CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH – Page 24

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 September – O cross, You are the Glorious Sign of Victory.

Posted on September 14, 2019September 13, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Gospel: John 3:13–17

“…And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”…John 3:14-15 and-as-moses-lifted-up-john-3-14-15-14-sept-2018

REFLECTION – “We are celebrating the feast of the cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light… Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, Life Itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if Life had not been nailed to it, they would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have obtained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled… The cross is called Christ’s glory, it is saluted as His triumph.”….St Andrew of Crete (650-740)

PRAYER – O God, who willed that Your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that we, who have known His mystery on earth, may merit the grace of His redemption in heaven. For You placed the salvation of the human race on the wood of the Cross, so that, where death arose, life might again spring forth and the evil one, who conquered on a tree, might likewise on a tree be conquered through Christ. O cross, You are the glorious sign of victory. Through your power may we share in the triumph of Christ Jesus. We adore you Christ and we praise you, for by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Amen

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, NOTES to Followers, The WORD

Donations Appeal to my Fellow-Pilgrims and Prayer of Thanksgiving

Posted on September 12, 2019September 12, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Donations Appeal to my Fellow-Pilgrims, blessed supporters and friends

Anastpaul.com has been ‘live’ as a personal growth and evangelisation project for well over 2 years now.
I am privileged and blessed by your faithful love and encouragement.
As times grow increasingly tough here in South Africa, the cost of the Internet alone is becoming ever more exorbitant, regardless of all the other costs related to the site and those of staying alive!
Many of you have helped me to continue this ‘mission’ which I fulfil with joy, love and prayer. I know you are aware of how time-consuming and expensive it is but I would rather do this, along with my personal work in my Parish (in South Africa, the laity do not receive any financial recompense for their Parish work), more than anything else on earth.
My request is for any help you may be able to offer. No amount is too small.
I offer my daily prayers for you all.
May St Francis, a Beggar for Christ, pray for this appeal.
May the Lord shine His Face upon you and grant you peace.
Ana

appeal - 12 sept 2019 I pray with st francis.jpg

I offer too, a Prayer of Thanksgiving, for the great love and generosity of dear friends and supporters

ROSEMARY AND EDWARD

who have come to my aid within the last 2 days, with financial support, encouragement and love.

Holy Mass will be offered for you both tomorrow, Friday 13 September.

I express praise and thanks to God, in His providential plan,
God has blessed each one of us.
Psalm 34 is a perfect Psalm of thanksgiving, praising God for His glorious blessings, love and kindness, that He has blessed us all with.

I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord,
let the afflicted hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

I sought the Lord and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him and be radiant,
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cries and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good!
Happy is the man who takes refuge in him!
O fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no want!
The young lions suffer want and hunger
but those who seek the Lord, lack no good thing.

Come, O sons, listen to me,
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is there who desires lif,
and covets many days, that he may enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones,
not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. appeal - the power of prayer 12 sept 2019 - psalm 34.jpg

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Hail MARY!, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 12 September – Hail Mary, the Angelic Salutation

Posted on September 12, 2019September 11, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 12 September – Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary

Hail Mary, the Angelic Salutation

The Hail Mary/Ave Maria

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Áve María, grátia pléna,
Dóminus técum.
Benedícta tū in muliéribus,
et benedíctus frúctus véntris túi, Iésus.
Sáncta María, Máter Déi,
óra pro nóbis peccatóribus,
nunc et in hóra mórtis nóstrae.
Ámen. hail-mary-and-ave-maria-12 september 2019-st-simon-de-rojas-fr-ave-maria-no-2

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 8 September – ‘The heavenly trumpet of Christ urges the soldier to battle..’ St Augustine

Posted on September 8, 2019September 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 8 September – Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Luke 14:25–33

“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”… Luke 14:26

Saint Augustine comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed during today’s Mass:

“The Lord gives the signal for us to stand guard in camp and to build the tower from which we may recognise and ward off the enemy of our eternal life. The heavenly trumpet of Christ urges the soldier to battle and his mother holds him back.

What does she say or what argument does she give? Perhaps is it those ten months when you lay in her womb and the pangs of birth and the burden of rearing you? You must kill this with the sword of salvation. You must destroy this in your mother that you may find her in life eternal. Remember, you must hate this in her if you love her, if you are a recruit of Christ and have laid the foundations of the tower. Passers-by may not say, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” That is earthly affection. It still has the ring of the “old man.” Christian warfare invites us to destroy this earthly affection both in ourselves and in our relatives. Of course, no one should be ungrateful to his parents or mock the list of their services to him, since by them he was brought into this life, cherished and fed. A man should always pay his family duty but let these things keep their place where higher duties do not call.

Mother church is also the mother of your mother. She conceived you both, in Christ. Know that, her Spouse took human flesh, that you might not be attached to fleshly things. Know that, all the things for which your mother scolds you were undertaken by the eternal Word, that you might not be subject to the weakness of flesh. Ponder his humiliations, scourging and death, even the death of the cross.” (Letter 243)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me a sinner!

Amen

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS

5th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation – 1 September

Posted on September 1, 2019August 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

5th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation – 1 September

Daily Prayer for the Care of Creation
By Pope Francis

“O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
who are so precious in your eyes…

God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of Your love
for all the creatures of this earth
God of mercy, may we receive Your forgiveness
and convey Your mercy throughout our common home.

Praise be to you!
Amen.”

(Pope Francis 2016)

This World Day of Prayer also falls at the beginning of Creation Time, which runs until 4 October, the feast of St Francis of Assisi. This is an ecumenical season dedicated to prayer for the protection of creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles.

Shortly after Creation Time this year, a Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will take place, focusing on the Amazon region and integral ecology. This will be an opportunity for the Church to listen to the people of the Amazon and respond with them to the devastation facing them and their environment. 1-sept-join-pope-francis-daily-prayer-for-the-care-of-creation-1-sept-2019 (1).jpg

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Our Morning Offring – 22 August – Hail Holy Queen!

Posted on August 22, 2019August 21, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offring – 22 August – Celebrating the Queenship of Mary

Salve Regina
Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry,
Poor banished children of Eve,
To thee do we send up our sighs,
Mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
Thine eyes of mercy toward us
And after this our exile,
Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
℟ that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Almighty, everlasting God,
who by the co-operation of the Holy Spirit
didst prepare the body and soul
of the glorious Virgin-Mother Mary
to become a dwelling-place fit for Thy Son,
grant we pray,
that as we rejoice in her commemoration,
so by her fervent intercession,
we may be delivered from present evils
and from everlasting death.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen salve regina hail holy queen 22 aug 2019.jpg

The Hail Holy Queen or Salve Regina is a choral anthem going back to the eleventh century. Since the thirteenth century it is the last evening chant in many religious communities. The authorship is not clearly defined. The Salve is first mentioned in a meditation by Anselm II, Bishop of Lucca, 1073-86 (PL 184, 1078-98) and (erroneously) to Hermannus Contractus (1013-54) of Reichenau.
The “Hail, Holy Queen” is a salutation deprecatonia, a greeting of petition and intercession. Mary is called mother of mercy because Christ her Son, is the incarnation of God’s love and mercy. Giving us Christ, she gave us, sinful humans, the life and hope we need (as baptised children of Eve) to survive in this vale of tears. This antiphon is not part of the rosary but represents the same spirit. It is part of the official prayer of the Church (Liturgy of the Hours: Vespers and/or Compline) and thus is even more precious than the rosary. Sung, it becomes a wonderful expression of our spiritual intimacy with Mary.

It is interesting that it was a Domenican (like today’s Saint Giacomo Bianconi), Blessed Jordan of Saxony OP (1190-1237) who initiated the custom of singing the Salve Regina in procession each night after Compline in the Dominican Order, to ask Our Lady’s protection of the brothers against temptations from the devil. This is a custom still practised by Dominicans throughout the world and by our community each night.

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PAPAL MESSAGES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, VATICAN Documents

Thought for the Day – 21 August – The Song of the Church

Posted on August 21, 2019August 21, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 August – Wednesday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St Pope Pius X (1835-1914

The Song of the Church

Saint Pius X
Bishop of Rome

An excerpt from his Apostolic Constitution, Divino afflatu

The collection of psalms found in Scripture, composed as it was under divine inspiration, has, from the very beginnings of the Church, shown a wonderful power of fostering devotion among Christians, as they offer to God a continuous sacrifice of praise, the harvest of lips blessing His name. Following a custom already established in the Old Law, the psalms have played a conspicuous part in the sacred liturgy itself and, in the divine office. Thus was born what Basil calls the voice of the Church, that singing of psalms, which is the daughter of that hymn of praise (to use the words of our predecessor, Urban VIII) which goes up, unceasingly, before the throne of God and of the Lamb and which teaches those especially charged with the duty of divine worship, as Athanasius says, the way to praise God and the fitting words in which to bless Him. Augustine expresses this well when he says: God praised himself so that man might give him fitting praise, because God chose to praise himself man found the way in which to bless God.

The psalms have also a wonderful power to awaken in our hearts the desire for every virtue. Athanasius says: Though all Scripture, both old and new, is divinely inspired and has its use in teaching, as we read in Scripture itself, yet the Book of Psalms, like a garden enclosing the fruits of all the other books, produces its fruits in song and in the process of singing, brings forth its own special fruits to take their place beside them. In the same place Athanasius rightly adds: The psalms seem to me to be like a mirror, in which the person using them can see himself and the stirrings of his own heart, he can recite them against the background of his own emotions. Augustine says in his Confessions: How I wept when I heard your hymns and canticles, being deeply moved by the sweet singing of your Church. Those voices flowed into my ears, truth filtered into my heart and from my heart surged waves of devotion. Tears ran down and I was happy in my tears.

Indeed, who could fail to be moved by those many passages in the psalms which set forth so profoundly the infinite majesty of God, His omnipotence, His justice and goodness and clemency, too deep for words and all the other infinite qualities of His that deserve our praise? Who could fail to be roused to the same emotions by the prayers of thanksgiving to God for blessings received, by the petitions, so humble and confident, for blessings still awaited, by the cries of a soul in sorrow for sin committed? Who would not be fired with love as he looks on the likeness of Christ, the redeemer, here so lovingly foretold? His was the voice Augustine heard in every psalm, the voice of praise, of suffering, of joyful expectation, of present distress.

St Pope Pius X, Pray for Us!

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SUNDAY REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Sunday Reflection – 18 August – The ‘Secret’ Prayers

Posted on August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Sunday Reflection – 18 August – Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C,

The ‘Secret’ Prayers (Offertory)

If you watch very closely, you’ll notice that the priest is moving his lips and praying some prayers very, very quietly during the preparation of the Gifts. The rubrics indicate that the priest should pray them ‘sub secreto’, which is translated as ‘inaudibly’ or ‘secret.’

But there’s really no secret, because the prayers are printed in the Roman Missal or other worship resources for the whole world to see. And even though the rubrics indicate that the priest is to pray these prayers, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t do that too!

As the priest pours wine and a little water into the chalice, he prays quietly: “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

Then the priest bows profoundly and says quietly: “With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord and may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.”

Finally, as he washes his hands he prays, “Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”

CATHOLIC Quotes, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on MARRIAGE, MARRIED LOVE, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 August – ‘And the two shall become one flesh’

Posted on August 16, 2019August 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 16 August – Friday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Matthew 19:3–12 and The Memorial of St Stephen of Hungary (c 975- 1038)

‘And the two shall become one flesh’ … Matthew 19:5

REFLECTION – “Lord our God,
look with kindness on N. and N.,
whom You have united in marriage,
and pour out Your blessings upon them,
may they be united in one love
as they progress together
towards one holiness of life.
May they rejoice to share in Your creative love
and bring up their children together.
May they live in justice and charity,
showing Your light to all who seek You.
May their household be ever open to the service of their brothers and sisters
and may they be always ready to answer to their needs.
May they be strengthened by the joys and sacrifices of their life together
and bear witness to the Gospel.
May they have a long life together, without misfortune or sickness
and may the work of both be blessed.
May they see their children grow up in peace
and enjoy the support of a happy family.
May they come at last, with all those who have gone before them,
to the dwelling where their love will last eternally.

N. and N. and all you who are present here,
may God the all-powerful bless you,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” … The Roman Missal – Ritual of Marriage : Solemn blessing matthew 19 5 and the two shall become one flesh - lord our god - roman missal ritual of marriage blessing 16 aug 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Almighty Father, let Your light so penetrate our hearts and minds, that walking by Your commandments, we may always follow You, our teacher and our guide. Grant that the prayers of St Stephen of Hungary may continue to defend us, as he did in the world. Through Jesus our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen. st stephen of hungary pray for us 16 aug 2019

BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, The TRANSFIGURATION

Our Morning Offering – 6 August – Brightness of the Father’s glory

Posted on August 6, 2019August 5, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 6 August – Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Brightness of the Father’s glory
Transfiguration Hymn
Mount Saint Bernard Abbey
from the Liturgy of the Hours

Brightness of the Father’s glory
Springing from eternal light,
Source of light by light engendered.
Day enlightening every day.

In Your everlasting radiance
Shine upon us, Christ, true sun,
Bringing life to mind and body
Through the Holy Spirit’s pow’r.

Father of unfading glory.
Rich in grace and Strong to save.
Hear our prayers and come to save us,
Keep us far from sinful ways.

Dawn is drawing ever nearer,
Dawn that brings us all we seek,
Son who dwells within the Father,
Father uttering one Word.

Glory be to God the Father.
Glory to His Only Son,
Glory now and through all ages
To the Spirit Advocate.

Brightness of the Father’s Glory uses William Boyce’s tune Halton Holgate with new words by Mount Saint Bernard Abbey. Mount Saint Bernard Abbey is a Cistercian (Trappist) Monastery in Leicestershire, UK founded in 1835. In 1998, Nigerian born Cyprian Tansi was beatified by John Paul II. Blessed Cyprian had been a monk at Mount Saint Bernard for 14 years, from 1950, until his death, in 1964. In the Liturgy of the Hours, Brightness of the Father’s Glory is used during Ordinary Time for Morning Prayer.

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 30 July – I submit myself to Your eternal plan

Posted on July 30, 2019July 29, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 30 July – Tuesday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time, Year C

Traditional Morning Offering
for Unity with God’s Will

My God,
I do not know what may happen to me this day
but of one thing I am certain,
that nothing will happen
but what You have foreseen
and ordered from all eternity.
I submit myself to Your eternal plan
and accept it with a willing heart.
I unite myself
to the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, my Saviour,
In His name
and through His merits,
I ask of You, patience,
in all my trials and disappointments
and a total submission
to all that will happen to me
according to Your divine plan.
Amen traditional morning offering for unity with god's will 30 july 2019.jpg

BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 26 July – It were my Soul’s Desire

Posted on July 26, 2019July 25, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 26 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C

Breviary Hymn – Psalter Week 3
It were my Soul’s Desire

It were my soul’s desire
To see the face of God;
It were my soul’s desire
To rest in His abode.

Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire,
Deep waves of cleansing sighs;
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire
From earthly cares to rise.

It were my soul’s desire
To imitate my King,
It were my soul’s desire
His ceaseless praise to sing.

It were my soul’s desire
When heaven’s gate is won
To find my soul’s desire
Clear shining like the sun.

This still my soul’s desire
Whatever life afford,
To gain my soul’s desire
And see Thy face, O Lord. it-were-my-souls-desire-breviary-hymn-sat-psalter-week-3-18-aug-2018 and 26 july 2019.jpg

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, LITANIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 16 July – The Litany to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Posted on July 16, 2019July 14, 2024 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 16 July – The Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The Carmelites were known from early on as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” The title suggests that they saw Mary, not only as “mother” but also as “sister.” The word sister, is a reminder, that Mary is very close to us. She is the daughter of God and, therefore, can help us be authentic daughters and sons of God. She also can help us grow in appreciation of being sisters and brothers to one another. She leads us to a new realisation, that all human beings, belong to the family of God. When such a conviction grows, there is hope, that the human race can find its way to peace.

Let us Pray:

Litany of Intercession to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us sinners.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Queen of heaven,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, vanquisher of Satan,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most dutiful Daughter,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most pure Virgin,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most devoted Spouse,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, most tender Mother,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, perfect model of virtue,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, sure anchor of hope,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, refuge in affliction,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, dispenser of God’s gifts,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, tower of strength against our foes,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our aid in danger,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, road leading to Jesus,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our light in darkness,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our consolation at the hour of death,
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, advocate of the most abandoned sinners, pray for us sinners.
For those hardened in vice, with confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
For those who grieve thy Son,
For those who neglect to pray,
For those who are in their agony,
For those who delay their conversion,
For those suffering in Purgatory,
For those who know thee not, with confidence we come to thee, O Lady of Mount Carmel.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Hope of the Despairing, intercede for us with thy Divine Son.
Let us pray.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, glorious Queen of Angels, channel of God’s tenderest mercy to man, refuge and advocate of sinners, with confidence I prostrate myself before thee, beseeching thee to obtain for me

…………………………………….[ insert your request here].

In return, I solemnly promise, to have recourse to thee in all my trials, sufferings and temptations and I shall do all in my power to induce others to love and reverence thee and to invoke thee in all their needs. I thank thee for the numberless blessings which I have received from thy mercy and powerful intercession. Continue to be my shield in danger, my guide in life and my consolation at the hour of death.
Amen

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary,
Pray for Us, O Holy Mother of God!

BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 10 July – I Bind Unto Myself Today

Posted on July 10, 2019July 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 10 July – Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C

I Bind Unto Myself Today
Lauds Prayer/Hymn

I bind unto myself today
the strong name of the Trinity
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

(derived from St Patrick’s breastplate
also known as The Deer Cry)

BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 3 July – O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith

Posted on July 3, 2019July 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 3 July – Feast of St Thomas Apostle

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith

O Fathers of our ancient faith,
With all the heav’n, we sing your fame
Whose sound went forth in all the earth
To tell of Christ and bless His name.

You took the gospel to the poor,
The Word of God alight in you,
Which in our day is told again,
That timeless Word, forever new.

You told of God, who died for us
And out of death triumphant rose,
Who gave the truth that made us free
and changeless through the ages goes.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Whos gift is faith that never dies,
A light in darkness now, until
The day-star in our hearts arise.

O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974) it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Common of Apostles. It is set to the anonymous tune associated with the 7th century Latin hymn, Creator Alme Siderum.

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

July Devotion – The Most Precious Blood

Posted on July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

July Devotion – The Most Precious Blood

Holy Mother Church dedicates the month of July to the Precious Blood of Jesus, which was “shed for the many, for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the subject of Catholic devotion in June, the Precious Blood has long been venerated for its role in our redemption. july the month of the most precious blood - 1 july 2019.jpg

Devotion to the “Body Parts” of Jesus
Many non-Catholics find Catholic devotion to the “body parts” of Jesus Christ to be a little odd. In addition to the Sacred Heart and the Precious Blood, there are devotions to the Five Wounds (in Christ’s hands, feet, and side), to the shoulder wound, where Christ carried the Cross and to the wounds caused by the crown of thorns, to name just a few.

Faced with Protestant discomfort with these devotions, many Catholics have abandoned or downplayed them. But we should not do that. These devotions provide a living witness to our belief in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Our Saviour is not an abstraction, He is God-Made-Man. And as the Athanasian Creed tells us, in becoming man, Christ assumed humanity into the Godhead.

It’s an awesome thought – our physical nature is united to God through the Person of Jesus Christ. When we venerate Christ’s Precious Blood or His Sacred Heart, we aren’t making an idol out of Creation, we are worshiping the One True God Who so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son to save us from everlasting death!

Christ’s Precious Blood, like His Sacred Heart, is a symbol of His love for all mankind. In this prayer, we recall the shedding of His Blood and ask, that He may guide our live,s so that we may be worthy of Heaven.

Lord Jesus Christ,
who came down from heaven to earth
from the bosom of the Father
and shed Thy Precious Blood
for the remission of our sins,
we humbly beseech Thee,
that in the day of judgment
we may deserve to hear,
standing at Thy right hand:
“Come, ye blessed.”
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen

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Our Morning Offering – 1 July- St Gertrude’s Prayer to the Father

Posted on July 1, 2019June 30, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 1 July – Monday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – July the Month of the Most Precious Blood

Daily Offering to the Father
by the Merits of the Most Precious Blood
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302

Eternal Father,
I offer You
the Most Precious Blood
of Your divine Son, Jesus,
in union with all the
Masses said throughout
the world today.
For all the Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
sinners in the universal Church,
those in my own home
and in my family.
Amen daily offering to the father - most precious blood - st gertrude 1 july 2019.jpg

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One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “The Benedictus”

Posted on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, Year C, Gospel: Luke 1:57–66

“And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke, blessing God.”…Luke 1:64

REFLECTION – “The Benedictus, is prayed every morning in the Breviary and so, the Church remembers this “forerunner of Jesus” at the beginning of every day. The opening words of this Canticle are the source of its Latin title, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel”.
What does it mean for Catholics, that we sing this song about John the Baptists at the start of every new day? After having been “silenced” by sleep throughout the night, God opens our mouths and one of the first things we do, is to sing this blessing of God, whose dawn breaks forth to shine on us and guide our way to peace.
In the Benedictus, we join ourselves to the mission of St John the Baptist, who came to prepare a way for the Lord by being a witness of God’s salvation, living a simple and penitential life and calling others to do the same. Our work each day, then, is to use our voice – like Zechariah and his son – and the witness of our lives, to make God’s presence known wherever we go and to whom whomever we encounter.” the benedictus - 24 june 2019- the nativity of st john the baptist.jpg

PRAYER –
The Benedictus – Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and His forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has visited His people and redeemed them.

He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,
in the house of David, His servant,
as He promised by the lips of holy men,
those who were His prophets of old.

A Saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who us.
So His love for our fathers is fulfilled
and His holy covenant remembered.

He swore to Abraham, our father, to grant us,
that free from fear and saved from the hands of our foes.
we might worship Him in justice and holiness
all the days of our lives, in His Presence.

As for you, little child,
you shall be called the prophet of God, the Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
to prepare His ways before Him,

to make known to His people their salvation,
through forgiveness of all their sins,
the loving kindness of the heart of our God,
who visits us like the dawn from on high.

He will give light to those in darkness,
those who dwell in the shadow of death
and to guide us into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever.
Amen the benedictus 24 june 2019 NEW - 6.jpg

St John the Baptist, Pray for Us!

st-john-the-baptist-pray-for-us-24-june-2018

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Thought for the Day – 23 June – Through Our Gazing in Adoration

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 June – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Through Our Gazing in Adoration

Pope Benedict XVI General Audience, 17 November 2010

Dear friends, fidelity to the encounter with the Eucharistic Christ in Sunday’s Holy Mass is essential for the journey of faith but let us try as well to frequently go to visit the Lord present in the Tabernacle! Gazing in adoration at the consecrated Host, we discover the gift of the love of God, we discover the passion and the cross of Jesus and also His Resurrection. Precisely through our gazing in adoration, the Lord draws us to Himself, into His mystery, to transform us as He transforms the bread and wine.

The saints always found strength, consolation and joy in the Eucharistic encounter. With the words of the Eucharistic hymn “Adoro te devote,” let us repeat before the Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament: “Make me believe ever more in You, that in You I may have hope, that I may love You!”

Thank you.

Adoro te Devote
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
Trans. Fr Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ (1844-1889)

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows,
shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at Thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God Thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in Thee deceived –
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed,
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do,
Truth Himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.

On the cross Thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here Thy very manhood steals from human ken –
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call Thee Lord and God as he,
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

O Thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom He died,
Lend this life to me then – feed and feast my mind,
There be Thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican,
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what Thy bosom ran—
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech Thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on Thee face to face in light
And be blest forever with Thy glory’s sight.
Amen adoro te devote - copus christi 23 june 2019.jpg

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Corpus Christi, The Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – 23 June

Posted on June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Blessed Solemnity of Corpus Christi to you all!

The Feast of Corpus Christi also known in Liturgical Latin as Dies Sanctissimi Corporis et Sanguinis Domini Iesu Christi – Latin for “Day of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ the Lord” and as Solemnity of the Corpus Christi “Body of Christ” is a Christian liturgical solemnity celebrating the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist. Two months earlier, the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is observed on Maundy Thursday in a sombre atmosphere leading to Good Friday. The liturgy on that day also commemorates Christ’s washing of the disciples’ feet, the institution of the priesthood.

The feast of Corpus Christi was proposed by St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) , Doctor of the Church to Pope Urban IV, in order to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist emphasising the joy of the Eucharist being the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Recognised the authenticity of the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena on input of St Thomas, in 1264 the pontiff, established the feast of Corpus Christi as a Solemnity and extended it to the universal Catholic Church. corpus-christi-1

The feast is liturgically celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, “where the Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is not a holy day of obligation, it is assigned to the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity as its proper day”, which is now the case in most countries. In the liturgical reforms of 1969, under Pope Paul VI, the bishops of each nation have the option to transfer it to the following Sunday.

At the end of Holy Mass, there is a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, generally displayed in a monstrance. A notable Eucharistic procession is that presided over by the Pope each year in Rome, where it begins at the Archbasilica of St John Lateran and passes to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where it concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The feast of Corpus Christi is one of five occasions in the year on which a diocesan bishop is not to be away from his diocese unless for a grave and urgent reason. Corpus_Christi_Procession_with_Pope_Gregory_XVI_in_the_Vatican

By tradition, Catholics hear Mass then go in procession through the streets of their parish church’s neighbourhood, all whilst praying and singing. The Eucharist, known as the Blessed Sacrament, is placed in a monstrance and is held aloft by a member of the clergy during the procession. Usually, there are anything from 3 – 5 stops, where altars have been erected and Benediction takes place. The final Benediction usually takes place back in the Church.

Let us be transported to the same climate of expectation and joyful hope as we feel in the Adoro Te Devote with these last words of the Lauda Sion, the Eucharistic hymn/sequence also written by St Thomas Aquinas. (Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa O.F.M. “This is My Body”)

Source of all we have or know,
feed and lead us here below.
Grant that with Your saints above,
Sitting at the feast of love,
We may see You face to face.

Amen Alleluia!

Lord Jesus Christ,

in the Most Blessed Sacrament,

we Adore and Love You!

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The LORD'S PRAYER, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 20 June – Part One “Treatise on the Lord’s Prayer” St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)

Posted on June 20, 2019June 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 June – Thursday Eleventh Week of Ord Time Year C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 6:7-15 – Part One “Treatise on the Lord’s Prayer” St Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)

Our prayer is communal

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258)
Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

An excerpt from his Treatise On the Lord’s Prayer

Above all, he who preaches peace and unity, did not want us to pray by ourselves in private or for ourselves alone. We do not say “My Father, who art in heaven,” nor “Give me this day my daily bread.” It is not for himself alone, that each person asks to be forgiven, not to be led into temptation or to be delivered from evil. Rather, we pray in public as a community and not for one individual but for all. For the people of God are all one.

God is then the teacher of harmony, peace and unity and desires each of us to pray for all men, even as he bore all men in Himself alone. The three young men shut up in the furnace of fire observed this rule of prayer. United in the bond of the Spirit, they uttered together the same prayer. The witness of holy Scripture describes this incident for us, so that we might imitate them in our prayer. Then all three began to sing in unison, blessing God. Even though Christ had not yet taught them to pray, nevertheless, they spoke as with one voice.

It is for this reason, that their prayer was persuasive and efficacious. For their simple and spiritual prayer of peace merited the presence of the Lord . So too, after the ascension we find the apostles and the disciples praying together in this way. Scripture relates – They all joined together in continuous prayer, with the women including Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers. They all joined together in continuous prayer. The urgency and the unity of their prayer declares that God, who fashions a bond of unity among those who live in His home, will admit into His divine home, for all eternity, only those who pray in unity.

My dear friends, the Lord’s Prayer contains many great mysteries of our faith. In these few words there is great spiritual strength, for this summary of divine teaching contains all of our prayers and petitions. And so, the Lord commands us, Pray then like this: Our Father, who art in heaven.

We are new men, we have been reborn and restored to God by His grace. We have already begun to be His sons and we can say “Father.” John reminds us of this – He came to His own home and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who received Him, who believe in His name, He gave the power to become children of God. Profess your belief that you are sons of God by giving thanks. Call upon God who is your Father in heaven.

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 20 June – ‘…let Him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in His ears!’

Posted on June 20, 2019June 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 20 June – Thursday Eleventh Week of Ord Time Year C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 6:7-15

“So, my brothers, let us pray as God our master has taught us.
To ask the Father in words His Son has given us,
to let Him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in His ears,
is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer.
Let the Father recognise the words of His Son.
Let the Son who lives in our hearts, be also on our lips.
We have Him as an Advocate for sinners, before the Father,
when we ask for forgiveness for ours sins,
let us use the words given by our Advocate.
He tells us –
Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you.
What more effective prayer could we then make,
in the name of Christ, than in the words of His own prayer?”

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)
Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

An excerpt from his “On the Lord’s Prayer”

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 June – Prayer is a petition for what God gives

Posted on June 20, 2019 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 June – Thursday Eleventh Week of Ord Time Year C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 6:7-15

“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”…Matthew 6:7

REFLECTION – Prayer is a petition for what God gives – “The Lord’s prayer, as I have said, contains a petition for each of these things. First, it speaks of the Father, His name and His kingdom. Second, it shows us that the person who prays, is by grace the Son of this Father. It asks that those in heaven and those on earth may be united in one will. It tells us to ask for our daily bread. It lays down that people should be reconciled with one another and it unites our nature with itself when we forgive and are forgiven, for then it is not split asunder by differences of will and purpose. It teaches us to pray against entering into temptation, since this is the law of sin. And it exhorts us to ask for deliverance from the evil one.

For the author and giver of divine blessings could not but be our teacher as well, providing the words of this prayer, as precepts of life, for those disciples who believe in Him and follow the way He taught in the flesh. Through these words, He has revealed the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3) that exist in Him as pure form. And in all who offer this prayer, He kindles the desire to enjoy such treasures.

It is for this reason, I think, that Scripture calls this teaching “prayer”, since it contains petitions for the gifts that God gives to us by grace. Our divinely inspired Fathers have explained prayer in a similar way, saying that prayer is petition for that which God naturally gives us, in the manner that is appropriate.”…St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662) Monk and Theologian – Interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer (Philokalia, Volume Two) matthew 6 7 your father knows before you ask - for the author and giver of - st maximus the confessor on the lord's prayer 20 june 2019

PRAYER – Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
Amen the Lord's Prayer - matthew 6 9-13 - 20 june 2019

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, NOVENAS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, Ven Servant of God John A Hardon

Announcing the NOVENA to the SACRED HEART BEGINS Wednesday, 19 June

Posted on June 17, 2019June 17, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Announcing the NOVENA to the SACRED HEART
BEGINS Wednesday, 19 June

Devotion to the Sacred Heart
By Ven Servant of God John A Hardon SJ (1914-2000)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is as old as Christianity. When the side of Christ was pierced on Calvary, there immediately flowed out blood and water. The Church has interpreted this to mean, the outpouring of grace through the Church, which began the moment that Christ expired on the Cross.
Over the centuries, the gratitude of the faithful for this manifestation of divine love has centred on the physical Heart of Jesus as the symbol of God’s love for man. We may, therefore, say, that devotion to the Sacred Heart is really devotion to the love of God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
When God became man, it was God – who is love – who became man. In the languages of all nations, the heart is identified with love. Consequently, our devotion to the Heart of Jesus is directed to the love of Jesus in different ways.
We love Him as our God, who has loved us from all eternity and out of selfless love brought us into existence and destined us to possess Him for all eternity.
We love Him as our God Incarnate, who loved us so much that He assumed our human nature and by His bodily death redeemed us from the eternal death we deserved for our sins.
We love Him as our Redeemer who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He is preparing a place for us. Where He is, our God united with His human body and soul, we hope to be in His blessed company.
We love Him as our Eucharistic Lord who is on earth in His humanity, in the Blessed Sacrament. He offers Himself in the Mass through which He now communicates the graces He won for us on the Cross. By His Real Presence, He invites us to offer Him our adoring love and ask Him to work the miracles He performed during His visible stay in Palestine.
To be emphasised is the unique character of devotion to the Sacred Heart. It is nothing less than a synthesis of Catholic Christianity in its loving response to the unspeakable love of God for the sons and daughters of the human family.

For the sake of convenience, we may divide the terms “Sacred Heart” and “Devotion” into two parts:
Sacred Heart stands for the love of God, which means the love that is God, the love that God has shown for us from the dawn of creation until now and the love that God will continue to pour out on us into the endless reaches of eternity.
Devotion stands for our grateful return of love for love, which is shown in loving sacrifice by the total surrender of our wills to the mysterious and demanding will of God, in loving imitation of Jesus Christ, whose virtues as man, are so many manifestations of His divine attributes as God, in loving worship of Mary’s Son, who is present with His living, pulsating human Heart in the Blessed Sacrament, in loving petition for the graces that we and others, need to serve Him faithfully, here on earth and enjoy Him in the life that will never end.
A simple but very effective way of growing in devotion to the Sacred Heart, is to recite daily the very old morning offering, used for centuries within the Catholic heart:

O Jesus,
through the Most Pure Heart of Mary
and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world today,
I offer You all my prayers,
works, joys and sufferings of this day,
for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,
I offer them for
the salvation of souls,
the reparation of sins,
the intentions of all our bishops, priests,
apostles of prayer
and our Holy Father, the Pope.
Amen

Among the promises made by our Lord to St Margaret Mary, was the assurance that, “Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart, never to be blotted out.”

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The Second Official Memorial of this new feast day, the first Monday after Pentecost – Mary Mater Ecclesiae – Mary , Mother of the Church – 10 June 2019

Posted on June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Mary Mater Ecclesiae – Mary , Mother of the Church – 10 June 2019

Vatican Decree here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/pope-francis-institutes-new-celebration-of-mary-mother-of-the-church/

“As a caring guide to the emerging Church,
Mary had already begun her mission
in the Upper Room, praying with the Apostles,
while awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit.”

Cardinal Robert Sarah

Congregation of Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
11 February 2018, the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes.
DECREE ON THE CELEBRATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY,
MOTHER OF THE CHURCH IN THE GENERAL ROMAN CALENDAR

as-a-caring-guide-to-the-emerging-church-cardinal-sarah-21-may-2018.jpg

“…She is clearly the Mother
of his members;
that is, of ourselves,
because she cooperated
by her charity,
so that faithful Christians,
members of the Head,
might be born in the Church.
As for the body,
she is the Mother of its Head…
Mary gave birth to our Head;
the Church gave birth to you.
Indeed, the Church also,
is both virgin and mother,
mother, because of her
womb of charity,
virgin, because of the integrity
of her faith and piety.”

St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace

“Who, more than Mary, could be, a star of hope for us?
With her “yes”, she opened the door of our world,
to God Himself; she became the living Ark of the Covenant,
in whom God took flesh, became one of us
and pitched His tent among us.”

Spe Salvi 49 – Pope Benedict XVI

Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith
By our Holy Father, Pope Francis

Mother, help our faith!
Open our ears to hear God’s word
and to recognise His voice and call.
Awaken in us a desire, to follow in His footsteps,
to go forth from our own land
and to receive His promise.
Help us to be touched by His love,
that we may touch Him in faith.
Help us to entrust ourselves fully to Him
and to believe in His love,
especially at times of trial,
beneath the shadow of the cross,
when our faith is called to mature.
Sow in our faith the joy of the Risen One.
Remind us that those who believe are never alone.
Teach us to see all things with the eyes of Jesus,
that He may be light for our path.
And may this light of faith,
always increase in us,
until the dawn of that undying day,
which is Christ Himself, your Son, our Lord!
Amen

Prayer to Mary at the conclusion of the Encyclical Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013)
Image of Mary – Our Lady of the Column in St Peter’s Basilica

St Augustine(354-430)
The Image of the Holy Church

Gracious Lady,
you are a mother and virgin,
you are the mother
of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer,
you are also truly mother
of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through your love,
you have co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
you are mother and virgin,
mother of Christ and virgin of Christ.
You are the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
You are, forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came life,
yes, through you, O Mother of God. the image of the holy church - st augustine - 10 june 2019 - mary mater ecclesiae mother of the church.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, GOD is LOVE, JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, Ven Servant of God John A Hardon

1 June – the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Posted on June 1, 2019June 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“The month of June is traditionally dedicated
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
the highest human expression of divine love.
The Heart of Jesus is the ultimate symbol of God’s mercy –
but it is not an imaginary symbol, it is a real symbol,
which represents the centre,
the source from which,
salvation for all humanity gushed forth.”

Pope Francis

the month of June - pope francis - 1 june 2019.jpg

Devotion to the Sacred Heart
By Ven Servant of God John A Hardon SJ (1914-2000)

We love Him as our God, who has loved us from all eternity and out of selfless love brought us into existence and destined us to possess Him for all eternity.
We love Him as our God Incarnate, who loved us so much that He assumed our human nature and by His bodily death redeemed us from the eternal death we deserved for our sins.
We love Him as our Redeemer who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He is preparing a place for us. Where He is, our God united with His human body and soul, we hope to be in His blessed company.
We love Him as our Eucharistic Lord who is on earth in His humanity, in the Blessed Sacrament. He offers Himself in the Mass through which He now communicates the graces He won for us on the Cross. By His Real Presence, He invites us to offer Him our adoring love and ask Him to work the miracles He performed during His visible stay in Palestine.

To be emphasised is the unique character of devotion to the Sacred Heart. It is nothing less than a synthesis of Catholic Christianity in its loving response to the unspeakable love of God for the sons and daughters of the human family.

For the sake of convenience, we may divide the terms “Sacred Heart” and “Devotion” into two parts:
Sacred Heart stands for the love of God, which means the love that is God, the love that God has shown for us from the dawn of creation until now and the love that God will continue to pour out on us into the endless reaches of eternity.
Devotion stands for our grateful return of love for love, which is shown in loving sacrifice by the total surrender of our wills to the mysterious and demanding will of God; in loving imitation of Jesus Christ, whose virtues as man are so many manifestations of His divine attributes as God; in loving worship of Mary’s Son, who is present with His living, pulsating human Heart in the Blessed Sacrament; in loving petition for the graces that we and others, need to serve Him faithfully here on earth and enjoy Him in the life that will never end.
A simple but very effective way of growing in devotion to the Sacred Heart is to recite daily the traditional Morning Offering:

O Jesus,
through the Most Pure Heart of Mary
and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world today,
I offer You all my prayers,
works, joys and sufferings of this day,
for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,
I offer them for
the salvation of souls,
the reparation for sins,
the intentions of all our bishops, priests,
apostles of prayer
and our Holy Father, the Pope.
Amen

Among the promises made by our Lord to St Margaret Mary was the assurance that, “Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart, never to be blotted out.”

7 GIFTS of the HOLY GHOST: Wisdom, Understanding, Prudence, Strength, Knowledge, Piety, Fear, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Two – 1 June

Posted on June 1, 2019June 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena to the Holy Spirit – Day Two – 1 June

“Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God –
The Father is your table,
the Son is your food
and the Holy Spirit waits on you
and then makes His dwelling in you.”

St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

the father is the table the son is the food and the holy spirit waits on you st c of siena 1 june 2019

For the Traditional Novena, Day One here with the Act of Consecration: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/

DAY TWO

Begin by reciting the following prayer…

O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler!
I adore You as my True God.
I offer You my whole heart
and I render You heartfelt thanks
for all the benefits You have bestowed upon the world.
You are the author of all supernatural gifts
and enriched the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God,
with all favours.
I ask You to visit me by Your grace and Your love,
and grant me the favour
I so earnestly seek…
…………………………………. State your request here…
O Holy Spirit,
spirit of truth, come into our hearts.

Let us Pray:

O Holy Spirit,
make me faithful in every thought,
and grant that I may always listen to Your voice
and watch for Your light
and follow Your gracious inspirations.
I cling to You
and give myself to You
and ask You, by Your compassion,
to watch over me in my weakness.
Holding the pierced feet of Jesus,
looking at His Five Wounds,
trusting in His Precious Blood,
adoring His opened side and stricken heart,
I implore You adorable Spirit,
helper of my infirmity,
to keep me in Your grace,
now and always,
and grant us the favour me ask in this novena…

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Amen

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Marian Thoughts –22 May – Pope Francis – The Third Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Posted on May 22, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Marian Thoughts – 22May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Wednesday of the fifth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“Through prayer and meditation on the life of Jesus Christ, we see once more his merciful countenance, which he shows to everyone in all the many needs of life. Mary accompanies us along this journey, pointing to her Son who radiates the very mercy of the Father.”...Pope Francis 9 October 2016

The Third Luminous Mystery:

The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Jesus Christ came to proclaim and bring about the Lord’s everlasting time of grace. He brought good news to the poor, freedom to prisoners, sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed (cf. Lk 4:18-19).
Proclaiming the Gospel, forgiving, carrying out His will – when we do these things, we are never alone. Jesus walks ahead of us, taking our steps before us, preparing the way.

Pope Francis
WYD 2016

pope francis - 3rd luminous proclamation of the kingdom 22 may 2019.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Marian Thoughts – 16 May – Pope Francis – The Third Joyful Mystery: The Nativity

Posted on May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Marian Thoughts – 16 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“The month of May is dedicated to Our Lady
and it is “fitting” to start the habit of a daily rosary now.”
Pope Francis

The Third Joyful Mystery – The Nativity

“Mary and Joseph had to leave their people, their home and their land and to undertake a journey in order to be registered in the census.
This was no comfortable or easy journey for a young couple about to have a child – they had to leave their land.
At heart, they were full of hope and expectation because of the child about to be born, yet their steps were weighed down by the uncertainties and dangers that attend those, who have to leave their home behind.
They they found themselves, having to face perhaps, the most difficult thing of all. They arrived in Bethlehem and experienced that, it was a land that was not expecting them. A land, whee there was no place for them. And there, where everything was a challenge, May gave us Emmanuel. The Son of God, had to be born in a stable because His own had no room for Him. “He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him” (Jn 1:11).
That night, the One who had no place to be born, is proclaimed to those who had no place at the table or in the streets of the city. The shepherds are the first to hear this Good News. By reason of their work, they were men and women forced to live on the edges of society. Their state of life and the places they had to stay, prevented them from observing all the ritual prescriptions of religious purification, as a result, they wee considered unclean. Their skin, their clothing, their smell, their way of speaking, their origin, all betrayed them. Everything about them generated mistrust. They were men and women to be kept at a distance, to be feared. They were considered pagans among the believers, sinners among the just, foreigners among the citizens. Yet, to them – pagans, sinners and foreigners – the angel says: “Do not be afraid – for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for the people, to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Lk 2:10-11)”

Pope Francis

pope francis meditations on the rosary - the third joyful mystery - the nativity - 16 may 2019.jpg

CATECHESIS, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The INCARNATION

Marian Thoughts – 14 May – Pope Francis – The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation

Posted on May 14, 2019May 14, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Marian Thoughts – 14 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“I want to recommend some medicine for all of you. It’s a spiritual medicine. Don’t forget to take it. “It’s good for your heart, for your soul, for your whole life.” (17 November 2013) pope francis' reflections on the joyful mysteries 1st mystery 14 may 2019.jpg

The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation

“The annunciation to Mary can be read alongside the announcement to Zechariah of John the Baptist’s birth. One annunciation happens to a priest in the Temple of God, during a liturgy, where everyone is waiting outside, while the other, happens to a young woman named Mary, in a small town that did not necessarily have a good reputation. This contrast is not insignificant. It serves as a sign that the new Temple of God, the new encounter of God with His people, will happen in places which we normally do not expect, on the margins, on the peripheries. By now, it will no longer be in a place reserved for the few, while the majority wait outside. Nothing and no-one, will be indifferent, no situation will be deprived of His presence, the joy of salvation began in the daily life of the home of a youth in Nazareth.
Even today, God is still searching for hearts like Mary’s that are open to welcoming His invitation and providing hope, even when it’s hard.
God continues to walk our neighbourhoods and our streets, He pushes in each place in search of hearts capable of listening to His invitation and making it become flesh here and now.
In the end, the Lord continues to seek hearts like that of Mary, disposed to believe even in very extraordinary conditions.
Just like He did with Mary, God also takes the initiative in our lives, inserting Himself into our daily struggles, anxieties and desires.
It is precisely in the daily routine of our lives, that we receive the most beautiful announcement we can hear – “Rejoice, the Lord is with you!”
(Pope Francis, 2017)

	Santo Antonius dari… on Saint of the Day – 13 Ju…
	Santo Barnabas Rasul… on Saint of the Day – 11 Ju…
	Santo Yohanes dari S… on Saint of the Day – 12 Ju…
	Beato Henrikus dari… on Saint of the Day – 10 Ju…
	Santo Yakobus Berthi… on Saint of the Day – 8 Jun…

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The Song of the Church

Saint Pius X Bishop of Rome

St Pope Pius X, Pray for Us!

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The ‘Secret’ Prayers (Offertory)

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Let us Pray:

Litany of Intercession to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary, Pray for Us, O Holy Mother of God!

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July Devotion – The Most Precious Blood

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PRAYER – The Benedictus – Canticle of Zechariah Luke 1:68-79 The Messiah and His forerunner

St John the Baptist, Pray for Us!

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Through Our Gazing in Adoration

Pope Benedict XVI General Audience, 17 November 2010

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Blessed Solemnity of Corpus Christi to you all!

Lord Jesus Christ,

in the Most Blessed Sacrament,

we Adore and Love You!

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Our prayer is communal

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258) Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

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Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258) Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

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Devotion to the Sacred Heart By Ven Servant of God John A Hardon SJ (1914-2000)

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Mary Mater Ecclesiae – Mary , Mother of the Church – 10 June 2019

St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Grace

Spe Salvi 49 – Pope Benedict XVI

Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith By our Holy Father, Pope Francis

St Augustine(354-430) The Image of the Holy Church

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The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Pope Francis

Devotion to the Sacred Heart By Ven Servant of God John A Hardon SJ (1914-2000)

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St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church

DAY TWO Begin by reciting the following prayer…

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Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

The Third Luminous Mystery:

The Proclamation of the Kingdom

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Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

The Third Joyful Mystery – The Nativity

Pope Francis

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Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation

Holy Mary of the Annunciation of Emmanuel,

God with us,

Pray for us!

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Saint Pius X
Bishop of Rome

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary,
Pray for Us, O Holy Mother of God!

PRAYER –
The Benedictus – Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and His forerunner

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c 200-258)
Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c 200- c 258)
Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr

Devotion to the Sacred Heart
By Ven Servant of God John A Hardon SJ (1914-2000)

Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith
By our Holy Father, Pope Francis

St Augustine(354-430)
The Image of the Holy Church

Devotion to the Sacred Heart
By Ven Servant of God John A Hardon SJ (1914-2000)

St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Doctor of the Church

DAY TWO

Begin by reciting the following prayer…