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Refresh your soul with God’s love for you

tonia

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October 9, 2020

Refresh your soul with God’s love for you

When our heart is broken by human love, God is always there to love us and bring us peace.

Often in our lives we will experience a broken heart, wounded by another person who does not love us in return. It can be difficult to endure and we may feel like no one loves us.However, we often forget that God is there, always loving us and waiting for us to accept his love into our hearts.

As Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God alone can repair the damage done by failed love and it is his love that can refresh our soul and bring peace back into our lives.

Below is a prayer and meditation from the Golden Manual on this love that we should try to recite, asking God for an increase in love as well as to repair our broken heart. God wants to love us, but we must open ourselves to his gift and accept it.

Only then will we be able to move on, confident in ourselves because we are loved and cherished by God.

O my God, ocean of holy love and sweetness, come and give yourself unto my soul.

Grant that with a perfect heart, full desire, and burning affection, I may unceasingly aspire

after you, and lovingly respire in you. May I prefer you to every creature, for you renounce

every transitory delight, O my true, my highest joy!

Feed me, Lord, your poor, famished beggar, with continual draughts of your

divinity; refresh me with the wished-for presence of your grace. This I seek, this I long for,

that a vehement love may penetrate me through and through, and fill me, and transmute

me into itself.

God of all sweetness, I call you into my soul; I cry to you, I long for you with a large

affection, O surpassing delight of the most intimate union! Come, my Beloved, come, a

thousand thousand times desired, that I may inwardly possess you, and clasp you in the

embraces of my soul!

Invite God into your heart with this prayer

tonia

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October 8, 2020

0

Invite God into your heart with this prayer

God loves us dearly and wants his love to burn within the depths of our soul.

Just like any relationship, it’s easy to lose our passion when loving God. We say that we love God, but not with the same fire that first lit our hearts with his joy and peace.This is when our faith is tested, to see if we will continue to love God through the dry periods of our spiritual life. One way to awaken our souls is to ask God for greater passion in our life of him and to reignite the flame within us.

Here is such a prayer from the Golden Manual that can help begin a time of meditation, dwelling upon the love that we have for the author of love and life.

O my own most compassionate Lord, write on the tablet of my heart the sweet memory

of thee, which no forgetfulness may ever erase, that I may ever burn with the desire of

thee, that I may be wholly set on fire with the flame of thy love, and drowned in the

deluge of thy charity.

PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8)

raphael

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October 8, 2020

1

PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8)

Prayer for the Morning

Here God dwells in our midst:

come, let us adore!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

O may my soul, uncrushed by care,

Direct her gaze to where thou art,

And in thy splendor find, O Christ,

The strength of life thou can impart.

And freed from sin’s depressing load,

May I pursue the path divine,

And rise above the cares of earth

Until my life is merged in thine.

Unsullied life thy servant grant

Who tunes his harp to sound thy praise,

And still my life shall hymn thy love,

And glory to the Father raise.

And when I rest in glory bright,

The burden of my labor past,

In hymns I’ll praise thee more and more

While the eternal ages last.

PSALM 25:1-11

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (cf. Jn 14:6)

Let us turn from the paths of selfishness into the way of Christ, following him in faith and in hope toward the promised Kingdom of God.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

I trust you, let me not be disappointed;

do not let my enemies triumph.

Those who hope in you shall not be disappointed,

but only those who wantonly break faith.

Lord, make me know your ways.

Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

for you are God my savior.

In you I hope all day long

because of your goodness, O Lord.

Remember your mercy, Lord,

and the love you have shown from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth.

In your love remember me.

The Lord is good and upright.

He shows the path to those who stray,

he guides the humble in the right path;

he teaches his way to the poor.

His ways are faithfulness and love

for those who keep his covenant and law.

Lord, for the sake of your name

forgive my guilt, for it is great.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Hebrews 11:1-2; 12:1)

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested.

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us.

Hold firm and take heart./ Hope in the Lord!

(Ps 27:14)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

We look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:18)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet

of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

Let us pray to the Lord who is the origin, companion, and goal of our life’s journey.

R/Stay with us, Lord.

Lord Jesus, you accompanied your doubting disciples on the road to Emmaus:

– sustain your Church in our daily journey of faith. R/

You do not disappoint those who hope in your mercy:

– remember that we are slow to believe, and strengthen our faith. R/

You guide those who walk in darkness:

– teach your paths to all those who seek the road to life. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

O God, you are our guide and guard along life’s paths. Lead us in the ways of justice and love, righteousness and peace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

How to find time for prayer in a busy schedule

tonia

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October 8, 2020

0

How to find time for prayer in a busy schedule

This simple principle will revolutionize your prayer life and give you more time for prayer each day.

We all live busy and hectic lives. Juggling work and family obligations is not easy, and unfortunately the first thing to get lost is too often our daily prayer.We often have good intentions and want to pray on a daily basis, but putting that desire into action is difficult.

The good news is that there is a simple secret that unlocks a daily habit of prayer.

Author Jim Beckman, in his book God, Help Me: How to Grow in Prayer, observed a key principle in finding time for prayer.

The way we spend our time tends to reveal what we place value on. One author I read on this topic observed with amusement that no one ever died of hunger because of not having time to eat. There are things we do with our time every day, and if we track our activity, we’ll see what is truly important to us. If prayer is something we place value on, we’ll make time for it.

If we truly value prayer, we will make room in our daily schedule.
One way to do this is to make prayer a priority and schedule it first. For example, when you look at your day, instead of thinking of all the things you need to do, first ask yourself, “When can I pray today?”

Then you can work backwards and schedule in everything else.

It is a simple principle, but one that we don’t always like to follow.

Ask yourself right now, “Is prayer a priority in my life?” If it is, then it should be reflected in your daily schedule.

How humility leads to a spirit of thanksgiving, according to St. Vincent de Paul

tonia

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October 8, 2020

0

How humility leads to a spirit of thanksgiving, according to St. Vincent de Paul

Gratitude comes easily when pride is no longer in the way.

Many wise people, both religious and secular, point to the vital importance of gratitude in the pursuit of a happy life. The ability to give thanks, to God and each other, is an essential skill for all of us to learn.However, it is easier said than done, as we have a natural tendency to take things for granted, especially if our lives are blessed with many material possessions. In fact, its is easier for us to want more than to be thankful for what we have.

The key to overcome this greedy inclination and to foster a spirit of thanksgiving is the virtue of humility.

St. Vincent de Paul, in his Introduction to the Devout Life, explains this central spiritual principle.

A lively appreciation of the grace given to you should make you humble, for appreciation begets gratitude .. .Any one who will calmly consider what he has done without God, cannot fail to realize that what he does with God is no merit of his own; and so we may rejoice in that which is good in us, and take pleasure in the fact, but we shall give all the glory to God Alone, Who Alone is its Author.

At the same time, St. Vincent de Paul points out how this can also work in reverse: gratitude can lead to humility.

Nothing so tends to humble us before the Mercy of God as the multitude of His gifts to us; just as nothing so tends to humble us before His Justice as the multitude of our misdeeds. Let us consider what He has done for us.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the prime examples of a truly humble individual, who gave thanks to God for his wondrous deeds.

It was in this spirit that the Blessed Virgin confessed that God had done “great things” to her; only that she might humble herself and exalt Him. “My soul doth magnify the Lord,” she said, by reason of the gifts He had given her.

If we find ourselves having a difficult time being thankful for all that we have been given, let us foster within our soul a spirit of humility, recognizing God’s presence in our lives. He is the one who guides us and provides for us on a daily basis.

When we recognize God’s providential care for us, we can raise up our hearts to him and thank him for everything he has given. This same spirit of humility will also direct our actions towards others, recognizing how dependent we are on others and the things they do for us.

Thanksgiving and humility go hand-in-hand and both help us unlock the key to a joy-filled life.

Praying this litany will give you peace about the past and future

tonia

-

October 8, 2020

0

Praying this litany will give you peace about the past and future

This beautifully written prayer by a Sister of Life will cast away so many anxieties.

The Sisters of Life have provided us with this beautiful litany, which can cast away so many anxieties about the past, the present, and the future.

The Litany of Trust

From the belief that I have to earn Your love

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear that I am unlovable

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the false security that I have what it takes

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute

Deliver me, Jesus.

From all suspicion of Your words and promises

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You

Deliver me, Jesus.

From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will

Deliver me, Jesus.

From anxiety about the future

Deliver me, Jesus.

From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past

Deliver me, Jesus.

From restless self-seeking in the present moment

Deliver me, Jesus.

From disbelief in Your love and presence

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being asked to give more than I have

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of what love demands

Deliver me, Jesus.

From discouragement

Deliver me, Jesus.

That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me

Jesus, I trust in you.

That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings, and transforms me

Jesus, I trust in you.

That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You

Jesus, I trust in you.

That you are with me in my suffering

Jesus, I trust in you.

That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next

Jesus, I trust in you.

That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church

Jesus, I trust in you.

That Your plan is better than anything else

Jesus, I trust in you.

That You always hear me and in Your goodness always respond to me

Jesus, I trust in you.

That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others

Jesus, I trust in you.

That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked

Jesus, I trust in you.

That my life is a gift

Jesus, I trust in you.

That You will teach me to trust You

Jesus, I trust in you.

That You are my Lord and my God

Jesus, I trust in you.

That I am Your beloved one

Jesus, I trust in you.

Prayer to the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary

raphael

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October 8, 2020

1

In times of Uncertainty and Suffering, we turn to the twin heart of Jesus and Mary.

We ask for the help and protection of Jesus our Savior and Mary our Mother. This Prayer to the united hearts of Jesus and Mary sums up and covers our needs as we petition them for protection and help

Prayer to the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary

O United Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

You are all grace, all mercy, all love.

Let my heart be joined to Yours so that

my every need is present in Your United Hearts.

Most especially, shed Your grace

upon this particular need…

(State your need here)

Help me to recognize and accept Your loving will in my life.

Holy and Sacred Wounds of

the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

answer my prayer.

Amen.

PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7)

raphael

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October 7, 2020

0

PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7)

Prayer for the Evening

Come, let us praise the Lord our God

on this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

Sing of Mary, pure and lowly,

Virgin mother undefiled;

Sing of God’s own Son most holy,

Who became her little child.

Fairest child of fairest mother,

God the Lord who came to earth,

Word made flesh, our very brother,

Takes our nature by his birth.

Sing of Jesus, son of Mary,

In the home at Nazareth.

Toil and labor cannot weary

Love enduring unto death.

Constant was the love he gave her,

Though it drove him from her side,

Forth to preach, and heal, and suffer,

Till on Calvary he died.

Glory be to God the Father;

Glory be to God the Son;

Glory be to God the Spirit;

Glory to the Three in One.

From the heart of blessed Mary,

From all saints the song ascends,

And the Church the strain re-echoes

Unto earth’s remotest ends.

PSALM 28:1a, 6-9

I to the Lord will sing my song,/ my hymn to the Lord, the God of Israel. (Jgs 5:3b)

Mary’s entire life, devoted to the Word of God made flesh in her Son, Jesus Christ, is a hymn of praise to God sung in melodies of joy, light, sorrow, and eternal glory.

To you, O Lord, I call,

my rock, hear me.

Blessed be the Lord for he has heard

my cry, my appeal.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

in him my heart trusts.

I was helped, my heart rejoices

and I praise him with my song.

The Lord is the strength of his people,

a fortress where his anointed find salvation.

Save your people; bless Israel your heritage.

Be their shepherd and carry them for ever.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Judith 15:9-10)

You are the glory of Jerusalem,/ the surpassing joy of Israel;/ you are the splendid boast of our people./ With your own hand you have done all this;/ You have done good to Israel,/ and God is pleased with what you have wrought./ May you be blessed by the Lord Almighty/ forever and ever!

Give her a reward of her labors,/ and let her works praise her at the city gates. (Prv 31:31)

CANTICLE OF MARY

I will sing the Lord’s renown./ Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God! (cf. Dt 32:3)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

In the name of all people we pray:

R/Lord, hear your Mother’s plea!

Mother of God, pray for all people of faith: R/

Mother of our Savior, pray for all those who seek to know and love God: R/

Mother of Sorrows, pray for all those who suffer in spirit, mind, or body: R/

Mother of all the living, pray for all those who have crossed the threshold of death to stand before God: R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May we be blessed by the Lord Almighty/ for ever and ever! Amen. (cf. Jdt 15:10)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon for the Memorial of

Our Lady of the Rosary,

October 7

The daughters of Zion saw her flourishing

in blossoms of roses,

and pronounced her most blessed.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

How the Rosary is a powerful form of meditation

tonia

-

October 7, 2020

0

How the Rosary is a powerful form of meditation

This ancient method of prayer remains an effective way to incorporate meditation into your daily life.

Among the numerous modern methods of meditation, the Rosary remains an effective tool to achieve inner peace and union with God.The classic prayer has been popular among Catholics for centuries and when used properly, can lead to a profound experience of meditation.

First of all, the Rosary is centered on a rotating meditation on particular mysteries in the life of Christ. These meditations begin in his infancy, and go all the way through his Passion, death and resurrection.

As Fr. John Procter writes in his early 20th-century book, The Rosary Guide for Priests and People, “In our meditations on the Rosary mysteries, these are the lessons we learn, these are the truths that are brought home vividly to our minds, these the acts of faith, and consequently of confidence and love, which are evoked from the Christian soul.”

The Rosary immerses the Christian soul into the life of Christ, as they go from bead to bead meditating on episodes from the Bible.

Secondly, the act of using a string of beads during prayer has been proven to be a powerful form of meditation. It can help focus a person’s attention on the prayer itself and naturally lead to a state of meditative prayer. Using prayer beads is widely accepted by various religions and spiritualities, both Christian and non-Christian alike.

Proctor explains that the Rosary is a perfect introduction to meditation, fanning the flames of God’s love in a person’s soul.

Let no one say, “I cannot meditate.” As well might he say, “I cannot think and I cannot love”; for meditation is simply thinking and loving. First comes the thought, and from the thought the fire. Meditation enlightens the mind, and the spark from the enlightened mind sets the heart on fire. It was so in St. Dominic’s days; as St. Pius V., a son of St. Dominic, expresses it : “Christian people inflamed by these meditations and prayers became changed into other men, the darkness of heresy disappeared, and the light of the Catholic faith was revealed” (Consueverunt, Sept. 17th, 1569). So may it be in our day and in our land, if only we meditate and pray. We can all meditate; we all do meditate every day and almost all the day. Only we do not concentrate our thoughts; we let them “go astray after divers things”; and when we do concentrate our thoughts, our eyes are not lifted up to God.

If you are looking to deepen your spiritual life, try the Rosary!

A Prayer for the Forgiveness of Sins

tonia

-

October 7, 2020

2

O Lord, Jesus Christ,

Redeemer and Saviour,

forgive my sins,

just as You forgave Peter’s denial

and those who crucified You.

Count not my transgressions, but,

rather, my tears of repentance.

Remember not my iniquities, but,

more especially,

my sorrow for the offenses I have committed against You.

I long to be true to Your Word,

and pray that You will love me

and come to make Your dwelling place within me.

I promise to give You praise and glory in love

and in service all the days of my life.

sharing the faith received

sharing the faith received

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Prayers

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Saints and More

When our heart is broken by human love, God is always there to love us and bring us peace.

God loves us dearly and wants his love to burn within the depths of our soul.

Prayer for the Morning

HYMN

PSALM 25:1-11

Word of God (Hebrews 11:1-2; 12:1)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

INTERCESSIONS

This simple principle will revolutionize your prayer life and give you more time for prayer each day.

Gratitude comes easily when pride is no longer in the way.

This beautifully written prayer by a Sister of Life will cast away so many anxieties.

The Litany of Trust

In times of Uncertainty and Suffering, we turn to the twin heart of Jesus and Mary.

Prayer to the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Read More

Prayer for the Evening

HYMN

PSALM 28:1a, 6-9

Word of God (Judith 15:9-10)

CANTICLE OF MARY

INTERCESSIONS

MARIAN ANTIPHON

This ancient method of prayer remains an effective way to incorporate meditation into your daily life.

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