

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Our Lady of Longing: Matka Boża Tęskniąca / Longing Mother of God, Warsaw, Poland – One of the oldest churches in the Archdiocese of Warsaw is St. Elizabeth Powsin. Located on the main altar is a painting of Our Lady of Longing – artist unknown – from the first half of the seventeenth century. At either side, the image is surrounded by statues of Saints Adalbert and Stanislaus – Polish bishops and martyrs. The testimony of miracles and graces relating to the Our Lady of Longing icon have been collected at least since the mid-seventeenth century. On June 28, 1998, the image became the fourth image of Mary in the Archdiocese of Warsaw to be canonically crowned.

OUR LADY OF LONGING 26 JUNE
Our Lady of Longing

Our Lady of Trompone: Italy(1562)
—
St Acteie of Rome
St Albinus of Rome
Bl Andrea Giacinto Longhin
Bl Andrii Ischak
St Anthelm of Belley
St Babolenus of Stavelot-Malmédy
St Barbolenus of Fossés
Bl Bartholomew of Vir
St Corbican
St David of Thessalonica
St Deodatus of Nola
St Dionysius of Bulgaria
St Edburga of Gloucester
St Hermogius of Tuy
St Iosephus Ma Taishun
St John of Rome
St John of the Goths
St José Maria Robles Hurtado
St Josemaria Escriva
Bl Khalil Al-Haddad
St Maxentius of Poitou
St Medico of Otricoli
Bl Mykola Konrad
St Paul of Rome
St Pelagius of Oviedo
St Perseveranda of Poitiers
Bl Raymond Petiniaud de Jourgnac
St Salvius
Bl Sebastian de Burgherre
St Soadbair
St Superius
St Terence of Rome
St Vigilius of Trent
Bl Volodymyr Ivanovych Pryima
—
Martyrs of Africa – 4 saints: Four Christians who were martyred together – Agapitus, Emerita, Felix and Gaudentius at an unknown location in Africa, date unknown.

Martyrs of Alexandria – 3 saints: Three Christians who were martyred together, but we really know little more that the names – Agatho, Diogenes and Luceja. They were martyred in Alexandria, Egypt, date unknown.

Martyrs of Cambrai – 4 beati: Four Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul nuns at Arras, France. Imprisoned together in 1792 and executed together two years later in the anti-Catholic excesses of the French Revolution. They were:
• Jeanne Gerard
• Marie-Françoise Lanel
• Marie-Madeleine Fontaine
• Thérèse-Madeleine Fantou
They were guillotined on 26 June 1794 at Cambrai, Nord, France and Beatified in June 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA TO ST BENEDICT of NURSIA – BEGINNING SUNDAY – 2 JULY

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ANNOUNCING A NOVENA TO ST BENEDICT of NURSIA –
BEGINNING SUNDAY – 2 JULY

Who Is St. Benedict?

St Benedict was born to a noble family around 480 A.D. in Nursia, in central Italy.   He lived a sequestered life for many years, leaving family and friends behind to live in a cave near the town of Subiaco.   St. Benedict chose to live a quiet life of prayer and devotion to God after disapproving of the immoral lifestyle he encountered while he attended school in Rome.   Even though he lived a life devoted to God, St. Benedict (like all of us) was constantly tempted by the devil.   St. Benedict was able to defeat the devil numerous times throughout his life, earning him the title of protector against evil spirits, temptation and witchcraft.    St Benedict also offers protection against being poisoned, infectious diseases, childbirth complications and destruction during storms and tempests.   He also obtains for sinners the grace of conversion.

St. Benedict’s Protection — A Lifetime of Defeating the Devil

Pope Gregory I, also known as St. Gregory the Great, detailed St. Benedict’s encounters with the devil as part of his four-part book series, The Dialogues.   St Gregory called him “a shining light to the world.”

The Rule of St. Benedict has been used by monasteries all throughout the West for centuries.   It champions listening to God’s word and doing His work through a life of prayer, temperance, charity, obedience, patience and humility.   The Rule was considered rigorous, yet not unbendingly so, when Benedict first introduced it in his writings.

Cardinal Ratzinger was thinking of him in part when he was elected Pope in 2005 and chose the name Benedict XVI!   As the Pope has said, may St. Benedict encourage us all (as he sought to do with his Rule and his life) to put Christ first in our thoughts and in our actions!

St Benedict we run to you for aid and intercession, please pray for us all!

announcing a novena to st benedict beginning 2 july

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 25 June

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Thought for the Day – 25 June

A Still quiet Moment

Today, 25 June, we celebrate the feast day of Saint William of Vercelli (1085-1142), founder of the Order of Monte Vergine, also known as the “Williamites.”   Saint William lived a quiet life of solitude and contemplation, listening intently for the voice of God and following the directions he received.   Through his obedience, William was taken far from home, worked many miracles and established a thriving religious community—all because he was quiet and paused to discern the Will of the Lord.
Saint William had complete trust in the Lord and in His Divine Providence.   Ever faithful and contemplative, William was willing to leave his home as a youth and subsequently leave the community he had built with his own hands in service to God.   Patient, humble and obedient, Saint William of Vercelli put the Lord’s work above his own desires at every moment of his life.   His great devotion to Our Lady, was a source of immense comfort and trust in the holy Mother of God, who he knew would lead him to her Son. We could do well by observing Saint William’s confidence in the Divine Providence and striving to imitate him by creating quiet moments in our own lives for prayer, reflection and contemplation.   It is in those moments that the Divine Plan for our own lives quietly unfolds…… if we listen.

St William of Vercelli and Monte Vergine, please pray for us!

st william of vercelli pray for us.2

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE

Quote of the Day – 25 June

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Quote of the Day – 25 June

“DIE before you die
there is no chance after.”

Prof C S Lewis

 

Die before you die. C S LEWIS MYPIC

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 June

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One Minute Reflection – 25 June

Blessed be God the Father . who gave us a new birth to a living hope…..to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you………1 Peter 1:3-4

1 PETER 1-3,4

REFLECTION – “You have within you, everything that you need to purchase the kingdom of heaven.
Joy will be purchased by your sorrow,
rest by your labour,
glory by your humiliation
and eternal life by your passing death.”………………….St Augustine

YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU - ST AUGUSTINE

PRAYER – Loving Father,. teach me how to make every event on earth lay up treasures for me in heaven. Help me to endure sorrows, labour, humiliations, pain and death willingly so as to attain heaven with You, in unity with Your Son, Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. St William of Vercelli, your life was a focused gift to God, pray for us that we too may join you in eternal life. Amen

st william of vercelli pray for us

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Uncategorized

Our Morning Offering – 25 June

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Our Morning Offering – 25 June

Morning Offering of St Edmund

Into Your Hands, O Lord
and into the hands of Your holy Angels,
I commit and entrust this day my soul,
my relations, my benefactors,
my friends and enemies
and all Your Catholic people.
Keep us, O Lord, through the day,
by the merits and intercession
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and of all Your Saints,
from all vicious and unruly desires,
from all sins and temptations of the devil
and from sudden and unprovided death
and the pains of hell.
Illuminate my heart with the grace of Your Holy Spirit,
grant that I may ever be obedient
to Your commandments,
suffer me not to be separated from You, O God,
who lives and reigns with God the Father
and the same Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen

 

morning offering of st edmund martyr - and king

Posted in The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Beata Vergine delle Grazie / Our Lady of Grace/Our Lady of the Bowed Head, Montegridolfo, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy (1548)

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Beata Vergine delle Grazie / Our Lady of Grace/Our Lady of the Bowed Head, Montegridolfo, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy (1548) – 25 June

Among the many miraculous images of the Mother of God through which she deigns to grant her favours, there is one in the monastery church of the Carmelites in Vienna, entitled the Mother of Grace, or Our Lady of Grace, also known also as Our Lady of the Bowed Head.

In 1610 a Carmelite, Dominic of Jesus-Mary, found among the votaries of an old altar in the monastery church of Maria della Scala in Rome and oil painting of the Mother of God, dust-covered and somewhat torn, which grieved him.   Taking it into his hands, he shook the dust off it, and kneeling down venerated it with great devotion.

He had the picture renovated and placed it on the shelf in his cell, where he made it the object of his love and supplications in favour of those who came to him in their necessities and afflictions.

One night while he was praying fervently before the picture, he noticed that some dust had settled on it.   Having nothing but his course woolen handkerchief he dusted it with that and apologized,

“O pure and holiest Virgin, nothing in the whole world is worthy of touching your holy face but since I have nothing but this coarse handkerchief, deign to accept my good will.”

To his great surprise, the face of the Mother of God appeared to take on life and smiling sweetly at him, she bowed her head, which thereafter remained inclined.

Fearing he was under an illusion, Dominic became troubled but Mary assured him that his requests would be heard:  he could ask of her with full confidence any favour he might desire.   He fell upon his knees and offered himself entirely to the service of Jesus and Mary and asked for the deliverance of one of is benefactor’s souls in purgatory. Mary told him to offer several Masses and other good works;  a short time after when he was again praying before the image, Mary appeared to him bearing the soul of his benefactor to Heaven.   Dominic begged that all who venerated Mary in this image of Our Lady of Grace might obtain all they requested.   In reply the Virgin gave him this assurance:

“All those who devoutly venerate me in this picture and take refuge to me will have their request granted and I will obtain for them many graces;  but especially will I hear their prayers for the relief and deliverance of the souls in purgatory.”

Dominic soon after placed the image into the church of Maria Della Scala so that more devotees of Mary could venerate it.   Many wonderful favours were obtained by those who honoured and invoked Mary here.   Reproductions were made of Our Lady of Grace and sent to different parts of the world.   After the death of Dominic the original painting was lent to Prince Maximilian of Bavaria.   He gave it to the discalced Carmelites in Munich in 1631;  they gave it to Emperor Ferdinand II of Austria and his wife Eleanore. After Ferdinand’s death, Eleanore entered the Carmelite convent in Vienna and took the picture with her.   During the succeeding years the image was transferred to various places.   Today it is in the monastery church of Vienna Doabling.    On 27 September 1931, it was solemnly crowned by Pope Pius XI – its 300th anniversary of arrival in Vienna.

Saint Padre Pio prayed daily to Our Lady of Grace at San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.

olgrace

image of Our Lady of Grace is painted on the front wall and ceiling behind the altar in the church at San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, where St. Pio lived.

sgr
Our Lady of Grace Church in San Giovanni Rotondo
olgchurch
Inside Our Lady of Grace Church

St Padre Pio prayed the following Prayer every day to Our Lady of Grace.

O heavenly treasurer of all graces, Mother of God and my mother Mary, since you are the first-born daughter of the Eternal Father and hold in your hands His omnipotence, be moved to pity my soul and grant me the graces which I fervently ask of you.

Hail Mary

O merciful dispenser of divine graces, Mary most holy, mother of the Eternal incarnate Word who has crowned you with His immense wisdom, look upon the greatness of my sorrow and grant me the graces I need so much.

Hail Mary

O most loving dispenser of divine graces, immaculate Spouse of the Eternal Holy Spirit, most holy Mary, who have received from Him a heart which is moved to pity by human misfortunes and which is constrained to offer consolation to those who suffer, be moved to pity my soul and grant me whose graces which I await from you with full confidence in your immense goodness.

Hail Mary

O my mother, treasurer of all graces, refuge of poor sinners, consolation of the afflicted, hope of those who despair and most powerful help of Christians, I places all my confidence in you, being sure that you will obtain for me from Jesus the graces which I so much desire, if they are good for my soul. Amen

Hail Mary

Posted in INCORRUPTIBLES, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Saint of the day – 25 June – St William of Vercelli (1085-1142)

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Saint of the day – 25 June – St William of Vercelli OSB (1085 at Vercelli, Italy – 25 June 1142 at Guglietto, Italy of natural causes)  Hermit, Abbot, Founder of the Congregation of Monte Vergine, or “Williamites,” miracle-worker, Marian devotee.   Also known as William of Monte Vergine.   Patronage – Irpinia, Italy.   Attributes –  pilgrim, usually near Santiago de Compostela, Spain, abbot near a wolf wearing a saddle, receiving an appearance by Christ, saddling a wolf that killed his donkey, wolf.   His Body is incorrupt.   The Statue below is the Founder Statue at St Peter’s Basilica.512px-StWilliam of Vercelli -FounderSaint

St William was born to nobility in Vercelli, Italy and was orphaned at a young age when both his parents were killed.   Subsequently raised by a pious family member, William matured into a contemplative young man with only one desire—to devote his life to the Lord.   At the young age of 15, William left home, setting out on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.   As the journey was not difficult enough for him, he encircled his legs with tight iron bands, causing pain and making walking difficult, his suffering bringing him closer to God.   Upon arrival, he worked many miracles including the healing of a blind man through prayer and, subsequently, felt called to journey to the Holy Land.   However, soon after departing, he was set upon by thieves and following that encounter, felt the Will of God calling him to Italy.ST WILLIAM OF VERCELLI

 

Saint William retired to Monte Vergiliano (today known as Monte Vergine, named for Our Blessed Mother) and became a hermit.   There, he spent his days in prayer, fasting and contemplation of the Lord.   Especially devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he began construction of a Church in her honour, mining the rocks from the mountain by hand with the assistance of a lone donkey. st-william-of-vercelli-OUR LADY OF MONTE VERGINE pray-for-us-2

As holy legend tells us, one evening, the donkey was killed and eaten by a wolf.   Saint William called the wolf to him, ordering it to take the donkey’s place.   The wolf, bowing in respect and realising that it had interrupted the work of God, immediately took up the task of dragging rocks from the quarry.   The faithful who continue to travel on pilgrimage to Monte Vergine report that the wolf is still spotted today, visible to those who call upon the name of the Blessed Virgin.St-william of vercelli Guillaume

ST WILLIAM OF VERCELLI

Eventually, due to his working of more miraculous cures (none of which he sought credit for), the faithful began seeking William out on his mountain.   His reputation for holiness attracted many disciples, both men and women, and he founded the Order of Mount Vergine—a religious community with strict rules of austerity.   William and the nuns and monks of his order lived in peace and contemplation for some time, until the members of the order began complaining that William’s rules of poverty, fasting and penance were too extreme.  There is evidence of heavenly support for the austerities of William’s rule.   For example, William did not permit the order to eat meat, eggs, milk or cheese.   If someone tried to violate this regulation, storm clouds would appear in the sky and the lightning would destroy the illicit foodstuff that had been brought into the monastery.san-william guglielmo-di-montevergine-da-vercelli-e-1

With the members of the Order growing more disgruntled, William humbly removed himself from the situation to remove controversy and ensure the future of the order.    He travelled to Naples, where he served as adviser to the King Roger I and established several more monasteries.

Saint William died of natural causes at the Guglielmo monastery near Nusco, Italy, where he was buried.   Church tradition holds that William predicted the date and time of his death and went to meet his Maker with peace and joy.   At the time of his death, he had not yet written a Rule for his religious to govern their affairs.   His successor, fearing the dissolution of a community without constitutions, placed them under the Rule of Saint Benedict.   The community, which continues to exist today, now belongs to the Benedictine congregation of Subiaco and has a much venerated picture of our Lady of Constantinople, to which pilgrimages are frequently made by the faithful.   While Benedictine monks generally wear black robes, the Monks who reside at Monte Vergine today continue to wear the white robes of the Williamites.

williamofvercelli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Saints, Feasts and Celebrations – 25 June

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12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2017)
Our Lady of Grace
—
St Adalbert of Egmond
St Amand of Coly
Bl Burchard of Mallersdorf
St Cyneburga of Gloucester
St Domingo Henares de Zafra Cubero
Bl Dorothy of Montau
St Eurosia of Jaca
St Febronia of Nisibis
Bl Fulgentius de Lara
St Gallicanus of Embrun
St Gallicanus of Ostia
St Gohard of Nantes
Bl Guy Maramaldi
Bl Henry Zdick
Bl John the Spaniard
St Luceias and Companions
St Maximus of Turin
St Moloc of Mortlach
St Molonachus of Lismore
St Phanxicô Ðo Van Chieu
St Prosper of Reggio
St Selyf of Cornwall
St Solomon I
St Solomon III of Bretagne
St William of Vercelli – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8DVvgPMJtU

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 24 June – Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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Thought for the Day – 24 June – Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

“It was through the body of a young, Jewish girl, living in a tiny village called Nazareth, that Jesus, the divine Word, was made flesh.   Mary belonged to that part of the people of Israel, who awaited the Lord’s coming with expectation and longing.   She had no doubt read about His coming in the Old Testament Scriptures and prayed for it.   But she had no idea how it would come about.   Most Israelites thought the Messiah would manifest Himself gloriously.

When the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to be the “door’ through which the long awaited desire of the nations would be fulfilled, she must have been astonished:  “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! … You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus” (Lk 1.28-31).   A new life – filled with risks – opened before her.   According to the Church’s tradition, Mary, in an exceptional gesture for a Jewish woman, had decided “not to know man” (Lk 1.34).   She had discerned virginity to be God’s will.   Her Immaculate Heart – the Feast we keep this day – prompted a total giving of herself to God and included the gift of both her body and her heart.   Reassuring her that God had not disdained her vow, Gabriel told Mary that, like the glory of God coming upon the ark, so would the Spirit overshadow her.   The young “handmaid of the Lord” contemplated the Angel’s words.   She treasured them in her heart.   Her response, known as her fiat – “let it be done to me as you say” (Lk 1.38) – shows that she entrusted herself fully to God’s designs.   She chose to forgo her own plans for God’s.   Through her fiat, the Word of God took flesh in the tabernacle of her womb…..

Today in this Eucharist, on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Jesus knocks at the door of our heart.   In us, He wishes to take up His abode and, through our body, enter human history.   When we welcome Him, He gives birth to divinity within the crib of our hearts.   What answer will our heart give to His divine proposal?”…..Cardinal Robert Sarah (16 June 2012)

tday in this eucharist-card robert sarah

Immaculate Mary, Pray for us!

immaculate mary poray for us

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Birthday of St John the Baptist and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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Quote/s of the Day – 24 June 2017 – The Solemnity of the Birthday of St John the Baptist and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

“His name is John” (Lk 1:63)…which in Hebrew means “God is benevolent”. God is benevolent to human beings:  He wants them to live; he wants them to be saved. God is benevolent to His people:  He wants to make of them a blessing for all the nations of the earth.   God is benevolent to humanity:  He guides its pilgrim way towards the land where peace and justice reign.   All this is contained in that name: John!”…St John Paul (24 June 2001)his-name-is-john-st-john-paul - 24 june 2017

 

“Mary, give me your Heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your Heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor.”
–St Mother Teresa

mary give me your heart-st mother teresa

 

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 4 June

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Our Morning Offering – 4 June

Prayer to the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary

O Heart of Jesus pierced for our sins
and giving us Your Mother on Calvary!
O Heart of Mary pierced by sorrow
and sharing in the sufferings of your divine Son
for our redemption!
O sacred union of these Two Hearts!
Praised be the God of Love who united them together!
May we unite our hearts and every heart
so that all hearts may live in unity and in imitation
of that sacred unity which exists in these Two Hearts.
Triumph, O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Reign, O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
– in our hearts, in our homes and families,
in the hearts of those who as yet do not know You
and in all nations of the world.
Establish in the hearts of all mankind the sovereign triumph
and reign of your Two Hearts so that the earth may resound
from pole to pole with one cry:
Blessed forever be the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Obtain for me a greater purity of heart
and a fervent love of the spiritual life.
May all my actions be done for the greater glory of God
in unions with the divine heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Hear and answer our prayers and intentions
according to Your most merciful will. Amen

Prayer to the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers

One Minute Reflection – 24 June

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One Minute Reflection – 24 June

He must increase, while I must decrease………John 3:30

24Jun

REFLECTION – “The true secret of love consists in this:
we must forget self like S John the Baptist and exalt and glorify the Lord Jesus.”………..St Peter Julian Eymard

PRAYER – Almighty God, help me to put my self-interests in the background. Let me seek Your interests and do everything for the honour and glory of Your Son Jesus the Christ, amen.

the true secret of love-st peter julian eymard

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – 24 June – the Saturday following the Feast of the Sacred Heart

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The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – 24 June 2017 – the Saturday following the Feast of the Sacred Heart

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections and above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus and her compassionate love for all persons.    Two elements are essential to the devotion, Mary’s interior life and the beauties of her soul and Mary’s virginal body.  According to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.   It was in 1855, that the Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary formally became a part of the Catholic practice.   Traditionally, the heart of Mary in artwork is depicted with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven sorrows of Mary.    Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart.

Veneration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary generally coincides with the worship of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.    However, there is a difference that explains the Roman Catholic devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.    The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the “Divine Heart”, as overflowing with love for humanity.  In the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of her Immaculate Heart for Jesus and for God.immaculate-heart-of-mary

A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself.   In devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love, responding to love.   In devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, love is formed from study and imitation of Mary’s yes to God as the mother of Jesus.    In this devotion, love is more the result, than the “object” of the devotion; the object being rather to love God and Jesus by uniting one’s self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues, to help one achieve this.

History of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is connected in many ways to that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.   Christians were drawn to the love and virtues of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and this paved the devotion from the beginning.   Early Christians had compassion for the Virgin Mary and the Gospels recount prophecy delivered to her at Jesus’ presentation in the temple, and that her heart would be pierced with a sword.   The image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with the pierced heart is the most popular representation.   St. John’s Gospel further invites us to the attention of Mary’s heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus’ crucifixion.  St. Augustine tells us that Mary was more blessed in having born Christ in her heart, than in having conceived him in the flesh.

immacmary

b419cee6970e3b78ec91c071daabff83

The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.   The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by St. John Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as St. Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and St. Catherine Labouré’s Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword.   The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued in the 20th century, e.g., in the Immaculata prayer of St. Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fátima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.

The Popes have supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries;  in 1956 the encyclical Haurietis aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts,   In 1979 the encyclical Redemptor hominis, Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary’s Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart.   In his Angelus address on 15th September 1985 he coined the term The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.

sacred-heart

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES

Solemnity of The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist – 24 June

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Solemnity of The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist – 24 June

Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint’s death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven.  To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and of St John the Baptist.   All other persons were stained with original sin at birth, hence, were displeasing to God.   But Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast) and John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother.   This is the dogmatic justification for today’s feast. In the breviary St. Augustine explains the reason for today’s observance in the following words:

“The Church observes the birth of John as in some way sacred;  and you will not find any other of the great men of old whose birth we celebrate officially.   We celebrate John’s, as we celebrate Christ’s.   This point cannot be passed over in silence and if I may not perhaps be able to explain it in the way that such an important matter deserves, it is still worth thinking about it a little more deeply and fruitfully than usual.

St. John the Baptist - Bernardo Strozzi 1620

John is born of an old woman who is barren;  Christ is born of a young woman who is a virgin.   That John will be born is not believed and his father is struck dumb;  that Christ will be born is believed and he is conceived by faith.

I have proposed some matters for inquiry and listed in advance some things that need to be discussed.   I have introduced these points even if we are not up to examining all the twists and turns of such a great mystery, either for lack of capacity or for lack of time. You will be taught much better by the one who speaks in you even when I am not here; the one about whom you think loving thoughts, the one whom you have taken into your hearts and whose temple you have become.

John, it seems, has been inserted as a kind of boundary between the two Testaments, the Old and the New.   That he is somehow or other a boundary is something that the Lord himself indicates when he says, The Law and the prophets were until John.   So he represents the old and heralds the new.   Because he represents the old, he is born of an elderly couple; because he represents the new, he is revealed as a prophet in his mother’s womb.   You will remember that, before he was born, at Mary’s arrival he leapt in his mother’s womb.   Already he had been marked out there, designated before he was born; it was already shown whose forerunner he would be, even before he saw him.   These are divine matters and exceed the measure of human frailty.   Finally, he is born, he receives a name and his father’s tongue is loosed.

Zachary is struck dumb and loses his voice, until John, the Lord’s forerunner, is born and releases his voice for him.   What does Zachary’s silence mean but that prophecy was obscure and, before the proclamation of Christ, somehow concealed and shut up?   It is released and opened up by his arrival, it becomes clear when the one who was being prophesied is about to come.   The releasing of Zachary’s voice at the birth of John has the same significance as the tearing of the veil of the Temple at the crucifixion of Christ. If John were meant to proclaim himself, he would not be opening Zachary’s mouth.   The tongue is released because a voice is being born – for when John was already heralding the Lord, he was asked, Who are you and he replied I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

John is the voice but the Lord in the beginning was the Word.   John is a voice for a time, but Christ is the eternal Word from the beginning.”

This reading on the Birth of John the Baptist is taken by a sermon of St. Augustine (Sermo 293, 1-3; PL 38, 1327-1328) that compares and contrasts Christ, the Word, with John, the voice who is the boundary between New and Old Covenants.   It is used in the Roman Office of Readings for June 24, the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist.

AII78336 The Birth of St. John the Baptist; by Bugiardini, Giuliano (1475-1554); Galleria e Museo Estense, Modena, Italy; Italian, out of copyright

In other words, today’s feast anticipates the feast of Christmas.   Taking an overall view, we keep during the course of the year only two mysteries, that of Christ’s Incarnation and that of His Redemption.   The Redemption mystery is the greater of the two; the Incarnation touches the human heart more directly.   To the Redemption mystery the entire Easter season is devoted, from Septuagesima until Pentecost;  and likewise every Sunday of the year, because Sunday is Easter in miniature.

The Christmas season has for its object the mystery of God-become-Man, to which there is reference only now and then during the remaining part of the year, e.g., on Marian feasts, especially that of the Annunciation (March 25) and today’s feast in honour of the Baptist.   In a sense, then, we are celebrating Christ’s incarnation today.   The birth of Jesus is observed on December 25 at the time of the winter solstice, while the birth of His forerunner is observed six months earlier at the time of the summer solstice.   Christmas is a “light” feast; the same is true today.   The popular custom centering about “St. John’s Fire” stems from soundest Christian dogma and could well be given renewed attention. St. John’s Fire symbolizes Christ the Light; John was a lamp that burned and shone. We Christians should be the light of the world.

Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SAINT of the DAY

Saints’ Memorials, Solemnity and Feast – 24 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (Solemnity) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXCySmXhue8
Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Madonna della Navicella
—
St Aglibert of Créteil
St Agoard of Créteil
St Alena of Brussels
St Amphibalus of Verulam
St Anastasia Guadalupe García Zavala
St Bartholomew of Farne
Bl Christopher de Albarran
St Erembert I of Kremsmünster
St Faustus of Rome and Companions
St Festus of Rome
St Germoc
St Gohardus of Nantes
Bl Henry of Auxerre/the Hagiographer
St Ivan of Bohemia
St John of Rome
St John of Tuy
St Joseph Yuan Zaide
Bl Maksymilian Binkiewicz
St Rumold
St Simplicio of Autun
Bl Theodgar of Vestervig
St Theodulphus of Lobbes
—
Martyrs of Satala: Seven Christian brothers who were soldiers in the imperial Roman army. They were kicked out of the military, exiled and eventually martyred in the persecutions of Maximian. We know little more about them than their names – Cyriacus, Firminus, Firmus, Longinus, Pharnacius, Heros and Orentius. The martyrdoms occurred in c311 at assorted locations around the Black Sea.

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – 23 June 2017

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Celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – 23 June 2017

Excerpts from “To Be Loved by a Sacred Heart” – St Josemaria Escriva
“Christ is Passing By,” no. 162

“That Christ has come to us with a heart made of flesh tells us a lot about how the Sacred Heart loves us and about the kind of love we need.   We are loved by any number of hearts during our earthly lives but one alone among them we call Sacred.   We know how it feels to be loved by fallen people—by those who try but cannot love perfectly.   But what it is to be loved by a Sacred Heart?

At the outset of the last supper, the Lord gets down on His hands and knees and washes the feet of His disciples.  “Do you understand this?”  He asks them.   Before He tells the Apostles about union with Him, about the great commandment of love, about His joy, Jesus first shows them what it all “looks” like.

“Do you understand this?”   This is perhaps the ultimate question as we reflect on what it means to be loved by the Sacred Heart.   Perhaps the answer will be an honest, “No, Lord, I do not understand your love for me,” and that could be nearer the truth than anything. “I don’t understand what God is doing on His hands and knees wiping the dirt off of my feet.   If I were Jesus, I wouldn’t treat me like He treats me.   I wouldn’t be so tolerant and forgiving.  I wouldn’t keep on loving someone like me.”

But to spend our lives in contemplation of His love for us, as the apostles surely did, is what will bring us ever closer to the source of the Love that constantly reaches into our lives, showing itself to be subtle, selfless and inexhaustible.   If the fire, thorns and blood are the divinely revealed gauge of divine love in a human heart, then the more I welcome His tireless forgiveness, His unflinching friendship in the face of my infidelity, the more I will appreciate the mystery of divine charity which the Sacred Heart reveals.
Now we see imperfectly, in part but the part we do see should teach us why He needed to come to us with a heart of flesh, like ours.”

Devotion to the Saced Heart 1litany of the sh 1 - sh 8litany of the sh 2 - sh 8litany of the sh 3 - sh 10

sh3 snip3seven cardinal mysteries - sh 2sh 4 - enthronement

 

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CONSECRATION Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY

Friday 23 June 2017 Blessed and Holy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost)

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Friday 23 June 2017 Blessed and Holy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – (Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost)

The Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart – given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.

2. I will give peace in their families.

3. I will console them in all their troubles.

4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.

5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.

10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance;  they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

12 promises of the sacred heart

“And He showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which It contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure for Him all the honour and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those Divine treasures of which this Heart is the source.   He should be honoured under the figure of this Heart of flesh and Its image should be exposed … He promised me that wherever this image should be exposed with a view to showing It special honour, He would pour forth His blessings and graces.   This devotion was the last effort of His love that He would grant to men in these latter ages, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan which He desired to destroy, and thus to introduce them into the sweet liberty of the rule of His love, which He wished to restore in the hearts of all those who should embrace this devotion.”

—St. Margaret Mary

st margaret mary and the sacred heart of jesus

This Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was composed by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th Century French nun and mystic, pictured above, who saw our Lord in numerous visions.   She was instrumental in spreading devotion to His Sacred Heart after He conveyed His wish for her to do so.   In one vision she actually saw Jesus’ Sacred Heart with flames protruding from it to show His great love for us!   The burning love He showed her from His Sacred Heart certainly must have inspired her.

Clearly, our Lord wishes us to join our will to His in love for Him and each other on our earthly pilgrimage to Heaven.   And what better way than to appeal to our hearts, where our most sincere feelings and desires reside.

So too with Jesus, who we must remember, as man as well as God comes to us in Communion at Mass and in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament with His heart filled with immense love and longing for us!   As our Lord said in the Gospels “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Jesus once told St. Margaret Mary something quite similar when He said “Without me you can do nothing, but I will never let you lack help as long as you keep your weakness and nothingness buried in My strength.”

Our Lord wishes us to approach Him for help and love in humility, even when we’re feeling most uncertain or useless.   Don’t be afraid to offer up your own weaknesses and anxieties to Him!   He’ll be more than happy to fill your “nothingness” with His awesomeness!  And the best places are after receiving Him and in Eucharistic Adoration, where His Heart is calling you!

ACT of CONSECRATION to the MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS
by ST MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE

act of consecration to the sacred heart - st alacoque

I (Name…………..), give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ,
my person, my life, my actions, my pains and sufferings,
so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being
save to honour, love and glorify the Sacred Heart.
It is my unchanging intention to be all His
and to do all for love of Him.
I renounce at the same time with all my heart whatever can displease Him.

I, therefore, take You, O Sacred Heart,
for the only object of my love,
the protector of my life,
the pledge of my salvation,
the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy,
the atonement for the faults of my life
and the secure refuge at the hour of my death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness,
my justification before God the Father
and turn away from me the punishment of His just anger.
O Heart of love, I put my confidence in You
because I fear everything from my own sinfulness and weakness.
I hope for all things from Your mercy and generosity.

Destroy in me all that can displease or resist Your holy Will.
Let Your pure love impress You so deeply upon my heart
that I may never forget You or be separated from You.
May my name, by your loving kindness,
be written In You
because in You I desire to place all my happiness
and all my glory in living and dying in very bondage to You.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY NINE –22 JUNE

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NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY NINE –22 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION IX.
The Faithful Heart of Jesus.

Oh, how faithful is the beautiful heart of Jesus towards those whom He calls to His love: He is faithful Who hath called you, Who also will perform.’ [1 Thess. v. 24].

The faithfulness of God gives us confidence to hope all things, although we deserve nothing.   If we have driven God from our heart, let us open the door to Him and He will immediately enter, according to the promise He has made:  If anyone open to Me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him. [Apoc. iii. 20].   If we wish for graces, let us ask for them of God, in the name of Jesus Christ and He has promised us that we shall obtain them: If you shall ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it you. [John xvi. 23].   If we are tempted, let us trust in His merits and He will not permit our enemies to strive with us beyond our strength:  God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able. [1 Cor. x. 13].

Oh, how much better it is to have to do with God than with men!   How often do men promise and then fail, either because they tell lies in making their promises, or because, after having made the promise, they change their minds:  God is not as man, says the Holy Spirit, that He should lie; or as the Son of Man, that He should be changed. [Num. xxiii. 19].   God cannot be unfaithful to His promises, because, being Truth itself, He cannot lie; nor can He change His mind, because all that He wills is just and right.    He has promised to receive all that come to Him, to give help to him that asks it, to love him that loves Him;  and shall He then not do it? Hath He said, then, and will He not do it? [Ibid.].

Oh, that we were as faithful with God as He is with us!   Oh, how often have we, in times past, promised Him to be His, to serve Him and love Him and then have betrayed Him, and, renouncing His service, have sold ourselves as slaves to the devil!   Oh, let us beseech Him to give us strength to be faithful to Him for the future!  Oh, how blessed shall we be if we are faithful to Jesus Christ in the few things that He commands us to do; He will, indeed, be faithful in remunerating us with infinitely great rewards and He will declare to us what He has promised to His faithful servants:  Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. [Matt. xxv. 21].

DAY NINE - NOVENA SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY NINE

Oh, that I had been as faithful towards You, my dearest Redeemer,
as You have been faithful to me.
Whenever I have opened my heart to You,
You have entered in, to forgive me and to receive me into Your favour.
Whenever I have called You, You have hastened to my assistance.
You have been faithfu1 with me
but I have been exceedingly unfaithful towards You.
I have promised You my love and then have many times refused it to You,
as if You, my God, Who has created and redeemed me,
were less worthy of being loved than Your creatures
and those miserable pleasures for which I have forsaken You.
Forgive me, O my Jesus. I know my ingratitude and abhor it.
I know that You are infinite goodness;
Who deserves an infinite love, especially from me,
whom You have so much loved,
even after all the offences I have committed against You.
Ah, no, my Love, have pity on me;
suffer me not to forsake You again
and then to damn myself, as I should deserve, to Hell.
O loving and faithful heart of Jesus, inflame, I beseech You, my miserable heart,
so that it may burn with love for You, My Jesus.
It seems to me that now I love You but I love You but little.
Make me love You exceedingly
and remain faithful to You until death.
I ask of You this grace, together with that of always praying to You for it.
Grant that I may die, rather than ever betray You again.

O Mary, my Mother, help me to be faithful to your Son. Amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY EIGHT –21 JUNE

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NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY EIGHT –21 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION VIII.
The Despised Heart of Jesus.

There is not a greater sorrow for a heart that loves, than to see its love despised: and so much the more when the proofs given of this love have been great, and, on the other hand, the ingratitude great.

If every human being were to renounce all his goods and to go and live in the desert, to feed on herbs, to sleep on the bare earth, to macerate himself with penances and at last give himself up to be murdered for Christ’s sake, what recompense could he render for the sufferings, the Blood, the life that this great Son of God has given for his sake?   If we were to sacrifice ourselves every moment unto death, we should certainly not recompense in the smallest degree the love that Jesus Christ has shown us, by giving Himself to us in the most Holy Sacrament.   Only conceive that God should conceal Himself under the species of bread to become the food of one of His creatures!

But, O my God, what recompense and gratitude do men render to Jesus Christ?   What but ill-treatment, contempt of His laws and His maxims, —– injuries such as they would not commit towards their enemy, or their slave, or the greatest villain upon earth.   And can we think of all these injuries which Jesus Christ has received and still receives every day and not feel sorrow for them?   And not endeavour, by our love, to recompense the infinite love of His Divine heart, which remains in the most Holy Sacrament, inflamed with the same love towards us and anxious to communicate every good gift to us and to give Himself entirely to us, ever ready to receive us into His heart whenever we go to Him?   Him that cometh to Me, I will not cast out. [John vi. 37].

We have been accustomed to hear of the Creation, Incarnation, Redemption, of Jesus born in a stable, of Jesus dead on the Cross. O my God, if we knew that another man had conferred on us any of these benefits, we could not help loving him.   It seems that God alone has, to to say, this bad luck with men, that, though He has done His utmost to make them love Him, yet He cannot attain this end, and, instead of being loved, He sees Himself despised and neglected. All this arises from the forgetfulness of men of the love of God.

DAY EIGHT - NOVENA SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY EIGHT

O Heart of Jesus, abyss of mercy and love,
how is it that, at the sight of the goodness You hast shown me and of my ingratitude, I do not die of sorrow? You, O mv Saviour, after having given me my being,
have given me all Your Blood and Your life, giving Yourself up for my sake, to ignominy and death;
and, not content with this,
You have invented the mode of sacrificing Yourself every day for me in the Holy Eucharist,
not refusing to expose Yourself to the injuries which You receive, and which You foresaw,
in this Sacrament of love.
O my God, how can I see myself so ungrateful to You without dying with contrition!
O Lord, put an end, I pray You, to my ingratitude,
by wounding my heart with Your love and making me entirely Yours.
Remember the Blood and the tears that You shed for me, and forgive me.
Oh, let not all Your sufferings be lost upon me.
But though You have seen how ungrateful and unworthy of Your love I have been,
yet You didst not cease to love me even when I did not love You.
Grant that this day may be the day of my thorough conversion;
so that I may begin to love You and may never cease to love You, my sovereign good.
Make me die in everything to myself,
in order that I may live only for You and that I may always burn with Your love.

O Mary, your heart was the blessed altar
that was always on fire with Divine love:
my dearest Mother, make me like you;
obtain this from your Son,
Who delights in honouring and pleasing you,
by denying you nothing that you ask of Him. Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY SEVEN –20 JUNE

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NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY SEVEN –20 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION VII.
The Grateful Heart of Jesus.

The heart of Jesus is so grateful, that it cannot behold the most trifling works done for the love of Him —–our smallest word spoken for His glory, a single good thought directed towards pleasing Him—–without giving to each its own reward. He is besides so grateful, that He always returns a hundredfold for one: You shall receive a hundredfold.
[Matt. xix. 29] Men, when they are grateful, and recompense any benefit done to them, recompense it only once; they, as it were, divest themselves of all the obligation, and then they think no more of it. Jesus Christ does not do thus. with us; He not only recompenses a hundredfold in this life every good action that we perform to please Him, but in the next life He recompenses it an infinite number of times throughout eternity. And who will be so negligent as not to do as much as he can to please this most grateful heart?

But, O my God, how do men try to please Jesus Christ? Or rather, I will say, how can we be so ungrateful towards this our Saviour? If He had only shed a single drop of Blood, or one tear alone for our salvation, yet we should be under infinite obligation to Him; because this drop and this tear would have been of infinite value in the sight of God towards obtaining for us every grace. But Jesus would employ for us every moment of His life. He has given us all His merits, all His sufferings, all His ignominies, all His Blood, and His life; so that we are under, not one, but infinite, obligations to love Him.

But alas! we are grateful even towards animals: if a little dog shows us any sign of affection, it seems to constrain us to love it. How, then, can we be so ungrateful towards God? It seems as if the benefits of God towards men change their nature, and become ill-usage; for, instead of gratitude and love, they obtain nothing but offences and injuries. Do Thou, O Lord, enlighten these ungrateful ones, to know the love that Thou bearest them.

DAY SEVEN - NOVENA SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY SEVEN

O my beloved Jesus,
behold at Your feet an ungrateful sinner.
I have been grateful indeed towards creatures
but to You, alone I have been ungrateful, Who died fur me
and have done the utmost to oblige me to love You.
My dearest Jesus, I have in times past offended You
but now I love You more than everything —–more than myself.
Tell me what You would have me to do;
for I am ready to do everything with Your help.
I believe that for my sake You dost remain in the Blessed Sacrament;
I thank You for it, O my love.
Oh, permit me not to be ungrateful in future for so many benefits and proofs of Your love.
Oh, bind me, unite me to Your heart
and permit me not, during the years that remain to me,
to offend You or grieve You any more.
O my Jesus, it is time that I should love You now.
Oh, that those years that I have lost would return!
But they will return no more
and the life that remains for me may be short;
but whether it be short or long, my God, I desire to spend it all in loving You,
my sovereign good, Who deserves an eternal and infinite love.

O Mary, my Mother, let me never again be ungrateful to your Son. Pray to Jesus for me. Amen.

Posted in NOTES to Followers, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Out of Town!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Dear Friends and Followers

I will be away for a few days but you will find the Sacred Heart Novena in your Inbox as well as the Consecration Prayer on the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

God bless you all and see you next week.

Ana

out of town

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY SIX – 19 JUNE

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY SIX – 19 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION VI.
The Generous Heart of Jesus.

It is the characteristic of good-hearted people to desire to make everybody happy and especially those most distressed and afflicted.   But who can ever find one who has a better heart than Jesus Christ?   He is infinite goodness and has therefore a sovereign desire to communicate to us His riches:   With Me are riches, that I may enrich them that love Me. [Prov. viii. 18, 21]

He for this purpose made Himself poor, as the Apostle says, that He might make us rich: He became poor for your sakes, that through His poverty you might be rich. [2 Cor. viii. 9].   For this purpose also He chose to remain with us in the most Holy Sacrament, where He remains constantly with His hands full of graces, to dispense them to those who come to visit Him.   For this reason also He gives Himself wholly to us in Holy Communion, giving us to understand from this that He cannot refuse us any good gifts, since He even gives Himself entirely to us:  How hath He not also, with Him, given us all things? [Rom. viii. 32]

For in the heart of Jesus we receive every good, every grace that we desire: In all things you are made rich in Christ. . . so that nothing is wanting to you in any grace. [1 Cor. 1. 5, 7].   And we must understand that we are debtors to the heart of Jesus for all the graces we have received —–graces of redemption, of vocation, of light, of pardon, the grace to resist temptations and to bear patiently with contradictions;  for without His assistance we could not do anything good:  Without Me you can do nothing. [John xv. 5].   And if hitherto, says our Saviour, you have not received more graces, do not complain of Me, but blame yourself, who has neglected to seek them of Me:   Hitherto you have not asked anything; . . . ask, and you shall receive. [John xvi. 24].   Oh, how rich and liberal is the heart of Jesus towards everyone that has recourse to Him!   Rich unto all that call upon Him. [Rom. x. 12].   Oh, what great mercies do those souls receive who are earnest in asking help of Jesus Christ. David said, For Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild, and plenteous to all who call upon Thee. [Ps. lxxxv. 5].   Let us therefore always go to this heart, and ask with confidence, and we shall obtain all we want.

DAY SIX NOVENA SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY SIX

Ah, my Jesus,
You have not refused to give me Your Blood and Your life
and shall I refuse to give You my miserable heart?
No, my dearest Redeemer, I offer it entirely to You.
I give You all my will – will You accept it and dispose of it at Your pleasure?
I can do nothing and have nothing
but I have this heart which You have given me
and of which no one can deprive me.
I may be deprived of my goods, my blood, my life but not of my heart.
With this heart I can love You;
with this heart I will love You.
I beseech You, O my God, teach me a perfect forgetfulness of myself.
I feel in myself a determination to please You
but in order to put my resolve iinto execution,
I expect and implore help from You.
It depends on You, O loving heart of Jesus,
to make my poor heart entirely Yours.
Oh, grant that my heart may be all on fire with the love of You,
even as Yours is on fire with the love of me.
Grant that my will may be entirely united to Yours
and from this day forth Your holy will may be the rule of all my actions,
of all my thoughts and of all my desires.
I trust, O my Saviour, that You will not refuse me Your grace,
to fulfill this resolution which I now make prostrate at Your feet,
to receive with submission whatever You may ordain for me, as well in life, as in death.

Blessed art you, O Immaculate Mary,
who had your heart always and entirely united to the heart of Jesus;
obtain for me, O my Mother,
that in future I may wish and desire that which Jesus wills and you will. Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY FIVE – 18 JUNE

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY FIVE – 18 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguo
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 in “THE HOLY EUCHARIST”

MEDITATION V.
The Compassionate Heart of Jesus.

Where shall we ever find a heart more compassionate or tender than the heart of Jesus, or one that had a greater feeling for our miseries?

This pity induced Him to descend from Heaven to this earth;  it made Him say that He was that good shepherd Who came to give His life to save His sheep.   In order to obtain the pardon of our sins, He would not spare Himself but would sacrifice Himself on the Cross, that by His sufferings He might satisfy for the chastisement that we have deserved. This pity and compassion makes Him say even now:   Why will ye die, O house of Israel? return ye, and live. [Ezek. xviii. 31].  O men, He says, my poor children, why will you damn yourselves by flying from Me?   Do you not see that by separating yourselves from Me you are hastening to eternal death?   I desire not to see you lost;  do not despair; as often as you wish to return, return and you shall recover your life:  Return, and live.

This compassion even makes Him say that He is that loving Father Who, though He sees Himself despised by His son, yet, if that son returns a penitent, He cannot reject him  but embraces him tenderly and forgets all the injuries He has received: I will not remember all his iniquities. [Ibid. 22].  It is not thus that men behave;  for though they may forgive, yet they nevertheless retain the remembrance of the offence received and feel inclined to revenge themselves and even if they do not revenge themselves, because they fear God, at least they always feel a great repugnance against conversing and entertaining themselves with those persons who have vilified them.

O my Jesus, You pardon the penitent sinners and never refuse in this world to give them everything in Holy Communion during their life and everything in the other world, even in Heaven, with eternal glory, without retaining the slightest repugnance towards being united to the soul that has offended You, for all eternity.   Where, then, is there to be found a heart so amiable and compassionate as Yours, O my dearest Saviour?

DAY FIVE NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY FIVE

O compassionate heart of my Jesus, have pity on me:
“Most sweet Jesus, have mercy on me.”
I say so now and beseech You to give me the grace always to say to You,
“Most sweet Jesus, have mercy on me.”
Even before I offended You, O my Redeemer,
I certainly did not deserve any of the favours You bestowed upon me.
You created me,
You have given me so much light and knowledge
and all without any merit of mine.
But after I had offended You. I not only did not deserve Your favour
but I deserved to be forsaken by You and cast into Hell.
Your compassion has made You wait for me
and preserve my life even when I had offended You.
Your compassion has enlightened me and offered me pardon;
it has given me sorrow for my sins and the desire of loving You
and now I hope from Your mercy to remain always in Your grace.
O my Jesus Your mercy which I implore of You
is that You would grant me light
and strength to be no longer ungrateful towards You.
No, my Jesus; I love You and I will always love You
and this is the mercy which I hope for and seek from You
“Permit me not to be separated from You, permit me not to be separated from You.”

And I beseech you also, O Mary my Mother,
help me not to be ever again separated from my God.
Amen

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS

A Father’s Day Prayer – 18 June 2017

Posted on by AnaStpaul

A Father’s Day Prayer – 18 June 2017

Heavenly Father,
you entrusted your Son Jesus,
the child of Mary,
to the care of Joseph, an earthly father.
Bless all fathers
as they care for their families.
Give them strength and wisdom,
tenderness and patience;
support them in the work they have to do,
protecting those who look to them,
as we look to You for love and salvation,
through Jesus Christ our rock and defender,
in union with the Holy Spirit, one God
forever and ever,

St Joseph Pray for all our Fathers, Amen.

father's dayhappy father's day

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for PRIESTS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, Uncategorized

Wishing all Fathers a Blessed and Happy Father’s Day especially all our universal Fathers – our Priests!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Wishing all Fathers a Blessed and Happy Father’s Day
especially all our universal Fathers – our Priests!

Prayer for Priests by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

PRAYER FOR PRIESTS-BENEDICT

Lord Jesus Christ, eternal High Priest,
You offered Yourself to the Father
on the altar of the Cross
and through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
gave Your priestly people a share in Your redeeming sacrifice.
Hear our prayer for the sanctification of our priests.
Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial priesthood
may be ever more conformed to You, the divine Master.
May they preach the Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience.
Let them be shepherds according to Your own Heart,
single- minded in service to You and to the Church
and shining examples of a holy, simple and joyful life.
Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Your Mother and ours, draw all priests
and the flocks entrusted to their care to the fullness
of eternal life where You live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

“The Priest must be, first and foremost,
an Adorer who contemplates the Eucharist.”

the priest must be first an adorer - papa b

 

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Thought for the Day – 18 June – The Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 June – The Solemnity of Corpus Christi

“A word that ought to cover many a Catholic with shame and confusion once came from the lips of a person raised in Protestant tenets and surroundings: “If I believed in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, I should spend all my life before a tabernacle and no power could tear me away from it.”

Does this not suffice to put to shame our little generosity in visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament?

Let us pay Him a visit every day, even when only a short one is possible, particularly if it is our happiness to live with Him under the same roof. Let us not pass by a church where He is kept in the tabernacle, without entering at least for a moment, or without making at least a spiritual visit.

We can multiply spiritual visits at any time, amid our daily occupations and when we awake at night – a practice which growing love will more and more cogently urge upon us. Because after all, who can enchain love? Who can resist the heart? Who can separate what love has joined? Who can prevent, what obstacle can impede our hearts from living in perpetual adoration at the feet of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament?

“Where thy treasure is,” said Jesus, “there they heart also will be.” If the Holy Eucharist is our treasure, our heart will live in the tabernacle.”…Fr Jose Guadalupe Trevino (The Holy Eucharist)

where thy treasure is-fr jose guadalupe trevino

ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.  I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.  Never permit me to be separated from You.  Amen.

spiritual-communion

 

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

Quote/s of the Day – The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

“How I loved the feasts!….
I especially loved the processions in honour
of the Blessed Sacrament.   What a joy it was
for me to throw flowers beneath the feet of God!…
I was never so happy as when I saw my roses
touch the sacred Monstrance…”
– from St. Therese’s Autobiography Story of A Soul

how i loved the feast..st t of l

“It is invaluable to converse with Christ
and leaning against Jesus’ breast like His beloved disciple,
we can feel the infinite love of his Heart.
We learn to know more deeply the One who gave Himself totally,
in the different mysteries of His divine and human life,
so that we may become disciples and in turn enter into
this great act of giving, for the glory of God
and the salvation of the world.   Through adoration,
the Christian mysteriously contributes to the
radical transformation of the world and to the sowing of the Gospel.
Anyone who prays to the Saviour draws the whole world with him
and raises it to God.   Those who stand before the Lord
are therefore fulfilling an eminent service.
They are presenting to Christ all those who do not know Him
or are far from Him;  they keep watch in His presence on their behalf!”

– from St Pope John Paul II’s 1996 letter to the Bishop of Liege,
written on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the first celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi

those who stand before the lord

“When you have received Him,
stir up your heart to do Him homage, 
speak to Him about your spiritual life,
gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present
for your happiness;  welcome Him as warmly as possible,
and behave outwardly in such a way, that your actions
may give proof to all of His Presence.”
– St. Francis de Sales

when you have received Him - st francis de sales

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 June – Feast of Corpus Christi

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 18 June – Feast of Corpus Christi

He who abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing……John 15:5

REFLECTION – “Eternal happiness begins now for the Christian who is comforted with the definitive manna of the Eucharist. The old life has gone forever. Let us leave everything behind us so that everything will be new, “our hearts, our words and our actions.” This is the Good News. News, because it speaks to us of a deep love which we never could have dreamed of. Good, because there is nothing better than uniting ourselves to God, the greatest Good of all. It is Good News, because in an inexplicable way it gives us a foretaste of heaven.”……….St Josemaria Escriva (Christ is passing By – On the Feast of Corpus Christ No 153)

eternal happiness begins now - st josemaria

PRAYER – In response to Your Presence, O Lord,
I offer You my presence.
In response to Your silence,
I offer You my silence.
In response to the gaze of Your Eucharistic Face,
I offer You my eyes.
In response to Your Eucharistic Heart,
I offer You every heartbeat of mine.
In response to the mystery of Your Eucharistic poverty,
I offer You my poverty.
My one desire is to remain before You
even as You remain before me
in this the Sacrament of Your Love.
(Benedictines of Perpetual Adoration)

BENEDICTINES OF PERPETUAL ADORATION - in reponse to your presence o Lord

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 18 June 2017 – The Feast of Copus Christi

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 June 2017 – The Feast of Copus Christi

ADORO te DEVOTE – HIDDEN GOD
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor
and its most famous English translation
by Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)

Hidden God, devoutly I adore Thee,
Truly present underneath these veils:
All my heart subdues itself before Thee,
Since it all before Thee faints and fails.

Not to sight, or taste, or touch be credit,
Hearing only do we trust secure;
I believe, for God the Son hath said it–
Word of Truth that ever shall endure.

On the Cross was veiled Thy Godhead’s splendour,
Here Thy manhood lieth hidden too;
Unto both alike my faith I render,
And, as sued the contrite thief, I sue.

Though I look not on Thy wounds with Thomas,
Thee, my Lord, and Thee, my God, I call:
Make me more and more believe Thy promise,
Hope in Thee, and love Thee over all.

O Memorial of my Saviour dying,
Living Bread that givest life to man;
May my soul, its life from Thee supplying,
Taste Thy sweetness, as on earth it can.

Deign, O Jesus, pelican* of heaven,
Me, a sinner, in Thy Blood to lave,
To a single drop of which is given
All the world from all its sin to save.

Contemplating Lord, Thy hidden presence,
Grant me what I thirst for and implore,
In the revelation of Thine essence
To behold Thy glory evermore.

ADORO te DEVOTE - ST THOMAS AQUINAS TRANSLATE G M HOPKINS SJ