The Holy Father’s
Prayer Intention
for
DECEMBER 2019The Future of the Very Young
That every country
take the measures necessary,
to prioritise the future of the very young,
especially those who are suffering.
Category: PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS
Advent Reflection – 1 December – The First Sunday of Advent
Advent Reflection – 1 December – The First Sunday of Advent, Year A –
Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122:1-9, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:37-44
“So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”
Matthew 24:44
St Bernard (1091-1153)
Doctor of the Church
Sermons 4 and 5 for Advent
“It is only right, my brothers, to celebrate our Lord’s coming with all possible devotion, so greatly does His comfort gladden us… and His love burn within us. But do not just think about His first coming when He came “to seek and save the lost” (Lk 19:10), think, too, of that other coming when He will come to take us with Him. I should like to see you constantly occupied in meditating on these two comings… “resting among the sheepfolds” (Ps 68[67]:14), for they are the two arms of the Bridegroom in which the Bride of the Song of Songs took her rest: “His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me” (2:6)…
But there is a third coming between the two to which I have just referred and those who know of it, can rest in it for their greater happiness. The other two are visible but this one is not. In the first, “ the Lord has appeared on earth and has spoken to us” (Bar 3:38)… in the last, “all mankind shall see the salvation of God” (Lk 3:6; Is 40:5)… But the one that comes between them is secret, it is that in which the elect alone see the SavioUr within themselves and their souls find salvation.
In His first coming, Christ came in our flesh and in our weakness; in His coming in the midst of time, He comes in Spirit and power; in His final coming, He will come in His glory and majesty. But it is by the strength of the virtues, that we attain to glory, as it is written: “The Lord, the king of armies, he is the king of glory” (Ps 24[23]:10) and, in the same book: “That I may see your power and your glory” (Ps 63[62]:3). And so the second coming is like a road leading from the first to the last. In the first, Christ has been our redemption, in the last, He will appear as our life, in His coming between, He is our rest and our consolation.”
Prayer for the Advent Wreath
Lord, our God,
we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ,
for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.
He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.
He is the Saviour of us all.
O Lord,
let Your blessing come upon us
as we light the first (purple) candle of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise of salvation.
May He come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Waiting
We light a advent candle today, a small dim light against a world that often seems forbidding and dark. But we light it because we are a people of hope, a people whose faith is marked by an expectation that we should always be ready for the coming of the Master. The joy and anticipation of this season is captured beautifully in the antiphons of hope from the monastic liturgies:
See! The ruler of the earth shall come,
the Lord who will take from us the heavy burden of our exile
The Lord will come soon, will not delay.
The Lord will make the darkest places bright.
We must capture that urgency today in the small flame of our candle. We light the candle because we know that the coming of Christ is tied to our building of the kingdom. Lighting the flame, feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, reconciling the divided, praying for the repentant, greeting the lonely and forgotten – doing all these works hastens His coming.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Lord Jesus, May we seek Your Face
Quote/s of the Day – 29 November – Friday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:29–33
“The issue is now clear.
It is between light and darkness
and every one must choose his side.”
G K Chesterton (1874-1936)
(Chesterton’s last words)
“Each and everyone of us,
at the end of the
journey of life,
will come,
face to face
with either one
or the other
of two faces…
And one of them,
either, the
merciful face of Christ
or the
miserable face of Satan,
will say,
“Mine, mine.”
May we be Christ’s!”
Ven Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
“Many who plan
to seek God
at the eleventh hour
die at 10:30.”
Bumper Sticker
Lord Jesus, May we Seek Your Face
By Pope Benedict XVI
Lord Jesus,
grant us restless hearts,
hearts which seek Your Face.
Keep us from the blindness of heart
which sees only the surface of things.
Give us the simplicity and purity
which allows us to recognise
Your Presence in the world.
When we are not able
to accomplish great things,
grant us the courage
which is born of humility and goodness.
Impress Your Face on our hearts.
May we encounter You along the way
and show forth Your image to the world.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 29 November -O Christ Jesus, When All is Darkness
Our Morning Offering – 29 November – Friday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Blessed Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos SJ (1711-1735)
O Christ Jesus,
When All is Darkness
By St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness
and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love
and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose,
Your will through all things.
Amen
Thank You! on your Thanksgiving Day – 28 November
Dear American Friend,
On your Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to be sure to remind you of this:
“You are greatly appreciated!”
There is no greater blessing God has given me than the people that support, pray and join me in my mission to advance the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church, in communion with our Saints.
Thank you.
I pray you are reminded not just today but every day,
of how grateful I am for you all.
May God bless you and your beloved families.
Ana
Breathing Catholic
Thanksgiving Day Prayer
We thank you, Father,
for the gift of Jesus, Your Son,
who came to our earth
and lived in a simple home.
We have a greater appreciation
of the value and dignity
of the human family
because He loved
and was loved within its shelter.
Bless us this day.
may we grow in love,
for each other in our family
and so give thanks to You,
who are the Maker of all human families
and our abiding peace.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 27 November – In Thy Hands
One Minute Reflection – 27 November – Wednesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 21:12–19 and the Memorial of Saint Virgilius of Salzburg (c 700-784)
“But not a hair of your head shall perish.” … Luke 21:9
REFLECTION – “I cry out to Thee and entreat Thee, first that Thou would keep me from myself and from following any will but Thine.
Next, I beg of Thee, that in Thy infinite compassion Thou would temper Thy will to me, that it may not be severed but imdulgent to me.
Visit me not, O my loving Lord – if it be not wrong so to pray – visit me not those trying visitations which saints alone can bear!
Still, I leave all in Thy hands, my dear Saviour – I bargain for nothing. Only, if Thou shall bring heavier trial on me, give me more grace – flood me with the fulness of Thy strength and consolation, that they may work in me, not death but life and salvation. Amen” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890), Priest, Founder of the Oratory in England, Theologian, Writer, Poet, Apologist
PRAYER – Shed Your clear light on our hearts O Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be afraid, never be deceived or misled but by Your strength, stand firm in our faith. For Your Son, walks before us, beside us and behind us. The Holy Spirit of Your love fills us. Let nothing put us to shame. Grant that by the prayers of St Virgilius of Salzburg and all Your saints, we may be strengthened for the journey. Through our Lord Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, God eternally and forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 26 November – I Wish to Clasp Your Hand – Do Not Refuse Me!
Our Morning Offering – 26 November – Tuesday of the Thirty Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
I Wish to Clasp Your Hand – Do Not Refuse Me!
Prayer of Count Eugene de Ferronays (1827-1894)
Dear Lord!
It is just when I am in the world
that I have most need of You
because You know it is full of snares
that the devil has set for me.
You must hold my hand, dear Lord,
if You will not abandon me.
A little of the world is not bad for me,
it is even good, for it teaches me how small it is
and I feel the greater happiness
when I come back to You.
But, that I may surely do so,
You must only loose Your hold a little,
that it may not try me too far,
You must not entirely leave hold.
Do You see dear Lord?
I wish to clasp Your hand – do not refuse me!
Amen.
