Posted in 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

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)i bind unto myself today - lauds psalter week 2 sunday hymn 10 july 2019.jpg

Posted in 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

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.o fathers of our ancient faith - feast of st thomas 3 july 2019 breviary hymn.jpg

Posted in 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

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

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

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

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.
Amendaily offering to the father  - most precious blood - st gertrude 1 july 2019.jpg

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 24 June – “The Benedictus”

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.
Amenthe benedictus 24 june 2019 NEW - 6.jpgthe benedictus 24 june 2019 NEW 2.jpg

St John the Baptist, Pray for Us!

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

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

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

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.
Amenadoro te devote - copus christi 23 june 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

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

Blessed Solemnity of Corpus Christi to you all!

corpus-christi-this-is-my-body-mark-14-22-3-june-2018.jpg

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!lauda-sion-lord-jesus-christ-in-the-most-blessed-sacrament-corpus-christi-3-june-2018-sunday-reflection.jpg

Posted in 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)

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.we pray in public as a community - st cyprian on the lord's prayer PART ONE - 20 june 2019.jpg

Posted in 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!’

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”let-us-pray-as-god-our-master-has-taught-us-st-cyprian-12-march-2019-lenten-thoughts-no-2- used again 20 june 2019.jpg

Posted in 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

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.
Amenthe Lord's Prayer - matthew 6 9-13 - 20 june 2019

Posted in 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

Announcing the NOVENA to the SACRED HEART
BEGINS Wednesday, 19 Juneannouncing-the-novena-to-the-sacred-heart-19-june-to-begin.jpg

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.
Amenmorning offering - 1 june 2019.jpg

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.”

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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

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 Graceshe-is-clearly-the-mother-of-his-members-st-augustine-first-memorial-of-mother-of-the-church-21-may-2018

“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 XVIwho-more-than-mary-pope-benedict-xvi-11-may-2018.jpg

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 Basilicaprayer-to-mary-mother-of-the-church-and-mother-of-our-faith-pope-francis-21-may-2018-memorial-of-mater-ecclesiae.jpg

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

Posted in 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

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)

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.june month of the sacred heart 1 june 2019.jpg

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.”morning offering - 1 june 2019.jpg

Posted in 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

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.
Amenday-two-pentecost-novena-12-may-2018.jpg

Posted in GOD the FATHER, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 May –  “In His greatness He has let Himself become small.”

One Minute Reflection – 18 May – Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C, John 14:7–14

“He who has seen me has seen the Father…”…John 14:9

REFLECTION – “We believe in God.   This is what the main sections of the Creed affirm, especially the first section.   But another question now follow – in what God?   Certainly we believe in the God who is Creator Spirit, creative Reason, the source of everything that exists, including ourselves.

The second section of the Creed tells us more.   This creative Reason is Goodness, it is Love.   It has a face.   God does not leave us groping in the dark.   He has shown Himself to us as a man.   In His greatness, He has let Himself become small.   “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”, Jesus says (Jn 14:9).   God has taken on a human face.   He has loved us even to the point of letting Himself be nailed to the Cross for our sake, in order to bring the sufferings of mankind to the very heart of God.

Today, when we have learned to recognise the pathologies and the life-threatening diseases associated with religion and reason and the ways that God’s image can be destroyed by hatred and fanaticism, it is important to state clearly the God in whom we believe and to proclaim, confidently, that this God has a human face.   Only this can free us from being afraid of God – which is ultimately at the root of modern atheism.   Only this God saves us from being afraid of the world and from anxiety before the emptiness of life.   Only by looking to Jesus Christ, does our joy in God come to fulfilment and become redeemed joy.   During this solemn Eucharistic celebration, let us look to the Lord lifted up before us on the Cross and ask Him to give us the immense joy which, at the hour of His farewell, He promised to the disciples (cf. Jn 16:24)!”…Pope Benedict XVI – Regensburg Homily Tuesday 12 September 2006john 14 9 he who seen me - god does not leave us groping in the dark - pope benedict 18 may 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Since it is from You God, our Father, that redemption comes to us, Your adopted children, look with favour on the family You love, give us true freedom and to all who believe in Christ and bring us all alike to our eternal heritage.   Grant we pray, that by the prayers of Your holy angels and saints, most especially our beloved Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ, we may run this race always in prayer, trusting in Your divine Son’s intercession, to attain the Glory of Your Kingdom and the Light of Your Face. Through Jesus Christ, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever and ever, amen.mary, mater christi - pray for us - 18 may 2019.jpg

Posted in 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

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

Posted in 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

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)

Holy Mary of the Annunciation of Emmanuel,

God with us,

Pray for us!mary's fiat - holy mary pray for us 14 may 2019 pope francis and the rosary from Fr Enrico no 1.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 13 May – Act of Entrustment to Our Lady of Fatima

Our Morning Offering – 13 May – The 102nd Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima

Act of Entrustment to Our Lady of Fatima
By Pope Francis

Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima,
with renewed gratitude for your motherly presence
we join in the voice of all generations that call you blessed.
We celebrate in you the great works of God,
who never tires of lowering Himself
in mercy over humanity,
afflicted by evil and wounded by sin,
to heal and to save it.
Accept with the benevolence of a Mother
this act of entrustment that we make in faith today,
before this your image, beloved to us.
We are certain that each one of us is precious in your eyes
and that nothing in our hearts has estranged you.
May that we allow your sweet gaze
to reach us and the perpetual warmth of your smile.
Guard our life with your embrace,
bless and strengthen every desire for good,
give new life and nourishment to faith,
sustain and enlighten hope,
awaken and animate charity,
guide us all on the path to holiness.
Teach us your own special love for the little and the poor,
for the excluded and the suffering,
for sinners and the wounded of heart,
gather all people under your protection
and give us all to your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus.
Amen.

*Act of entrustment to Mary, Virgin of Fátima, at the conclusion of Mass on the occasion of the Marian Day (Saint Peter’s Square, 13 October 2013)act of entrustment to our lady of fatima by pope francis 13 may 2019 102nd anniversary.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, NOTES to Followers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Mothers’ Day! 12 May – Mothers’ Day Prayer to Mary, our Mother

Mother’s Day! 12 May and Mary’s Month

Wishing all Mothers a Blessed and Happy Mothers’ Day

May Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ

and our Mother, be a comfort to us all.

Mothers’ Day Prayer
to Mary, our Mother
Intercessions from 1727 the Liturgical Order of Blessing

Mary,
Mother of God
and our Mother,
pray for all mothers,
so that they will be able
to fulfill their maternal responsibilities.
Help them to be lovers and nurturers of
all human life from the moment of conception
until natural death,
all the while being examples
for their own children.
Pray for their children,
so that they, too,
will be faithful followers of your Son.
We pray for our mothers,
who have given us life and love,
that we may show them reverence and love.
We pray for mothers,
who have lost a child through death,
that their faith may give them hope
and their family and friend,
support and console them.
We pray for mothers who have died,
that God may bring them
into the joy of His kingdom
We offer these prayers
through Christ, our Lord
and your Son,
in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amenmother's day prayer to mary our mother - 12 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 12 May – Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith

Our Morning Offering – 12 May – ‘Mary’s Month” – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Prayer to Mary,
Mother of the Church
and Mother of our Faith
By 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)prayer to mary mother of the chuch and of our faith - pope francis - 12 may 2019

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Marian Thoughts – 5 May – ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.’ 

Marian Thoughts – 5 May – “Mary’s Month!”

From the Sermons of St Sophronius (560-638) Father of the Church

(St Sophronius was a courageous leader of the Jerusalem Church during the Islamic conquests of the seventh century, Bishop Saint Sophronius I has his liturgical memorial on 11 March).hail full of grace, the Lord is with you - luke 1 29.jpg

The blessings of the Father shone upon men through Mary

‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.’   Could anything transcend the joy that is yours, O Virgin Mother?   Could anything surpass this race granted by God to you alone?   Is it possible to think of anything more gratifying and more splendid?   Nothing can even approach the marvel that we see in you.   All things lie far below the grace that is yours; in comparison, even the best of them take second place and their brilliance is overshadowed.

‘The Lord is with you’ and who has dared to strive against you?   God has been born of you, who would stand in your way and not gladly give you first place and supremacy? For this reason, when I contemplate the privileges that put you above all creatures I cry out to you in highest praise. ‘Hail O favoured one, the Lord is with you.’   The joy that comes from you is shared not only by mankind but also by the powers of heaven.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’ for you have changed the condemnation of Eve into a blessing.   Because of you, and through you, Adam who hitherto was cast down and condemned received a blessing.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’ for through you the blessing of the Father came to mankind and reprieved them from the age-old sentence.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’, because through you, your ancestors found salvation.   You were to give birth to the Saviour who would win for them God’s salvation.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’ for without the seed of man you bore the fruit that gives a blessing to the whole earth and frees it from being condemned to produce only thorns.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’, for though you are a woman like any other woman you will in actual fact become the Mother of God.   If the one to be born of you, is in truth God incarnate, you rightly deserve to be called ‘she who gave birth to God’, inasmuch, as you truly did give birth to God.

You have God enclosed within your womb.   He lives in you according to the flesh and comes forth from you like a bridegroom, giving joy to all and sharing His divine light with all mankind.

In you, O Virgin, as in the clear brightness of heaven, God ‘has placed his tent’ and He ‘will come forth from you like a bridegroom from his chamber’.   Like a giant He will run the course of His life to bring salvation to all living things.   That course ‘will stretch from one end of the heavens to the other’ filling all things with the life-giving warmth of God’s radiance.

From the Little Office of Mary
+++++++++++++

Mary, Rosa Mystica, Pray for Us!mary-rosa-mystica-pray-for-us-8-may-2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts – 6 May – Pope Francis and Mary

Marian Thoughts – 6 May – ‘May, the Month of Mary’ – Pope Francis and Mary

Mary, Pope Francis said, “shows us the way home.
She brings us to Jesus, who is the Gate of Mercy.”

Francis’s love affair with Our Lady is well documented and it began long before Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio was made a bishop – in 1990, the future pope gave up TV because of a promise he made to the Virgin of Carmel.

After he was appointed archbishop of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, he’d participate in a massive pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Lujan, patroness of his country.

Before and after every foreign trip today, he visits Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major to venerate the famous icon of Our Lady known as Salus Populi Romani (protectress of the Roman people) and usually leaves a bouquet of flowers presented to him during the trip.pope francis bows in front of populus mary.jpeg

In early 2016, he made a politically-charged trip to Mexico, visiting Ciudad Juarez on the border with the United States to deliver a strong appeal in favour of immigrants.   Yet before and during the trip, he said time and time again he would visit Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and everything else was decided after.   “How could I not come?” Francis asked the Mexican bishops when he met with them.   “Could the Successor of Peter, called from the far south of Latin America, deprive himself of seeing la Virgen Morenita?”

Francis has spoken about how his devotion to Mary helped him through his election to the papacy, about praying the Rosary three times a day and that he always makes a point of stopping and even presenting flowers at the feet of Our Lady when she’s in St Peter’s Square or, wherever, he celebrates Mass during his trips abroad.

In 2005, after the death of St John Paul II, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Beroglio wrote a piece for a special issue of the Italian magazine 30 Giorni, dedicated to the late pontiff.  In it, the man who today leads the Church wrote about once praying the rosary with the Polish pope and the impact it had on him.

“I felt that this man, chosen to lead the Church, was following a path back to his Mother in the sky, a path set out from his childhood,” he wrote. “I understood the presence of Mary in the life of the pope, a witness he never ceased to give.   From that moment, I recite the 15 mysteries of the Rosary every day.”

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee!hail mary and ave maria -stpetr canisius holy mary - 21dec2018 .jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EASTER, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 5 May – Marian Prayer before Mass

Our Morning Offering – 5 May – Third Sunday of Easter, Year C

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Before Holy Mass

O most blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of tenderness and mercy,
I, a miserable and unworthy sinner,
fly to you with all the affection of my heart
and I beseech your motherly love,
that, as you stood by your most dear Son,
while he hung on the Cross,
so, in your kindness,
you may be pleased to stand by me, a poor sinner,
and all Priests who today are offering the Sacrifice
here and throughout the entire holy Church,
so that with your gracious help
we may offer a worthy and acceptable oblation
in the sight of the most high and undivided Trinity.
Amen.

(This prayer is adapted from the Priests’ Prayers Before each Mass)prayer-to-the-blessed-virgin-before-mass-15-april-2018.jpg

Posted in BAPTISM, CATHOLIC Quotes, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRAMENTS, The ASCENSION of the LORD, The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The RESURRECTION

Thought for the Day- 4 May – God’s Plan of Salvation

Thought for the Day- 4 May – Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

God’s Plan of Salvation

Second Vatican Council

An excerpt from Sacrosanctum Concilium, #7-8

In His desire that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, God spoke in former times to our forefathers through the prophets, on many occasions and in different ways.   Then, in the fullness of time He sent His Son, the Word made man, anointed by the Holy Spirit, to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted as the physician of body and spirit and the mediator between God and men.   In the unity of the person of the Word, His human nature was the instrument of our salvation.   Thus in Christ, there has come to be, the perfect atonement that reconciles us with God and we have been given the power to offer the fullness of divine worship.

This work of man’s redemption and God’s perfect glory was foreshadowed by God’s mighty deeds among the people of the Old Covenant.   It was brought to fulfilment by Christ the Lord, especially through the paschal mystery of His blessed passion, resurrection from the dead and ascension in glory – by dying He destroyed our death, and by rising again He restored our life.   From His side, as He lay asleep on the cross, was born that wonderful sacrament, which is the Church in its entirety.

As Christ was sent by the Father, so in His turn He sent the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit.   They were sent to preach the Gospel to every creature, proclaiming that we had been set free from the power of Satan and from death by the death and resurrection of God’s Son and brought into the kingdom of the Father.   They were sent also to bring into effect, this saving work that they proclaimed, by means of the sacrifice and sacraments that are the pivot of the whole life of the liturgy.

So, by baptism men are brought within the paschal mystery. Dead with Christ, buried with Christ, risen with Christ, they receive the Spirit that makes them God’s adopted children, crying out – Abba, Father and so they become the true adorers that the Father seeks.

In the same way, whenever they eat the supper of the Lord they proclaim His death until He comes.   So, on the very day of Pentecost, on which the Church was manifested to the world, those who received the word of Peter were baptised.   They remained steadfast in the teaching of the apostles and in the communion of the breaking of bread, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people.

From that time onward the Church has never failed to come together to celebrate the paschal mystery, by reading what was written about Him in every part of Scripture, by celebrating the Eucharist in which the victory and triumph of His death are shown forth, and also by giving thanks to God for the inexpressible gift He has given in Christ Jesus, to the praise of God’s glory.

Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.
Amenglory be to the father and - 4 may 2019

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The LITTLE OFFICE of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 2 May – ‘O Mary of all women’

Our Morning Offering – 2 May “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Second week of Easter

Opening Hymn from the Little Office of Mary

O Mary of all women,
You are the chosen one,
Who, ancient prophets promised,
Would bear God’s only Son;
All Hebrew generations
Prepared the way to thee,
That in your womb the God-man,
Might come to set us free.

O Mary, you embody
all God taught to our race,
For you are first and foremost
In fullness of His grace;
We praise this wondrous honour
That you gave birth to Him,
Who from you took humanity
And saved us from our sin.opening-hymn-from-the-little-office-of-mary-of-mary-of-all-women-1-may-2018 (1).jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 1 May – “The light that never dims”

One Minute Reflection – 1 May – Wednesday of the Second week of Easter, the first day of Mary’s Month and the Memorial of St Joseph the Worker, Gospel: John 3:16–21

“But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.”…John 3:21

REFLECTION – “In the evening, when the Bishop is present, the deacon carries in the lamp.   And standing in the midst of all the faithful who are there, he will offer thanksgiving.   First of all he says the greeting:  “The Lord be with you,” and the people respond:  “And with your spirit.” – Then he says: “Let us give thanks to the Lord” and they reply: “It is right and just.   To Him be the greatness and supremacy together with the glory”… Then he will pray thus, saying:
“We give you thanks, Lord, through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom you enlighten us by revealing the light that never dims.   Since day is spent and we have now reached evening, filled with the light of the day you created for our joy and since, through your grace, we do not now lack the light of evening, we praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom to you be glory and power and honour, with the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and through all ages. Amen.”   And everyone will say: “Amen.”
In this way, after the meal, all will stand in prayer.   The children say psalms as also the virgins.”…St Hippolytus of Rome (c 170– c 235) Priest and Martyr – Apostolic Tradition, 25john 3 21 but he who does what is true - we give you thanks Lord - st hippolytus 1 may 2019.jpg

PRAYER – Shed your clear light on our hearts, Lord, so that walking continually in the way of Your commandments, we may never be deceived or misled.   Your ways are not our ways, teach us to willingly agree to them, for You know which way we should go. Help us to say “yes” always to Your plan and to render ourselves as a sacrament of Your divine love to all we meet.   Fill us with the grace to be your tools to bring glory to Your kingdom.   St Joseph, silent and loving husband and father, as you worked for and protected your family on earth, protect us all now in the Church of Your adopted son. Through Him, our Our Lord Jesus Christ with You, in the union of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st joseph the worker pray for us 1 may 2019.jpg

 

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, St JOSEPH

Our Morning Offering – 1 May – Transforming our daily work into something beautiful for God

Our Morning Offering – 1 May – Wednesday of the Second week of Easter, the first day of Mary’s Month and the Memorial of St Joseph the Worker

Transforming our daily work into something beautiful for God.

On 1 May 1955, Venerable Servant of God Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) established a new Memorial in the Church’s calendar, dedicating 1 May to “St Joseph the Worker.”   He sought to affirm the rights of workers and to put forth St Joseph as the supreme model.

“As the Vicar of Christ, we wish to reaffirm highly, on this day of 1 May… the dignity of work and [to] inspire social life and laws, based on a fair share of rights and duties … We have determined to establish the liturgical feast of St Joseph the Worker, assigning it precisely on the 1st of May … because the humble craftsman of Nazareth not only embodies the dignity of the arm of the worker … he is also always the guardian of you and your families.”

St Pope Pius X (1835-1914) had similar desires when he composed a prayer to “St Joseph the Worker.”   It is a prayer that recognises the great dignity of work and how it can be offered to God as a sacrifice, pleasing in His sight.   St Joseph has always been the supreme example of this type of holy work, teaching his son, Jesus, how to work with great care and precision, giving to God His best work possible.

O Glorious St Joseph,
model of all those who are devoted to labour,
obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously,
putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations,
to work with gratitude and joy,
in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins,
considering it an honour to employ
and develop by means of labour,
the gifts received from God,
to work with order, peace, moderation and patience,
without ever shrinking from weariness
and difficulties, to work above all,
with purity of intention
and detachment from self,
having always death before my eyes
and the account that I must render of time lost,
of talents wasted, of good omitted,
of vain complacency in success,
so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus,
all through Mary,
all after thine example,
O Patriarch, St Joseph.
Such shall be my motto in life and in death.
Amenprayer-to-st-joseph-the-worker-st-pope-pius-x-1-may-2018

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EASTER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 24 April – An Ancient Easter Prayer

Our Morning Offering – 24 April – Wednesday of Easter week

An Ancient Easter Prayer
Roman Missal, Easter Vigil

O God of unchangeable power and light eternal,
look kindly upon the wonderful mystery of Your Church
and by the tranquil operation of Your perpetual providence,
carry forward, the work of human salvation
and let the whole world feel and see,
that things, which were cast down
are being raised up,
that things which had grown old,
are being made new
and all things are returning to perfection,
through Him, in whom they have their source,
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amenan ancient easter prayer - roman missal - wed of octave 24 april 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, MARIAN PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Reminder! – Regina Cœli “Queen of Heaven”

Remember to exchange your Angelus prayer for the Regina Coeli as from Easter Sunday for the next 50 days of Eastertide.

The Regina Cæli or Regina Cœli “Queen of Heaven”, is an ancient Latin Marian Hymn of the Christian Church.

It is one of the four seasonal Marian antiphons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prescribed to be sung or recited in the Liturgy of the Hours at the conclusion of the last of the hours to be prayed in common that day, typically night prayer (Compline or Vespers).   Anyone of these four or of other suitable antiphons may now be sung at any time of the liturgical year.   The Regina Coeli is sung or recited in place of the Angelus during the Easter season, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost.

While the authorship of the Regina Caeli is unknown, the hymn has been traced back to the 12th century.   It was in Franciscan use, after Compline, in the first half of the following century.   According to Catholic tradition, St Gregory the Great (540-604) heard angels chanting the first three lines one Easter morning in Rome, while following barefoot in a great religious procession of the icon of the Virgin painted by St Luke the Evangelist.   He was thereupon inspired to add the fourth line.

The Regina Coeli

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom thou did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen, as He said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O virgin Mary, alleluia.
For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray.
O God, who gave joy to the world
through the resurrection of Thy son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
grant we beseech Thee,
that through the intercession
of the virgin Mary,
His mother, we may obtain
the joys of everlasting life.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amenregina coeli snipped.JPG

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 22 April – Easter Prayer

Our Morning Offering – 22 April – Monday of Easter Week

Easter Prayer
By St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church

It is only right,
with all the powers of our heart and mind,
to praise You Father and Your Only-Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Father,
by Your wondrous condescension
of Loving-Kindness toward us, Your servants,
You gave up Your Son.
Dear Jesus,
You paid the debt of Adam for us,
to the Eternal Father by Your Blood
poured forth in Loving-Kindness.
You cleared away the darkness of sin
by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
You broke the bonds of death
and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
You reconciled Heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness
before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!
We pray You, Lord, to preserve Your servants
in the peaceful enjoyment of this Easter happiness.
We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with God The Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Ameneaster prayer by st pope gregory the great monday in easter week 22 april 2019.jpg