Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, NOTES to Followers, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

13 May – Wishing all the Mothers a very Blessed and Happy Mother’s Day

13 May – Wishing all the Mothers a very Blessed and Happy Mother’s Dayblessed mothers day 2018 - 13 may - mary holy mother pray for us

I extend my wishes for a Blessed and Happy Mothers’ Day to all mothers who labour unceasingly, that their children gain eternal joy in Heaven and most especially offer thanks and praise to the Holy Trinity for the greatest creature ever conceived, the Great Mother of Our Saviour, Mary Most Holy!
Of her we can never say enough, well enough, often enough, for not only is every day Mary’s Mother’s Day, as it should be but because we, her spiritual children, have learned the lesson, from sitting on her lap in the recitation of the Hail Mary, that as she is our true Mother, every day is also our day, her children, the children of God and the siblings of her Divine Son.

To our Holy Mother of us all, we pray:

Mary, on this day, when we honour all mothers, we turn to you.
We thank the Lord, whom you serve, for the great gift of motherhood.
Never has it been known, that anyone who sought your intercession, was left unaided by grace.
Dear Mother, thank you for your “Yes”, to the invitation of the angel
which brought heaven to earth and changed human history.
You opened yourself,to God’s word
and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
Dear mother, intercede for all of our mothers.
Ask your Divine Son, to give them the grace of surrendered love
so that they could join with you, in giving their own “Fiat.”
May they find daily strength to say “yes”, to the call to the sacrificial love-
the very heart, of the vocation of motherhood.
May their love and witness, be a source of great inspiration
for all of us, called to follow your Son.
God Bless Mothers on this Mothers day,
Mother of the Word Incarnate,
pray for us who have recourse to you.
In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen

Mary, Holy Mother, pray for us!a mother's day prayer to Mary - no 2 - pink - 13 may 2018

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Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST, Uncategorized

Sunday Reflection – 13 May – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord – “O Blessed Host”

Sunday Reflection – 13 May – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord “O Blessed Host”

” Blessed Host” Eucharistic Prayer before Holy Communion
By St Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
Diary 159

O Blessed Host, in golden chalice enclosed for me,
That through the vast wilderness of exile I may pass –
pure, immaculate, undefiled;
Oh, grant that through the power of Your love
This might come to be.

O Blessed Host, take up Your dwelling within my soul,
O Thou my heart’s purest love!
With Your brilliance the darkness dispel.
Refuse not Your grace to a humble heart.

O Blessed Host, enchantment of all heaven,
Though Your beauty be veiled
And captured in a crumb of bread,
Strong faith tears away that veil.eucharistic prayer before holy comm - st faustina - o blessed host - 13 may 2018 - sunday reflection.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY SPIRIT

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts: Day Three – 13 May 2018

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts

Day Three – 13 May 2018

Thou, of all consolers best,
Visiting the troubled breast,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.

THE GIFT OF PIETY
The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving
Father.   It inspires us to love and respect for His sake, persons and things
consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed
Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors,
our country and its rulers.   He who is filled with the gift of Piety, finds the
practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty but a delightful service.   Where
there is love, there is no tabor.

Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart.   Enkindle therein, such a love for
God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service and for His sake lovingly
submit, to all legitimate authority.   Amen.

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father (seven times)
Act of Consecration
Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Act of Consecration and Prayer for the Seven Gifts: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/

day three - pentecost novena - 13 may 2018

Posted in Blessed JOHN HENRY Cardinal NEWMAN, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION, THOMAS a KEMPIS, Uncategorized

Marian Thought for the Day – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Marian Thought for the Day – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord and the Feasts of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Help, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Memorial of the Dedication of the Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Martyrs (Pantheon)

Mary is the “Janua Cœli,” the Gate of Heaven

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)MARY JANUA COELI - GATE OF HEAVEN - BL JOHN HENRY NEWMAN - PRAY FOR US - 13 MAY 2018

MARY is called the Gate of Heaven, because it was through her, that our Lord passed from heaven to earth.   The Prophet Ezechiel, prophesying of Mary, says, “the gate shall be closed, it shall not be opened and no man shall pass through it, since the Lord God of Israel has entered through it—and it shall be closed for the Prince, the Prince Himself shall sit in it.”

Now this is fulfilled, not only in our Lord having taken flesh from her and being her Son, but, moreover, in that she had a place in the economy of Redemption;  it is fulfilled in her spirit and will, as well as in her body.   Eve had a part in the fall of man, though it was Adam who was our representative and whose sin made us sinners.   It was Eve who began and who tempted, Adam.   Scripture says: “The woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold; and she took of {37} the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, and he did eat.”   It was fitting then in God’s mercy that, as the woman began the destruction of the world, so woman should also begin its recovery and that, as Eve opened the way for the fatal deed of the first Adam, so Mary should open the way, for the great achievement of the second Adam, even our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to save the world by dying on the cross for it.   Hence Mary is called by the holy Fathers a second and a better Eve, as having taken that first step in the salvation of mankind which Eve took in its ruin.

How, and when, did Mary take part and the initial part, in the world’s restoration?   It was when the Angel Gabriel came to her to announce to her the great dignity which was to be her portion.   St Paul bids us “present our bodies to God as a reasonable service.” We must not only pray with our lips and fast and do outward penance and be chaste in our bodies but we must be obedient and pure in our minds.   And so, as regards the Blessed Virgin, it was God’s will that she should undertake willingly and with full understanding, to be the Mother of our Lord and not to be a mere passive instrument, whose maternity would have no merit and no reward.   The higher our gifts, the heavier our duties.   It was no light lot to be so intimately near to the Redeemer of men, as she experienced afterwards when she suffered with Him.   Therefore, weighing well the Angel’s words before giving her answer to them—first she asked whether so great an office would be a forfeiture of that Virginity which she had vowed.   When the Angel told her no, then, with the full consent of a full heart, full of God’s love to her and her own lowliness, she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.”   It was by this consent that she became the Gate of Heaven.and so, as regards the Blessed Virgin Mary - bl john henry newman - 13 may 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, MYSTICS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST

Quote of the Day – 13 May – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Quote of the Day – 13 May – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

“I heard these words from the Host:

I desired to rest in your hands,
not only in your heart.”

Jesus to St Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
Diary 160

i heard these words from the host - st faustina diary 160 - 13 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, St JOSEPH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

One Minute Marian Reflection – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

One Minute Marian Reflection – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord and the Feasts of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Help, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Memorial of the Dedication of the Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Martyrs (Pantheon)

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and the favour of God was upon him...Luke 2:40

REFLECTION – “MARY:  HER HIDDEN LIFE WITH JESUS:   I like to go back in my imagination, to the years Jesus spent close to his mother, years which span almost the whole of His life on earth.   I like to picture Him as a little child, cared for by Mary, who kisses Him and plays with Him. I like to see Him growing up, before the loving eyes of His mother and of Joseph, His father on earth.   What tenderness and care Mary and the holy Patriarch must have shown toward Jesus, as they looked after Him during His childhood, all the while, silently, learning so much from Him.   Their souls, would become more and more like the soul of that Son, who was both man and God.   This is why His mother and after her St Joseph, understand better than anyone, the feelings of the heart of Christ and the two of them. are thus, the best way, I would say the only way, to reach the Saviour.”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “Mother of God and Our Mother,” Friends of God, 281

Let us offer to our Mother today:
The effort of doing our ordinary work well, on time, with competence and finesse.what tenderness and care - st josemaria - 13 may 2018

PRAYER – Let us praise You, Lord, with voice and mind and deed and since life itself is Your gift, may all we have and are be Yours.   May Your Mother Lord Jesus, teach us as You taught her.   Grant we pray that Mary, Your Mother and ours and Mother of all the Church, Your Mystical Body,  will take us all to Your heart, with St Joseph by her side.   Mary, most Holy, pray for us.   We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus, the Christ in union with You, Holy Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.holy mary mother of god - pray for us - 13 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Our Morning Offering – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord and the Feasts of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Help, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Memorial of the Dedication of the Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Martyrs (Pantheon)

O Mary, Immaculate Virgin
By St Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)

O Mary, Immaculate Virgin,
Pure crystal for my heart,
You are my strength, O sturdy anchor!
You are the weak heart’s shield and protection.
Mary you are pure, of purity incomparable;
At once both Virgin and Mother,
You are beautiful as the sun, without blemish,
And your soul is beyond all comparison.

Your beauty has delighted the eye of the Thrice-Holy One.
He descended from heaven, leaving His eternal throne,
And took Body and Blood of your heart
And for nine months lay hidden in a Virgin’s Heart.

O Mother, Virgin, purest of all lilies,
Your heart was Jesus’ first tabernacle on earth.
Only because no humility was deeper than yours
Where you are raised above the choirs of Angels
and above all Saints.

O Mary, my sweet Mother,
I give you my soul, my body and my poor heart.
Be the guardian of my life,
Especially at the hour of death, in the final strife.”

(Diary, 161)o mary immaculate vifgin by st faustina - 13 may 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The ASCENSION of the LORD

13 May – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

13 May – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

We, the members of Christ’s body, ascended to heaven with the Lord, through love…. a Sermon by St Augustine(354-430)- Father and Doctor of Grace , delivered on the Solemnity of the Ascension of our LordHEADER ASCENSION

Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven;  let our hearts ascend with Him. Listen to the words of the Apostle:  If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God;  seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.   For just as he remained with us even after His ascension, so we too are already in heaven with Him, even though what is promised us, has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.

Christ is now exalted above the heavens but He still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of His body, have to bear.    He showed this when He cried out from above: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? and when He said:  I was hungry and you gave me food.

Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with Him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to Him?   While in heaven, He is also with us and we while on earth, are with Him.   He is here with us by His divinity, His power and His love. We cannot be in heaven, as He is on earth, by divinity but in Him, we can be there, by love.

28107_Salvador-Dali-Ascension-of-Christ_t800
Salvator Dali
ASCENSION - Gustave Doré
Gustave Dore
ASCENSION 1
Unknown
Ascension of Christ, Rembrandt Van Rijn
Rembrandt

He did not leave heaven when He came down to us, nor did He withdraw from us when He went up again into heaven.   The fact that He was in heaven even while He was on earth is borne out, by His own statement:  No one has ever ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

These words are explained by our oneness with Christ, for He is our head and we are His body.   No one ascended into heaven except Christ, because we also are Christ:  He is the Son of Man by His union with us and we by our union with Him are the sons of God.   So the Apostle says:  Just as the human body, which has many members, is a unity, because all the different members make one body, so is it also with Christ.   He too has many members, but one body.

Out of compassion for us He descended from heaven and although He ascended alone, we also ascend, because we are in Him by grace.   Thus, no one but Christ descended and no one but Christ ascended, not because there is no distinction between the head and the body but because the body, as a unity, cannot be separated from the head.Ascension-of-Jesus-Picture-20-732x1024

This reading, used in the Roman Liturgy’s office of readings for the Solemn Feast (Solemnity) of the Ascension, is taken from a homily by St Augustine (Sermo de Ascensione Domini, Mai 98, 1-2, PLS 2, 494-495).   The Ascension is the second glorious mystery of the Rosary.

Ascension of Christ - Jan Matejko
Ascension of Christ – Jan Matejko
Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST

Feast of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament – 13 May

Feast of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament – 13 May

History of the Title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament

St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868), of France, had a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Our Lady and began his priestly life in the Society of Mary.   “But his heart burned with the desire to establish perpetual adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed upon a royal throne and surrounded by a large court of adorers.”  On 2 February 1851, at the shrine of Fourvière, the most Blessed Virgin had made him understand its necessity.   ‘All the mysteries of my Son have a religious order of men to honour them. The Eucharist alone has none . . . .’

After several years of prudent reflection and interior combat, encouraged by Pope Pius IX, he founded the Congregation of the Most Blessed Sacrament at Paris on 13 May 1856

The title of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament was first given to Mary by St Peter Julian Eymard in May 1868, while speaking to his novices.   A few years later he described what her statue should look like:  “The Blessed Virgin holds the Infant in her arms and He holds a chalice in one hand and a Host in the other.”   He exhorted them to invoke Mary: “Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us who have recourse to thee!”

Later, Pius IX enriched the invocation with indulgences.   Twice, St  Pius X did the same. On 30 December 1905, he granted a 300 days indulgence to the faithful who pray:  “Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.”
“This title, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, is perhaps the most meaningful of all,” said St. Pius X.

In 1921 the Sacred Congregation of Rite authorised the Blessed Sacrament Congregations to celebrate each year, on 13 May, a “solemn commemoration of the Blessed Virgin,” with the intention of honouring Mary under the title of “Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.”   And of course this Feast is still celebrated today with great joy by all the spiritual sons and daughters of St Peter Julian Eymard.

St Pope John XXIII codified the title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament when he declared St Peter Julian Eymard a saint on 9 December 1962, at the end of the last session of the Second Vatican Council.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

13 May – Ascension Sunday, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Help, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Dedication of Saint Mary of the Martyrs and Memorials of the Saints

Ascension Sunday (2018)

Our Lady of Fatima 101st Anniversary of the First Apparition (Optional Memorial)pray-for-us-mother-of-god - 14 may 2017

Our Lady of Help:   Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under this title began in Palermo, Sicily in the 14th century, and has since spread throughout the Augustinians.   It began when Father Nicola Bruno, who suffered from severe and long-term pains in his side, prayed to Our Lady for healing while meditating on a painting of Mary in which she used a stick or club to chase away the dragon and protect the infant Jesus;  the artist was making reference to passages in Genesis and Revelations that referred to the eternal enmity between The Woman and the serpent.   That night, Father Nicola received a vision of Mary and was healed.   The painting received the title “Our Lady of Help” and the devotion began.   Since 1804 the celebration has had its own liturgy.

our-lady-of-help

Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:   The title of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament was first given to Mary by St Peter Julian Eymard in May 1868, while speaking to his novices.   A few years later he described what her statue should look like: “The Blessed Virgin holds the Infant in her arms and He holds a chalice in one hand and a Host in the other.”   He exhorted them to invoke Mary: “Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us who have recourse to thee!”our lady of the blessed sacrament - 13 may feast day

Dedication of Saint Mary of the Martyrs:   Commemorates and celebrates the dedication of Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Martyrs, formerly a temple of all the pagan Roman gods called the Pantheon, in Rome, Italy by Pope Boniface IV in 609.audio-guided-tour-of-the-pantheon-in-rome-basilica-of-st-mary-of-the-angels-and-the-martyrs-hSAzUyPKXzour lady of martyrs - pantheonour lady of martyrs - pantheon.2our lady of martyrs - pantheon.3

St Abban of Abingdon
St Agnes of Poitiers
St André-Hubert Fournet
St Anno of Verona
St Argentea of Cordoba
St Euthymius the Illuminator
Bl Fortis Gabrielli
Bl Gerard of Villamagna
Bl Gemma of Goriano
St Glyceria of Trajanopolis
St John the Silent
Bl Julian of Norwich
St Lucius of Constantinople
St Mael of Bardsey
Bl Magdalen Albrizzi
St Merewenna of Rumsey
St Mucius of Byzantium
St Natalis of Milan
St Onesimus of Soissons
St Servatus of Tongres
St Valerian of Auxerre

Martyrs of Alexandria: A group of Catholic Christians martyred in the church of Theonas, Alexandria, Egypt by order of the Arian Emperor Valens. Their names have not come down to us. 372 in Alexandria, Egypt.