Our Morning Offering – 9 February – Saturday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – The Month of the Holy Family
Daily Holy Family Prayer
Holy Family of Nazareth,
keep our family safe from all dangers and evil.
May Jesus always be the centre of our life
and of our home.
Grant us peace in this life and in the next.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
to you we entrust
the well-being
and salvation of our family.
Amen
The FIFTH International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Trafficking in Persons under the Patronage of St Josephine Bakhita (1869-1947) – 8 February 2019
Theme for 2019:
We pray for the generous reception of victims of trafficking in persons, forced prostitution and violence.
Pope Francis – February 2019
“Even if we try to ignore it, slavery is not something other times.
Faced with this tragic reality, no one can wash his hands if he does not want to be, in some way, an accomplice of this crime against humanity.
We can not ignore that slavery exists in the world today, much or perhaps more than before.
We pray for the generous reception of victims of trafficking in persons, forced prostitution and violence.”
Pope Francis is strongly committed to the fight against this scourge in its different expressions. Recently, in his Angelus on 20 January, he prayed for the victims of human traffickers and also, for those responsible, allowing silence to highlight this.
It is a drama that has been in the heart and in prayer for a long time. You will remember the return flight from Ireland in July 2018. He spoke about human trafficking, organised by unscrupulous traffickers, with all his horror. He had already asked us to organise this month of prayer but just after this trip, during a meeting, he insistently asked that his World Prayer Network truly pray for the men, women and children who live in these situations of slavery. Faced with this human tragedy, faced with so much suffering, helplessness and anguish of men, women and children who are victims of human trafficking and slavery, often in the context of migration, it is a cry that comes from the heart, it is the cry of prayer to the Lord. For Francis they are not numbers, they are names, faces, concrete stories, they are our brothers and sisters in humanity. We can not be silent if we do not wish to sell our soul to the devil. This is why we are here. For this reason we have prepared with the Holy Father his monthly video on this drama. Listen to the Pope’s strong words in this video: “Faced with this tragic reality, no-one can wash his hands of it he does not want to be, in some way, an accomplice to this crime against humanity”…Fr Frédéric Fornos, SJ (Pope’s Prayer Network)
Dear Saint Josephine Bakhita, help those blinded by greed and lust who trample the human rights and dignity of their brothers and sisters. Help them to break out of their hateful chains and to become fully human again.
Dear Saint Josephine Bakhita, help us when we feel tempted to look away and not to help, to reject others or even to abuse them.
O Loving God, let your merciful light flood into the darkest shadows. Bring salvation to the innocents who suffer under sinful abuse. Bring conversion to the utterly lost souls who hold them captive and exploit them.
Let us Pray:
God of goodness and mercy,
Rewarder of the humble,
You blessed St Josephine Bakhita of Sudan
with charity and patience.
May her prayers help us and her example
inspire us to carry our cross
and to love You always.
Pour upon us the spirit of wisdom
and love with which you filled St Josephine Bakhita,
by serving You as she did.
May her prayers on behalf of those enslaved
bring awareness and an end to this evil practice.
May we too please You by our faith and actions,
through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son, in union
with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
Thought for the Day – 2 February – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life
The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life invites all the Church to reflect on the role of Consecrated Life within the Christian community. Those who choose to live a consecrated life do so for the sake of the gospel.
Some Christian women and men respond to God’s call to become followers of Jesus through profession of vows and a life dedicated to prayer and service. They live out the consecrated life in different ways. Religious sisters, nuns, brothers, religious priests and monks consecrate their lives through their profession of the evangelical vows and live as part of a community. Secular institutes are another form of living the consecrated life as single people. Those who become followers of Jesus through the consecrated life bless the Church.
And so, as we think about the many ways in which we are called to love in ordinary ways and do it extraordinarily well, let us not forget those women and men who have responded to God’s call to serve as a consecrated religious. This day and Mass is dedicated to them throughout the world. On this World Day for Consecrated Life, may the lives of consecrated women and men be blessed with God’s overwhelming grace of love! May their lives inspire us to hear God’s vocational call. May this tune be forever in our minds and transform our hearts to say boldly:
LET US PRAY FOR ALL CONSECRATED MEN & WOMEN AND FOR VOCATIONS:
Loving God, You call all who believe in You
to grow perfect in love
by following in the footsteps
of Christ Your Son.
Call from among us more men and women
who will serve You as religious.
Open the hearts of many, raise up
faithful servants of the Gospel, dedicated,
holy priests, sisters, brothers and deacons,
who will spend themselves for Your people
and their needs.
Bless those who are serving now
with courage and perseverance.
Grant that many will be inspired by their
example and faith.
By their way of life, may they provide a convincing sign
of Your Kingdom for the Church and the whole world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
FEBRUARY – THE MONTH OF THE HOLY FAMILY
In January, the Catholic Church celebrated the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and in February, we turn to the entire Holy Family—Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
The special devotion which proposes the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as the model of virtue of all Christian households began in the 17th century. It started almost in France – the Association of the Holy Family was founded by the Daughters of the Holy Family in Paris in 1674.
This devotion soon spread and in 1893 Pope Leo XIII expressed his approval of a feast under this title and himself composed part of the Office. On account of the flight into Egypt this feast has been observed by the Copts from early times.
The feast was welcomed by succeeding Pontiffs as an efficacious means for bringing home to the Christian people the example of the Holy Family at Nazareth and by the restoration of the true spirit of family life, stemming, in some measure, the evils of present-day society.
In the words of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII, “Nothing truly can be more salutary or efficacious for Christian families to meditate upon than the example of this Holy Family, which embraces the perfection and completeness of all domestic virtues.”
Prayer to the Holy Family
By Pope Francis
Angelus, 29 December 2013
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in You we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
to You we turn with trust.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalised
find ready comfort and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may we be made
once more mindful
of the sacredness
and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.
Amen
(This prayer was composed for the Synod of the Family in 2014, so it has been very slightly adapted to remove the reference to the said Synod).
The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention for February 2019
FEBRUARY 2019
Human Trafficking
For a generous welcome
of the victims of human trafficking,
of enforced prostitution
and of violence.
Saint Josephine Bakhita, you were sold into slavery as a child
and endured unspeakable hardship and suffering.
Once liberated from your physical enslavement,
you found true redemption in your encounter
with Christ and his Church.
O Saint Josephine Bakhita,
assist all those who are entrapped in slavery.
Intercede on their behalf with the God of Mercy,
so that the chains of their captivity will be broken.
May God Himself free all those who have been threatened,
wounded or mistreated by the trade and trafficking of human beings.
Bring comfort to survivors of this slavery
and teach them to look to Jesus,
as an example of hope and faith,
so that they may find healing from their wounds.
We ask you to pray for us and to intercede on behalf of us al,
that we may not fall into indifference,
that we may open our eyes
and be able to see the misery and wounds
of our many brothers and sisters
deprived of their dignity and their freedom
and may we hear their cry for help.
Amen
PRAYER FROM THE
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER,
REFLECTION AND ACTION
AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Clementine Hall
Monday, 12 February 2018
Thought for the Day – 1 February – the Memorial of St Brigid of Ireland (c 453-523)
St Brigid directly influenced several other future saints of Ireland and her many religious communities helped to secure the country’s conversion from paganism to the Catholic faith.
The Irish call on her in every need, for, as the ancient legends run, “everything that Brigid asked of the Lord, was granted her at once. For this was her desire – to satisfy the poor, to expel every hardship, to spare every miserable man.” And, she still carries on this mission today.
St Brigid took the whole of humanity into her heart and 1500 years after her death, the power of goodness and holiness reaches down through the centuries. There was no limit to her charity and her love for all. God thus graced her with great power to do good for all. There should be no limit to ours – imagine a world such as this!
St Brigid’s Blessing
May Brigid bless the house wherein we dwell.
Bless every fireside, every wall and door.
Bless every heart that beats beneath its roof.
Bless every hand that toils to bring its joy.
Bless every foot that walks portals through.
May Brigid bless the house that shelters us.
Our Morning Offering – 1 February – Friday of the Third week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Let Your Will be Mine
A Prayer for Fulfilling
the Will of God
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
O most merciful Jesus,
grant me Your grace,
that it may remain with me always
and persevere with me to the end.
Grant me always to will and desire,
what is more pleasing and acceptable to You.
Let Your will be mine
and let my will always follow Yours
in perfect conformity with it.
Let my will and desires, always be one with Yours
and let me be unable to will or not to will,
except as You will or do not will.
Grant that I may die to all worldly things
and that I may be despised and unknown
for love of You.
Grant, above all things to be desired,
that I may find rest in You
and that in Your Heart alone, may be my peace.
You, O Lord, give true peace to the heart
and perfect rest to body and soul.
Apart from You, all is difficult and never still.
In that peace, in You Who are the one,
supreme and eternal Good,
I will sleep and take my rest.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 1 February – St Brigid of Ireland/Kildare (c 453-523) Virgin, Abbess, Apostle of Charity and foundress of several Monasteries of Nuns, including that of Kildare in Ireland, which was famous and was greatly revered – born in 453 at Faughart, County Louth, Ireland and died on 1 February 523 at Kildare, Ireland of natural causes. Patronages – Ireland, babies, blacksmiths, sailors, brewers, cattle, chicken farmers, children whose parents are not married, children with abusive fathers, children born into abusive unions, Clan Douglas, dairy workers, Florida, fugitives, Leinster, midwives, Nuns, poets, the poor, printing presses, students, travellers. 
Next to the glorious St Patrick, St Brigid, whom we may consider his spiritual daughter in Christ, has ever been held in singular veneration in Ireland.
Historians say we know a lot more about St Brigid than we have facts, a polite way of saying that legends swirl about Ireland’s most celebrated woman. But even legends may have cores of truth. And some miracle stories are not legends at all but true accounts of God’s interventions.
Brigid was the daughter of a slave woman and a chieftain, who liberated her at the urging of his overlord. As a girl she sensed a call to become a nun and St Mel, bishop of Armagh, received her vows. Before Brigid, consecrated virgins lived at home with their families. But the saint, imitating Patrick, began to assemble nuns in communities, a historic move which enriched the church in Ireland.
In 471, Brigid founded a monastery for both women and men at Kildare. This was the first convent in Ireland and Brigid was the abbess. Under her leadership Kildare became a centre of learning and spirituality. Her school of art fashioned both lovely utensils for worship and beautifully illustrated manuscripts. Again following Patrick’s model, Brigid used Kildare as a base and built convents throughout the island. The renown of Brigid’s unbounded charity drew multitudes of the poor to Kildare, the fame of her piety attracted thither many persons anxious to solicit her prayers or to profit by her holy example. In course of time the number of these so much increased that it became necessary to provide accommodation for them in the neighbourhood of the new monastery and thus was laid the foundation and origin of the town of Kildare.
Brigid’s hallmark was uninhibited, generous giving to anyone in need. Many of the saint’s earliest miracles seem to have rescued her from punishment for having given something to the poor that was intended for someone else. For example, once as a child she gave a piece of bacon to a dog and was glad to find it replaced when she was about to be disciplined. Brigid exhibited this unbounded charity all her life, giving away valuables, clothing, food—anything close by—to anyone who asked.
One of the most appealing things told of Brigid is her contemporaries’ belief that there was peace in her blessing. Not merely did contentiousness die out in her presence but just as by the touch of her hand she healed leprosy, so by her very will for peace she healed strife and laid antiseptics on the suppurating bitterness that foments it.
In the ninth century, the country being desolated by the Danes, the remains of St Brigid were removed in order to secure them from irreverence and, being transferred to Down-Patrick, were deposited in the same grave with those of the glorious St Patrick. Their bodies, together with that of St Columba, were translated afterwards to the cathedral of the same city but their monument was destroyed in the reign of King Henry VIII. The head of St Brigid is now kept in the church of the Jesuits at Lisbon.
Saint Brigid’s Cross
A special type of cross known as “Saint Brigid’s cross” is popular throughout Ireland. It commemorates a famous story in which Brigid went to the home of a pagan leader when people told her that he was dying and needed to hear the Gospel message quickly. When Brigid arrived, the man was delirious and upset, unwilling to listen to what Brigid had to say. So she sat with him and prayed and while she did, she took some of the straw from the floor and began weaving it into the shape of a cross. Gradually the man quieted down and asked Brigid what she was doing. She then explained the Gospel to him, using her handmade cross as a visual aid. The man then came to faith in Jesus Christ and Brigid baptised him just before he died.Today, many Irish people display a Saint Brigid’s cross in their homes, since it is said to help ward off evil and welcome good. Brigid died in 523 and after her death people began to venerate her as a saint, praying to her for help seeking to heal from God, since many of the miracles during her lifetime related to healing.
Blessing of St Brigid’s Crosses
Father of all creation and Lord of Light,
You have given us life and entrusted Your creation to us, to use it and to care for it.
We ask You to bless these crosses made of green rushes in memory of holy Brigid,
who used the cross to recall and to teach Your Son’s life, death and resurrection.
May these crosses be a sign of our sharing in the Paschal Mystery of your Son
and a sign of Your protection of our lives, our land and its creatures,
through Brigid’s intercession, during the coming year and always.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
The crosses are sprinkled with holy water:
May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
be on these crosses and on the places where they hang
and on everyone who looks at them.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 January – Thursday of the First week in Ordinary Time – Gospel Mark 1:40–45
And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.”...Mark 1:40
I Return to You
(Act of Supplication and Contrition to the Holy Trinity)
Father of mercy,
like the prodigal son,
I return to You and say:
“I have sinned against You
and am no longer worthy
to be called Your Son.”
Christ Jesus,
Saviour of the World,
I pray with the repentant thief
to whom You promised paradise –
“Lord, remember me in Your Kingdom.”
Holy Spirit, fountain of love,
I call on You with trust,
“Purify my heart
and help me to walk
as a child of light.”
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 January – Month of the Holy Name of Jesus
The Golden Arrow
May the most holy,
most sacred,
most adorable,
most mysterious
and unutterable Name of God
be always praised,
blessed,
loved,
adored
and glorified in heaven.
on earth and under the earth,
by all the creatures of God
and by the Sacred Heart
of our Lord Jesus Christ
in the most Holy Sacrament
of the altar.
Amen
This prayer was revealed by Jesus Himself to Sr Marie of St Peter, a Carmelite Nun of Tours in 1843 as a reparation for blasphemy. “This Golden Arrow will wound My Heart delightfully,” He said “and heal the wounds inflicted by blasphemy.”
When it comes to our salvation. the Golden Arrow is no magic bullet. Still it can bring us closer to Christ by helping to make amends for the many insults He suffers on a daily basis. Today, as in Sister Mary’s time, we often read and hear harsh, offensive language about our Lord.
Have you ever noticed how many such abusive comments come especially from those considered most sophisticated in our society? We’ve also seen television shows and movies that attempt to strip away Christ’s Divinity and His Dignity, much as those who jeered at Him during His Passion.
There are also more than a few “smart” people these days who would rather think of our Lord just as some philosopher and leave it at that. This prayer can help us all, provide our Lord with comfort, for these various slings and arrows, He suffers each day!
Our Morning Offering on the Memorial of St Manuel Gonzalez Garcia (1877–1940) the “Apostle of the Abandoned Tabernacles” – 4 January
St Manuel has written much, 3 volumes full and many prayers and devotions related to Eucharistic Adoration and the Holy Eucharist but thus far, only 1% of his works have been translated from the original Spanish. So today we pray via St John Paul, another great advocate of Eucharist Adoration and the Holy Eucharist.
Prayer for the Spread of Perpetual Adoration
By St Pope John Paul (1920-2005)
Heavenly Father,
increase our faith in the Real Presence of Your Son,
Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
We are obliged to adore Him,
to give Him thanks
and to make reparation for sins.
We need Your peace in our hearts
and among nations.
We need conversion from our sins
and the mercy of Your forgiveness.
May we obtain this through prayer
and our union with the Eucharistic Lord.
Please send down the Holy Spirit upon all peoples
to give them the love, courage, strength and willingness,
to respond to the invitation to Eucharistic Adoration.
We beseech You to spread Perpetual Adoration
of the Most Blessed Sacrament in parishes around the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament
Help us to spread the glory of Your Son
through Perpetual Adoration.
On 2 December 1981 St Pope John Paul II inaugurated Perpetual
Adoration in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of St Peter’s Basilica with a Mass.
At the end of the Mass following exposition of the Blessed Sacrament he prayed,
in part: (see above) (L’Osservatore Romano, Dec. 14, 1981))
Stay with Us
By St Pope John Paul (1920-2005)
Stay with us today
and stay from now on, everyday,
according to the desire of my heart,
which accepts the appeal of so many hearts
from various parts, sometimes far away…
Stay that we may meet You in
prayers of adoration and thanksgiving,
in prayers of expiation and petition
to which all those who visit this Basilica are invited…
May the unworthy successor of Peter
and all those who take part in the
adoration of Your Eucharistic Presence
attest with every visit and make
ring out again the truth contained in the Apostle’s words:
‘Lord, you know everything.
You know that I love you.’
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 31 December – Seventh Day of the Octave
Daily Prayer to the Holy Family
(a good prayer to pray at the Breakfast or Supper Table)
JESUS, Son of God and Son of Mary,
bless our family.
Graciously inspire in us the unity,
peace and mutual love
that you found in your own family,
in the little town of Nazareth.
MARY, Mother of Jesus and Our Mother,
nourish our family with your faith and your love.
Keep us close to your Son, Jesus,
in all our sorrows and joys.
JOSEPH, Foster-father to Jesus,
guardian and spouse of Mary,
keep our family safe from harm.
Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety.
HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH,
make our family one with you.
Help us to be instruments of peace.
Grant that love, strengthened by grace,
may prove mightier
than all the weaknesses and trials
through which our families sometimes pass.
May we always have God
at the centre of our hearts and homes,
until we are all one family,
happy and at peace in our true home with you.
Amen
And there’s no need to wait until next February to repeat the consecration, it’s a good prayer for your family to pray every month.
Grant unto us, Lord Jesus,
ever to follow the example of Your holy Family,
that in the hour of our death
Your glorious Virgin Mother
together with blessed Joseph
may come to meet us
and we may be worthily received by You
into everlasting dwellings
who lives and reigns, world without end.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 28 December – Feast of the Holy Innocents – 4th Day of the Christmas Octave
Prayer for the Unborn
Pope Benedict XVI
Lord Jesus,
You who faithfully visit and fulfil with Your Presence
the Church and the history of men;
You who in the miraculous Sacrament of your Body and Blood
render us participants in divine Life
and allow us a foretaste of the joy of eternal Life;
We adore and bless You.
Prostrated before You, source and lover of Life,
truly present and alive among us, we beg You.
Reawaken in us respect for every unborn life,
make us capable of seeing in the fruit of the maternal womb
the miraculous work of the Creator,
open our hearts to generously welcoming every child
that comes into life.
Bless all families,
sanctify the union of spouses,
render fruitful their love.
Accompany the choices of legislative assemblies
with the light of Your Spirit,
so that peoples and nations may recognise and respect
the sacred nature of life, of every human life.
Guide the work of scientists and doctors,
so that all progress contributes
to the integral well-being of the person,
and no one endures suppression or injustice.
Give creative charity to administrators and economists,
so they may realise and promote sufficient conditions,
so that young families can serenely embrace
the birth of new children.
Console the married couples who suffer,
because they are unable to have children
and in Your goodness provide for them.
Teach us all to care for orphaned or abandoned children,
so they may experience the warmth of Your Charity,
the consolation of Your divine Heart.
Together with Mary, Your Mother, the great believer,
in whose womb You took on our human nature,
we wait to receive from You, our Only True Good and Saviour,
the strength to love and serve life,
in anticipation of living forever in You,
in communion with the Blessed Trinity.
Amen
Composed by Pope Benedict at the Prayer Vigil for the Unborn on 27 November 2010
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Nine – 11 December
Ninth Day
O God, You have been pleased
to bestow upon us
unceasing favours by having placed us
under the special protection
of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
who has constantly come
to assist us throughout history
and throughout the world.
We now pray to her,
Our Lady of Guadalupe
for the protection of the unborn
and all human life.
Grant us, Your humble servants,
who rejoice in honouring our Mother,
Holy Mary, today upon the earth,
the happiness of seeing her,
face-to-face in heaven.
Amen
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Eight – 10 December
Eighth Day
With my heart,
full of the most sincere veneration,
I prostrate myself
before you, O Mother,
to ask you to obtain for me
the grace to fulfil the duties of my state in life
with faithfulness and constancy.
I pray especially today
for all the mothers
and the mothers-to-be
of the world.
Amen
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Seven – 9 December
Seventh Day
O Lady of Guadalupe,
we beg you that parents
live a holy life
and educate their children
in a Christian manner;
that they bless and praise God
for the grace and blessing
of their children;
that children obey
and follow the directions of their parents;
that all members of the family
pray and worship together.
This we ask of you, O Mother.
Amen
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Five – 7 December
Fifth Day
O most holy Mother,
I beg you to obtain for me
pardon of all my sins,
abundant graces
to serve your Son
more faithfully from now on
and lastly,
the grace to praise Him
with you forever in heaven.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Sincere apologies for the late arrival of today’s Novena – I have been unable to post anything due to a national electricity crises!
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Three – 5 December
Third Day
O Mary,
whose Immaculate Heart was pierced
by seven swords of grief,
help me to walk valiantly
amid the sharp thorns
strewn across my pathway.
Obtain for me the strength
to be a true imitator of you.
This I ask you, my dear Mother.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Two – 4 December
Second Day
O Mary, conceived without sin,
I come to your throne of grace
to share the fervent devotion
of your faithful Mexican children
who call to you under the
glorious title of Guadalupe.
Obtain for me a lively faith
to do your Son’s holy will always.
May His will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day One – 3 December
The miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Gospel in picture form. She is the Immaculate Conception, as the Apocalypse describes, “a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon at her feet.” Those who saw it realised immediately she is greater than the sun, moon, stars which they had worshipped as gods.
For people today in what is called the “New Age” she is also a sign not to worship the “forces” of nature. But she herself is not a goddess. She has her hands folded in prayer, her eyes looking down to humility. To whom is she praying? The clue is in the brooch under her neck. It has a small cross. But she is not only praying to God, she has God within her. You can see the compassion in the face of the Blessed Virgin. Hearing her tender message and gazing on this picture lesson of Catholicism, it is easy to understand that the Mother of Jesus is our Mother also! [Father Lawrence G Lovasik (1913–1986)]
The Prayer for the Protection of Human Life
is to be prayed everyday of the Novena.
First Day:
Dearest Lady of Guadalupe,
fruitful Mother of holiness,
teach me your ways
of gentleness and strength.
Hear my humble prayer
offered with heartfelt confidence
to beg this favour………..
trusting always in your intercession.
Amen
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be and the Prayer for the Protection of Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
In the Service of the Transmission of Faith
That people,
who are involved in the service and transmission of faith,
may find,
in their dialogue with culture,
a language suited to the conditions
of the present time.
St Andrew’s Christmas Novena – The Christmas Anticipation Prayer
The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is often called simply the “Christmas Novena” or the “Christmas Anticipation Prayer” because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle today, 30 November, until Christmas. It is an ideal Advent devotion – the First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.
While the novena is tied to the Feast of Saint Andrew, it is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in honour of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once, or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five times at each meal).
Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your children on the Advent season. In no time, you will all have memorised it and be able to focus totally on the actual words. In a family, it is a great idea to allow each member to insert their petitions in rotation.
Let us Pray!
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment,
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe,
I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
………………… [here mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ
and of His blessed Mother.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 November – My God, My Hope is in You
My God, My Hope is in You
By St Claude de la Colombière, SJ (1641-1682)
Loving and tender Providence of my God,
into Your hands I commend my spirit,
to You I abandon my hopes and fears,
my desires and repugnances,
my temporal and eternal prospects.
To You I commit the wants of my perishable body,
to You I commit the more precious interests of my immortal soul
for whose lot I have nothing to fear
as long as I do not leave Your care.
Though my faults are many, my misery great,
my spiritual poverty extreme,
my hope in You surpasses all.
it is superior to my weakness,
greater than my difficulties, stronger than death.
Though temptations should assail me, I will hope in You,
though I break my resolutions,
I will look to You confidently for grace to keep them at last.
though You should ask me to die, even then I will trust in You,
for You are my father, my God, the support of my salvation.
You are my kind, compassionate and indulgent parent,
and I am Your devoted child,
who casts myself into Your arms and begs Your blessing.
I put my trust in You
and so trusting, shall not be confounded.
Amen.
Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Martyr
St Josaphat’s favourite devotional exercise was to make prostrations in which the head touches the ground, saying, the Jesus prayer:
‘Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.”
Our Morning Offering – 4 November – Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – The Memorial of St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
Prayer Before Holy Communion
Veni Domine Jesu!
By Fr Henry Augustus Rawes OSC (1826 – 1885) Oblate of St Charles
(1940 Prayer Book)
O Jesus, hidden God, I cry to You,
O Jesus, hidden Light, I turn to You,
O Jesus, hidden love, I run to You,
with all the strength I have, I worship You,
with all the love I have, I cling to You,
with all my soul, I long to be with You
and fear no more to fail, or fall from You.
O Jesus, never-ending love, Who seeks me,
You who die for longing love of me,
King, in all Your beauty, come to me,
white-robed, blood-sprinkled Jesus, come to me
and go no more, dear Lord, away from me.
O sweetest Jesus, bring me home to You,
free me, dearest God, from all but You.
From all the chains that keep me back from You,
call me, most powerful love, I’ll follow You,
You are my all and I love only You.
O hidden love, who now is loving me,
O wounded love, who once was dead to me,
O patient love, who wearies not of me,
O bear with me, till I am lost in You,
O bear with me, till I am found in You,
amen.
(Fr Henry Augustus Rawes (11 December 1826 – 24 April 1885) was a Catholic hymn writer and preacher.
Born at Easington, near Durham, England, he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and entered the Anglican ministry in 1853. Converted to Catholicism in 1856. One of the original members of the Oblates of Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), whose feast day it is today. Ordained a priest in 1857. He was Superior of the Oblate congregation from 1880 until his death. Founded the Society of Servants of the Holy Ghost. Translated the treatises of Saint Thomas Aquinas on the Blessed Sacrament and the Lord’s Prayer. He wrote several books of devotion and sermons and many hymns, noted for poetic beauty. He died at Brighton.)
One Minute Reflection – 2 November – Today’s Gospel: Matthew 25:31–46- The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…’…Matthew 25:34
REFLECTION – “Yesterday and today, many have been visiting cemeteries, which, as the word itself implies, is the “place of rest”, as we wait for the final awakening. It is lovely to think, that it will be Jesus Himself to awaken us. Jesus Himself revealed, that the death of the body is like a sleep from which He awakens us. But today we are called to remember everyone, even those who no one remembers. We remember the victims of war and violence, the many “little ones” of the world, crushed by hunger and poverty, we remember the anonymous who rest in the communal ossuary. We remember our brothers and sisters killed because they were Christian and those who sacrificed their lives to serve others.
PRAYER – Let us raise this prayer to God: “God of infinite mercy, we entrust to Your immense goodness all those who have left this world for eternity, where You wait for all humanity, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ Your Son, who died as a ransom for our sins. Look not, O Lord, on our poverty, our suffering, our human weakness, when we appear before You to be judged for joy or for condemnation. Look upon us with mercy, born of the tenderness of Your heart and help us to walk in the ways of complete purification.”…Pope Francis – Angelus, 2 November 2014
Our Morning Offering – 2 November – The Commemoration of All the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Daily Prayer for the Holy Souls
Immortal God, holy Lord,
Father and Protector of all You have created,
we raise our hearts to You today for those
who have passed out of this mortal life.
In Your loving mercy, Father of all,
be pleased to receive them
in Your heavenly company,
and forgive the failings and faults
they may have done from human frailty.
Your only Son, Christ, our Saviour,
suffered so cruelly that
He might deliver them from the second death.
By His merits may they share in the glory
of His victory over sin and death.
For all the faithful who have died we pray
but in particular for those dear to us,
parents, relatives and friends.
nor do we forget all who did good for us while on earth,
who helped us by their prayers, sacrifice and example.
We pray also for any who may have done us harm,
and stand in special need of Your forgiveness.
May the merits and prayers of our Virgin Mother, Mary
and those of all the Angels and Saints,
speak for us and assist them now.
This we ask in through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
with the Holy Spirit, God forever
amen.
The Holy Father’s Prayer Intention
for November 2018
In the Service of Peace
Let us pray together
that the language of love and dialogue
may always prevail
over the language of conflict
Catholic Devotion for the Month of November – The Holy Souls/The Faithful Departed
It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”–2 Maccabees 12:46
The Holy Souls are those who have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins already forgiven for which satisfaction is still to be made. They are certain of entering Heaven but first they must suffer in Purgatory. The Holy Souls cannot help themselves because for them the night has come, when no man can work (John 9:4). It is our great privilege that we can shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works and, especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The doctrine of Purgatory gives to Catholics comfort and joy. They feel the black gulf of death is bridged across and they are still knit together to those near and dear to them in the bonds of love and sympathy. The sting of death and the sharpness of its sorrow, is mitigated by the thought, that they are still bound to these departed, by the golden chain of prayer. Whilst they are able to pray for us, they cannot pray for themselves.
The Council of Trent told us “That there is a Purgatory and that the souls there detained are assisted by the most acceptable sacrifice of the altar.”
O most gentle Heart of Jesus,
ever present in the Blessed Sacrament,
ever consumed with burning love
for the poor captive souls in Purgatory,
have mercy on the souls
of Your departed servants.
Be not severe in Your judgments,
but let some drops of Your Precious Blood
fall upon the devouring flames.
And do You, O Merciful Saviour,
send Your holy angels to conduct them
to a place of refreshment, light and peace.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 29 October – The Memorial of St Gaetano Errico (1791-1860), Founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Prayer to the Two Loving Hearts
By St John Eudes (1501-1680)
O Jesus, only Son of God, only Son of Mary,
I offer You the most loving Heart
of Your divine Mother
which is more precious
and pleasing to You than all hearts.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus,
I offer you the most adorable Heart
of your well-beloved Son,
who is the life and love and joy of your Heart.
Blessed be the Most Loving Heart
and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
and the most glorious
Virgin Mary, His Mother,
in eternity and forever.
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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