Category: PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 15 December “Saturdays with Mary”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

O Most Blessed and Sweet Virgin Mary
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

0 most blessed and sweet Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, filled with all tenderness,
Daughter of the most high King,
Lady of the Angels,
Mother of all the faithful,
On this day and all the days of my life,
I entrust to your merciful heart,
my body and my soul,
all my acts, thoughts, choices,
desires, words, deeds,
my entire life and death,
So that, with your assistance,
all may be ordered to the good
according to the will of your beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ameno most blessed and sweet virgin mary - st thomas aquinas - 27 april 2018

Posted in CARMELITES, CHRIST the KING, DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 14 December – O King of Gentleness

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 14 December – The Memorial of St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church

O King of Gentleness
By St John of the Cross

O blessed Jesus,
give me stillness of soul in You.
Let Your mighty calmness reign in me.
Rule me, O King of Gentleness,
King of Peace.o king of gentleness - st john of the cross - 14dec2018

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 13 December – Prayer of St Philip Neri

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 13 December – The Memorial of Blessed Antonio Grassi Cong. Orat. (1592 – 1671)

Mary, I Love You
By St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
Founder of the Oratorians

Mary, I love you.
Mary, make me live in God,
with God and for God.
Draw me after you, holy mother.
O Mary, may your children persevere in loving you.
Mary, Mother of God and mother of mercy,
pray for me and for the departed.
Mary, holy Mother of God, be our helper.
In every difficulty and distress,
come to our aid, O Mary.
O Queen of Heaven,
lead us to eternal life with God.
Mother of God, remember me,
and help me always to remember you.
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you.
Pray for us,
O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray to Jesus for me.
Amenmary I love you by st philip neri - 26 may 2918

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 12 December – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 12 December – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

St Pope Pius X’s Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Mystical Rose,
make intercession for the holy Church,
protect the Sovereign Pontiff,
help all those who invoke thee in their necessities,
and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary
and Mother of the true God,
obtain for us from thy most holy Son
the grace of keeping our faith,
sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life,
burning charity
and the precious gift of final perseverance.
Amen

This prayer was approved and enriched with an indulgence of five hundred days by St Pope Pius X at all audience held on August, 1908 and was included in the official edition of approved indulgenced prayers (1950).
Raccolta number 389, 500 days Indulgence, St Pope Pius X audience, 15 August 1908.Prayer to our lady of guadalupe - by st pope pius X 12 dec 2018

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The CHRIST CHILD, The INCARNATION, The LAST THINGS

Our Morning Offering – 11 December – Grant us Your Light, O Lord

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 11 December – Tuesday of the Second week of Advent

Grant us Your Light, O Lord
By St Bede (673-735) Father and Doctor of the Church
(From ‘On the Apocalypse’)

Grant us Your light, O Lord,
so that the darkness of our hearts,
may wholly pass away
and we may come at last,
to the light of Christ.
For Christ is that morning star,
who, when the night of this world has passed,
brings to His saints,
the promised light of life
and opens to them,
everlasting day.
Amen

grant us your light o lord - st bede - 15 dec 2017

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 9 December – The Second Sunday of Advent

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 9 December – The Second Sunday of Advent

Dear Lord, I Approach You
(Prayer before Holy Communion)
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Dear Lord,
with simplicity of heart,
in good and stable faith
and at Your command,
I approach You,
full of confidence and adoration,
truly believing that You are present
in this Sacrament, God and Man.
It is Your will that I receive You
and bind myself to You in love.
Most merciful Lord,
I beg of You that special grace,
that my soul may melt and overflow
with Your love,
never concerning myself again
with any other comfort but Your own.
AmenDear Lord, I Approach You by thomas a kempis 9dec2018

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, DOGMA, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 8 December – Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Conception

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 December – Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Conceptionin-the-presence-of-god-almight-act-of-consecration-immaculate-conception-8-dec-2017

Act of Consecration
By St Maximillian Kolbe (1894-1941)

O Immaculate, Queen of heaven and earth,
Refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother,
God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to You,
I, an unworthy sinner, cast myself at Your feet,
humbly imploring You
to take me with all that I am and have,
wholly to Yourself as Your possession and property.
Please make of me,
of all my powers of soul and body,
of my whole life, death and eternity,
whatever pleases You.
If it pleases You,
use all that I am and have without reserve,
wholly to accomplish what has been said of You:
“She will crush your head”,
and “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world.”
Let me be a fit instrument in Your immaculate
and most merciful hands for introducing and increasing Your glory
to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls
and thus help extend as far as possible,
the blessed Kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
For, wherever You enter,
You obtain the grace of conversion and sanctification,
since it is through Your hands,
that all graces come to us.
from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

V.Allow me to praise You, O most holy Virgin.

R. Give me strength against Your enemies.
Amenact-of-consecration-8-dec-2017

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 7 December – The Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 7 December – The Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, Give me a Heart to Love You
Prayer of St Ambrose (c 340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lord, who has mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of Your Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore You,
a heart to delight in You,
to follow and enjoy You,
for Christ’s sake.
Ameno-lord-give-me-a-heart-to-love-you-prayer-of-st-ambrose-7-dec-2017 (1)

Posted in DOGMA, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

DAY FIVE – 4 December

Mary, Mother of Fair Love

“I am the Mother of fair love and of fear and of knowledge and of holy hope.”   These are he lessons which Mary reminds us of today.   The lesson of fair love, of living a clean life, of having a sensitive and passionate heart, so that we may learn to be faithful in our service to the Church.   This is no ordinary love.   It is Love itself.   There is no room here for betrayal, or calculation, or forgetfulness.   It is a fair, a beautiful love, because its beginning and end is God, who is thrice Holy, who is all Beauty, all Goodness and all Greatness.
But there is also a reference to fear.   For myself, the only fear I can imagine is that of turning away from Love.   God Our Lord, certainly does not want us to be inhibited, timid or lukewarm about our dedication to Him.   He wants us to be daring, courageous and refined.   When the sacred text speaks of fear here I am reminded of a complaint we find elsewhere in Scripture, “I searched for my heart’s love but found him not.”   This can happen, if one has not yet fully understood what it means to love God.   Then our hearts can be swayed by things which do not lead to Our Lord and so we lose sight of Him.   At other times it may be Our Lord who hides Himself. He knows the reason why. In such cases, He will be encouraging us to seek Him more earnestly and, when we find Him, we shall be able to cry out with joy, “I took hold of Him and I will never let Him go.” (Friends of God, 277)

The spotless purity of John’s whole life makes him strong before the Cross.   The other apostles fly from Golgotha:  he, with the Mother of Christ, remains.   Don’t forget that purity strengthens and invigorates the character.  (The Way, 144)

This heart of ours was born to love. But when it is not given something pure, clean and noble to love, it takes revenge and fills itself with squalor.   True love of God and consequently purity of life, is as far removed from sensuality as it is from insensitivity and as far from sentimentality as it is from heartlessness or hard-heartedness.   (Friends of God, 183)

Why don’t you give yourself to God once and for all… really…, now?  (The Way, 902)

Mary, the holy Mother of our King, the Queen of our heart, looks after us as only she knows how.   Mother of mercy, throne of grace, we ask you to help us compose, verse by verse, the simple poem of charity in our own life and the lives of the people around us;  it is “like a river of peace.”   For you are a sea of inexhaustible mercy: “ All streams run to the sea, but the sea is never full.”  (Christ is Passing By, 187)

Let us Pray:

At this very moment, you should trustingly beg
Our Lady, as you accompany her in the solitude
of your heart, without saying anything out
loud:

“Mother, this poor heart of mine
rebels so foolishly!
If you don’t protect me…”
Holy Mother, come to my aid,
help me here and now.
Help me always to love with a pure heart,
to love my Lord and my God,
to seek Him always!
For you, who I dearly love,
are my Mother,
amen.

And she will help you,
to keep it pure and to follow the
way to which God has called you.
(Friends of God, 180)DAY FIVE - IMM CONCEPTION NOVENA - MARY MOTHER OF FAIR LOVE

Posted in DOGMA, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

DAY FOUR – 3 December

Mary, Woman of Faith

She teaches us to have faith. “Blessed art thou for thy believing,” were the words of greeting uttered by her cousin Elizabeth when Our Lady went up into the hill country to visit her.   Mary’s act of faith had been a wonderful one, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.”   When her Son was born she contemplated the greatness of God on earth:  a choir of angels was present and not only the shepherds but also important men of this world came to adore the Child.  Afterwards,however, the Holy Family had to flee to Egypt, to escape Herod’s murderous intent.   Then, silence, thirty long years of simple, ordinary life, just like that of any other home in a small village in Galilee. (Friends of God, 284)

Lord, I do believe!   I have been brought up to believe in You.   I have decided to follow You closely.   Repeatedly during my life I have implored Your mercy.   And repeatedly too  have thought it impossible that You could perform such marvels in the hearts of Your children.
Lord, I do believe but help me to believe more and better!
Let us address this same plea to Our Lady, Mother of God and our Mother and Teacher of faith:   “Blessed art thou for thy believing. the message that was brought to thee from the Lord shall have fulfilment.”  (Friends of God, 204)

The Virgin did not merely pronounce her fiat, in every moment she fulfilled that firm and irrevocable decision.   So should we.   When God’s love gets through to us and we come to know what He desires, we ought to commit ourselves to be faithful and loyal and then be so in fact.   Because “not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.”   (Christ is Passing By, 173)

Don’t forget:  if God exalted His Mother, it is equally true that He did not spare her pain, exhaustion in her work or trials of her faith.   A village woman one day broke into praise for Jesus, exclaiming: “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nourished you!”  Jesus said in reply:  “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep  it.”   It was a compliment to His Mother on her fiat, her “be it done.”   She lived it sincerely, unstintingly, fulfilling its every consequence but never amid fanfare, rather in the hidden and silent sacrifice of each day.  (Christ is Passing By, 172)

Let us Pray

“Mother!” Call her again and again. She is
listening, she sees you in danger perhaps and
with her Son’s grace she, your holy Mother
Mary, offers you the refuge of her arms, the
tenderness of her embrace.   Call her and you
will find yourself with added strength for the
new struggle.
The Way, 516

Hail Mary, Holy Mother!
I cry unto you,
help and assist me,
lead me mother,
teach me and guide me.
AmenDAY FOUR - IMM CONCEPTION NOVENA - MARY WOMAN OF FAITH

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori 3 December – Monday of the First Week of Advent

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori
3 December – Monday of the First Week of Advent

Fullness of Grace

Behold the happy time is come which was called the designated time:  “When the designated time had come, God sent his Son…to deliver from the law those who were subjected to it” (Gal 4:4).   It is called the fullness of time because of the fullness of grace which the Son of God came to communicate to [us] by the redemption of the world.

THE INCARNATION, BIRTH AND INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST
Scripture
Brothers [and sisters]:  May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. [Amen.]
Finally, brothers [and sisters], we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God—and as you are conducting yourselves—you do so even more.   For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus...1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2

PRAYER
Lord, it is my hope that I may always be in “your will
and way.”
Sometimes I am selfish with my time and my own desires.
Today, help me sort out things in my life.
I need to make You the first priority in my life
and not the things that really do not matter.
Assist me in conducting myself in ways that are most pleasing to You.
Lord, it is my desire to live more for You this day.
Amen.

ADVENT ACTION
Advent is a time to practice patience.   Today, be patient with yourself and those around you.   Spiritual growth is tender, it is holy ground.   There is simply no greater investment.advent-preparing the way - day two - 3 december 2018

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

DAY THREE – 2 December

Mary, Teacher of Prayer

The Lord will grant you the ability to discover many other aspects of the faithful response to grace of the blessed Virgin. And to know these facets of her life is to want to imitate them: her purity, her humility, her fortitude, her generosity, her fidelity… But now I want to speak to you of an aspect that in a way encompasses all the others because it is a condition for spiritual growth. I’m speaking of her life of prayer.
To take advantage of the grace which our Mother offers us today and to follow up at anytime the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, the shepherd of our souls, we ought to be seriously committed to talking with God. We cannot take refuge in the anonymous crowd. If interior life doesn’t involve a personal encounter with God, it doesn’t exist – it’s as simple as that.
There are few things more at odds with Christianity than superficiality. To settle down to routine in our Christian life is to dismiss the possibility of becoming a contemplative soul.
God seeks us out, one by one. And we ought to answer Him, one by one: “Here I am, Lord, because you have called me.”
We are ordinary Christians. We work at the most varied professions. All our activity takes place amid everyday circumstances. Everything follows a customary rhythm in our lives.
The days seem the same, even monotonous . But don’t forget that our condition which is apparently so common has a divine value. God is interested in everything we do, because Christ wishes to become incarnate in our things, to vivify from within even our most insignificant actions.

Review these thoughts in your prayer. Take occasion of them to tell Jesus that you adore Him.  And thus you have a formula to become contemplatives in the middle of the world, amid the noises of the street, at all times and in all places.  This is the first lesson we should learn in the school of intimacy with Christ. And in this school, Mary is the best teacher, because the Virgin always kept this attitude of faith, of supernatural vision, regardless of what happened around her: “And his mother kept all these words in her heart.” (Christ is Passing By, 174)

Our Mother had meditated deep and long on the words of the holy men and women of the Old Testament who awaited the Saviour and on the events that they had taken part in.   She must have marvelled at all the great things that God, in His boundless mercy, had done for His people, who were so often ungrateful. As she considers the tenderness shown time after time by God towards His people, Mary’s immaculate Heart breaks out in loving words, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour, for he has looked graciously upon the lowliness of his handmaid.” The early  Christians, children of this good Mother, learned from her; we can, and we ought to do likewise. (Friends of God, 241)

Let us Pray

Let us ask the blessed Virgin to make us
contemplatives, to teach us to recognise the
constant calls from God at the door of our
heart. Let us ask her now:

Our mother, you
brought to earth Jesus,
who reveals the love of
our Father God.
Help us to recognise Him
in the midst of the cares of each day.
Stir up our mind and will,
so that we may listen to the voice of
God, to the calls of grace.”
AmenDAY THREE - IMM CONCEPTION NOVENA - MARY TEACHER OF PRAYER

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 2 December – The First Sunday of Advent – My Supreme and only Lord and Love

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 2 December – The First Sunday of Advent

My Supreme and only Lord and Love
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

The more, O my dear Lord,
I meditate on Your words, works,
actions and sufferings in the Gospel,
the more wonderfully glorious
and beautiful I see You to be.
And, therefore, O my dear Lord,
since I perceive You to be so beautiful,
I love You
and desire to love You more and more.
Since You are the Goodness,
Beautifulness,
Gloriousness,
in the whole world of being
and there is nothing like You
but You are infinitely more glorious
and more good than even
the most beautiful of creatures,
therefore, I love You with a singular love,
a one, only, sovereign love ….
And, I would lose everything,
whatever, rather than lose You.
For You, O my Lord,
ae my supreme
and only Lord and Love.
AmenMy supreme and only Lord and Love - bl john henry newman - 2 dec 2018

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

DAY TWO – 1 December

Mother of us all, Mother of each of us

The divine Motherhood of Mary is the source of all the perfections and privileges with
which she is endowed.   Because of it, she was conceived immaculate and is full of
grace, because of it, she is ever virgin, she was taken up body and soul to heaven and
has been crowned Queen of all creation, above the angels and saints.   Greater than she,
there is none but God. “The Blessed Virgin, from the fact that she is the Mother of God, has a certain infinite dignity which comes from the infinite good which is God.” There is no danger of exaggerating.   We can never hope to fathom this inexpressible mystery; nor will we ever be able to give sufficient thanks to our Mother for bringing us into such intimacy with the Blessed Trinity.   (Friends of God, 276)

There is no heart more human than that of a person overflowing with supernatural
sense.   Think of Holy Mary, who is full of grace, daughter of God the Father, Mother of
God the Son, spouse of God the Holy Spirit.   Her heart has room for all humanity and
makes no distinction or discrimination.   Every person is her son or her daughter. (Furrow, 801)

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, brought Mary into his home, into his life.  Spiritual writers have seen these words of the Gospel as an invitation to all Christians to bring Mary into their lives.   Mary certainly wants us to invoke her, to approach her confidently, to appeal to her as our mother, asking her to “show that you are our mother.”
But she is a mother who anticipates our requests.   Knowing our needs, she comes quickly to our aid.   If we recall that God’s mercies come to us through the hands of our Lady, each of us can find many reasons for feeling that Mary is our mother in a very special way.   (Christ is Passing By, 140)

Because Mary is our mother, devotion to her teaches us to be authentic sons and daughters:  to love truly, without limit;   to be simple, without the complications which come from selfishly thinking only about ourselves;  to be happy, knowing that nothing can destroy our hope.   “The beginning of the way, at the end of which you will find yourself completely carried away by love for Jesus, is a trusting love for Mary.”   I wrote that many years ago, in the introduction to a short book on the rosary and since then I have often experienced the truth of those words.   I am not going to complete that thought here with all sorts of reasons.   I invite you to discover it for yourself, showing your love for Mary, opening your heart to her, confiding to her your joys and sorrows, asking her to help you recognise and follow Jesus.   (Christ is Passing By, 143)

Let us Pray

Mother, we thank you
for your intercession before Jesus.
Without you, we would not
have been able to reach Him.
How true it is
that one always goes to Jesus
and returns to Him
through Mary!
AmenDAY ONE - IMM CONCEPTION NOVENA - MOTHER OF ALL

Posted in GOD the FATHER, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 1 December – The Memorial of Blessed Charles of Jesus/Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 1 December – The Memorial of Blessed Charles of Jesus/Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)

Father, I abandon myself into Your Hands
By Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)

Father,
I abandon myself into Your hands;
do with me what You will.
Whatever You may do, I thank You:
I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only Your will be done in me
and in all Your creatures –
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into Your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to You with all the love of my heart,
for I love You, Lord and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into Your hands without reserve
and with boundless confidence,
for You are my Father.
Amenfather, i abandon myself into your hands - bl charles de foucauld - 1 dec 2018

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)

DAY ONE – 30 November

MARY FULL OF GRACE

She is the one who is full of grace and the sum of all perfections and she is also our
Mother. Her power before God is such that she can obtain anything we ask for and,
like any mother, she wants to answer our prayers.   Like any mother also, she knows and understands our weaknesses.   She encourages us and makes excuses for us.   She makes the way easy for us and, even when we think there is no possible solution for our worry, she always has one ready to offer us.
Perhaps some of you might be thinking that the ordinary comings and goings, of your
working day, are not going to help you much to stay close to someone, as pure as Our
Lady.   But I would just ask you to reflect a little.   What are we looking for all the time
in things we do, even without thinking about it especially?   If we are motivated by the love of God and we work with a right intention, then we are seeking whatever is good and clean, whatever brings peace to our conscience and happiness to our soul.   Yes, you might say but don’t we still have our faults?   Indeed, but it is precisely by acknowledging our faults that we are able to see, more clearly than ever, just what our goal has to be.   What we are looking for is happiness, not a momentary happiness but one that is deep and lasting and both human and supernatural.
There is one creature who achieved such happiness here on earth, because she is God’s masterpiece, our most holy Mother Mary.   She lives now and is protecting us.   She is
there, body and soul, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Friends of God, 292)

Holy Rosary, 4th joyful mystery:
When the days of the Mother’s purification are accomplished, according to the Law of
Moses, the Child must be taken to Jerusalem, to be presented to the Lord (Luke 2:22).
And this time it will be you, my friend, who will carry the cage with the doves (Luke
2:24).   Just think: She – Mary Immaculate! – submits to the Law as if she were defiled.
Through this example, foolish child, will you learn to obey the Holy Law of God, regardless of any personal sacrifice?
Purification! You and I surely do need purification! Atonement and more than atonement, Love.   Love as a searing iron to cauterise our souls’ uncleanness and as a fire to kindle with divine flames the wretched tinder of our hearts.

Let us turn to her, tota pulchra! – all beautiful! – taking to heart the advice I gave many years ago to those who felt uneasy in their daily struggle to be humble, pure, sincere, cheerful and generous.   “All the sins of your life seem to be rising up against you.   Don’t give up hope!   On the contrary, call your holy Mother Mary, with the faith and abandonment of a child.   She will bring peace to your soul.”  (Friends of God, 189)

Let us Pray!

Hail Mary full of grace!
It’s fair, gentle Lady,
for me to ask you for a present,
a proof of your affection –
contrition, compunction for my sins,
sorrow of love.
Hear me, O Lady, my life, my hope.
Take me by the hand
and if there is anything in me now
that is displeasing to my Father God,
make me see it,
and between the two of us,
we’ll tear it out.
AmenDAY ONE - IMM CONCEPTION NOVENA - HAIL MARY

Posted in franciscan OFM, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering -29 November – Prayer to do the Will of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering -29 November – The Memorial of All Franciscan Saints and Blesseds and in particular, of St Francesco Antonio Fasani OFM Conv (1681 – 1742)

Prayer to do the Will of God
By St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,
grant us in our misery, the grace to do for You alone
what we know You want us to do
and always to desire, what pleases You.
Thus, inwardly cleansed, interiorly enlightened
and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit,
may we be able to follow in the footprints of
Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
And, by Your grace alone, may we make our way to You,
Most High, Who live and rule in perfect Trinity and simple Unity
and are glorified God all-powerful, forever and ever.
Amen.
(From “A Letter to the Entire Order”)prayer to do the will of god by st francis of assisi - 29 nov 2018

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, franciscan OFM, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The Memorial of St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 27 November – The Memorial of St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)

“What graces, gifts and virtues
the Holy Mass calls down!”

“I believe that were it not for the Holy Mass,
as this moment, the world would be in the abyss,
unable to bear up under the mighty load of its iniquities.
Mass is the potent prop that hold the world on its base.”

“If the Lord, at the moment of my death,
reproves me for being too kind to sinners,
I will answer, ‘My dear Jesus, if it is a fault
to be too kind to sinners, it is a fault
I learned from You, for You never scolded anyone
who came to You seeking mercy.'”if the Lord at the moment of my death - stleonardofportmaurice-27nov2918

“If you practice the holy exercise
of Spiritual Communion,
a good many times each day,
within a month,
you will see yourself completely changed.”

St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)

Act of Spiritual Communion
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church

My Jesus,
I believe that You art present
in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love You above all things
and I desire You in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally,
come at least, spiritually, into my heart.
As though You were already there,
I embrace You
and unite myself wholly to You,
permit not, that I should ever,
be separated from You.
Amen

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The HOLY SOULS

Our Morning Offering – 26 November

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 26 November

O Heart of Jesus, All Love
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

O Heart of Jesus all love,
I offer You these humble prayers for myself
and for all those, who unite themselves with me,
in spirit to adore You.
O holiest Heart of Jesus most lovely,
I intend to renew and to offer to You,
these acts of adoration and these prayers,
for myself, a wretched sinner
and for all those, who are associated with me
in Your adoration,
through all moments which I breath,
even to the end of my life.
I recommend to You, O my Jesus,
Holy Church, Your dear spouse
and our true Mother,
all just souls and all poor sinners,
the afflicted, the dying and all mankind.
Let not Your Blood be shed for them in vain.
Finally, deign to apply it in relief
of the souls in Purgatory
and of these in particular….
Ameno heart of jesus, all love - bl john henry newman - 26 nov 2018

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 24 November

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 November – Saturday of the Thirty Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Saturday with Mary

O Mother and Handmaid of God
St Methodius of Constantinople (c 815-885)

Your name, O Mother of God,
is replete with all graces
and Divine blessings.
You have contained Him who cannot be contained,
and nourished Him who nourishes all creatures.
He who fills heaven and earth,
and is the Lord of all,
was pleased to be in need of you,
for it was you who clothed Him with that flesh
which He did not have before.
Rejoice, then, O Mother and Handmaid of God!
Rejoice, because you have made Him a debtor
who gives being to all creatures.
We are all debtors to God,
but He is a debtor to you.
That is why, O most holy Mother of God,
you possess more goodness
and greater charity than all the other Saints,
and have freer access to God than any of them,
for you are His Mother.
Be mindful of us,
we beg you,
in our miseries,
for we celebrate your glories
and know how great is your goodness.
Ameno mother and handmaid of god - st methodius - 23 may 2018

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 23 November – The Memorial of St Columban (543-615)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 23 November – The Memorial of St Columban (543-615)

Lord, Kindle our Lamps
By St Columban

Lord, kindle our lamps,
Saviour most dear to us,
that we may always shine
in Your presence
and always receive light
from You, the Light Perpetual,
so that our own personal darkness
may be overcome
and the world’s darkness
driven from us.
Amen

(St Columban, Sermon XII)lord, kindle our lamps - prayer of st columban - 23 nov 2018

Posted in JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on HOPE

Our Morning Offering – 22 November – My God, My Hope is in You

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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.my god, my hope is in you - 22 november - st claude de la colombiere

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 18 November – Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 November – Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B and the Memorial of St Rose Philippine Duchesne RSCJ (1769-1852)
The Prayer below is by the Founder of the Religious Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, St Madeleine-Sophie Barat (1779 – 1865)

O Sacred Heart of Jesus
By St Madeleine-Sophie Barat (1779 – 1865)

Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Give me a heart
that is one with your own,
A humble heart,
that knows and loves its nothingness,
A gentle heart,
that holds and calms its own anxiety,
A loving heart,
that has compassion
for the suffering of others,
A pure heart,
that recoils even
at the appearance of evil,
A detached heart,
that longs for nothing
other than the goodness of heaven,
A heart detached from self-love
and embraced by the love of God,
Its attention focused on God,
Its goodness its only treasure,
in time and in eternity.
Ameno sacred heart of jesus by st sophie barat - 18 nov 2018

Posted in PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Thought for the Day – 17 November – “The Creed” of Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 November – St Gregory Thaumaturgus “the Wonder-Worker” (c 213-c 270)

“The Creed”
of Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus

There is one God, the Father of the living Word,
who is His subsistent Wisdom and Power and Eternal Image,
perfect Begetter of the perfect Begotten, Father of the only-begotten Son.
There is one Lord, Only of the Only, God of God,
Image and Likeness of Deity, Efficient Word,
Wisdom comprehensive of the constitution of all things
and Power formative of the whole creation,
true Son of true Father, Invisible of Invisible
and Incorruptible of Incorruptible
and Immortal of Immortal
and Eternal of Eternal.
And there is One Holy Spirit,
having His subsistence from God
and being made manifest by the Son,
to wit to men, Image of the Son,
Perfect Image of the Perfect,
Life, the Cause of the living,
Holy Fount,
Sanctity, the Supplier, or Leader, of Sanctification,
in whom is manifested God the Father,
who is above all and in all
and God the Son, who is through all.
There is a perfect Trinity, in glory and eternity and sovereignty,
neither divided nor estranged.
Wherefore there is nothing, either created or in servitude in the Trinity,
nor anything superinduced, as if at some former period it was non-existent
and at some later period it was introduced.
And thus neither was the Son ever wanting to the Father,
nor the Spirit to the Son
but without variation and without change,
the same Trinity abideth ever.

St Gregory Thaumaturgus, Pray for Us! st gregory thaumaturgus pray for us - 17 nov 2018

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 17 November – Make Me Like Yourself, Mary My Mother

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 17 November – Saturday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Mary’s day

Make Me Like Yourself, Mary My Mother
By St Louis-Marie de Montfort (1673-1716)

My powerful Queen,
you are all mine, through your mercy,
and I am all yours.
Take away from me, all that may displease God
and cultivate in me, all that is pleasing to Him.
May the light of your faith,
dispel the darkness of my mind,
your deep humility,
take the place of my pride,
your continual sight of God,
fill my memory, with His presence.
May the first, of the love of your heart
inflame the lukewarmness, of my own heart.
May your virtues, take the place of my sins.
May your merits, be my enrichment
and make up for all
that is wanting in me, before God.
My beloved Mother,
grant that I may, have no other spirit but your spirit,
to know Jesus Christ and His Divine will
and to praise and glorify the Lord,
that I may love God, with burning love like yours.
Amen.make me like yourself mary my mother, - my power queen - st louis de montfort - 17 nov 2018

Posted in GOD the FATHER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 16 November – The Memorial of St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 16 November – The Memorial of St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

An Act of Thanksgiving
By St Gertrude the Great

May my soul bless You,
O Lord God my Creator,
may my soul bless You.
From the very core of my being,
may all Your merciful gifts sing Your praise.
Your generous care for Your daughter,
has been rich in mercy;
indeed it has been immeasurable
and as far as I am able,
I give You thanks.
I praise and glorify,
Your great patience which bore with me
I offer You, most loving Father,
all the sufferings of Your beloved Son,
from that first infant cry
as He lay on the hay in the manger,
until that final movement, when,
bowing His head, with a mighty voice,
Christ gave up His spirit.
I think, as I make this offering,
of all that He underwent,
His needs as a baby,
His dependence as a young child,
the hardships of youth
and the trials of early manhood.
To atone for all my neglect I offer,
most loving Father,
all that Your only-begotten Son did
during His life,
whether in thought, word or deed.
And now, as an act of thanksgiving,
I praise and worship You, Father,
in deepest humility,
for Your most loving kindness and mercy.
Amen

(Excerpt from the Revelations by Saint Gertrude)an act of thanksgiving to the father for the son by st gertrude the great 16 nov 2018.jpg

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 15 November – The Memorial of St Albert the Great (1200-1280)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 15 November – The Memorial of St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Church

Guide me Lord
By St Albert

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Who seeks those who stray
and receives them when returning,
make me approach You
through the frequent hearing of Your Word,
lest I sin against my neighbour
by the blindness of human judgement,
through the austerity of false justice,
through comparing his inferior status,
through too much trust in my merits
or through ignorance of the Divine Judgement.
Guide me to search diligently,
each corner of my conscience,
lest the flesh dominate the spirit.
Amenguide me lord by st albert the great - 15 nov 2018

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The WORD

Our Morning Offering – 14 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 17:11–19

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 14 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 17:11–19 -Wednesday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year B

“Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”...Luke 17:18

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ
St Richard of Chichester (1198-1253)

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits and blessings,
which You have given me,
for all the pains and insults,
which You have borne for me.
Merciful Friend, Brother and Redeemer,
may I know You more clearly,
love You more dearly
and follow You more nearly,
day by day.
Amenthank you lord jesus christ - st richard of chichester - 14 nov 2018

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 12 November

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 12 November

O Sweet Name of Jesus
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

O sweet Name of Jesus,
holy above all names
in heaven and on earth
and to which every knee,
both of men
and of angels in heaven,
on earth and in hell, bends.
You are the Way of the just,
the Glory of the saints,
the Hope of those in need,
the Balm of the sick,
the Love of the devout
and the Consolation
of those that suffer.
O, Jesus be to me a help
and a protector
so that Your Name
may be blessed for all times.
Amen

Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) CRSA …(Manualis Parvulorum XIII)o sweet name of jesus - thomas a kempis - 6 jan 2018

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 11 November – Prayer of St Martin of Tours

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 11 November – The Memorial of St Martin of Tours (c 316-397)

I Will Fight Beneath Your Banner, Lord
Prayer of St Martin of Tours (c 316-397)

Lord, if Your people still have need
of my services,
I will not avoid the toil.
Your will be done.
I have fought the good fight long enough.
Yet if You bid me continue to hold
the battle line in defense
of Your camp,
I will never beg to be excused
from failing strength.
I will do the work You entrust to me.
While You command,
I will fight beneath Your banner.
Ameni will fight beneath your banner lord - st martin of tours - 11 nov 2018.jpg