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St. Raphael, a powerful healer for anyone suffering right now

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October 7, 2020

St. Raphael, a powerful healer for anyone suffering right now

The archangel’s name in Hebrew can be rendered as “God heals,” “Divine Healer,” or “Remedy of God.”

Among the three archangels named in the Bible, St. Raphael is probably the least known. This is likely due to the fact that St. Raphael is only found in the Old Testament (and there, only in a book not considered canonical by Jews or Protestant Christians), while Gabriel and Michael feature prominently in the New Testament.

In the Book of Tobit, he reveals himself as a healer of mind, body and spirit. The first part of the biblical story narrates the life of Tobit, a righteous Jewish man who took upon himself the burial of the dead even when it was forbidden by his Assyrian captors. Tobit became blind after bird droppings fell into his eyes. The blindness lasted for several years and sent Tobit into a deep anguish, creating in him a desire to die.

At the same time there was a woman named Sarah who was tormented by a demon. She married seven times, but each time her bridegroom was killed by the demon on their wedding night, before the marriage could be consummated. She too was deeply depressed and wished for death.

St. Raphael was sent to both. He brought about their healing by accompanying Tobit’s son, Tobias, on a journey to find a special kind of fish liver with healing properties. Raphael was disguised as Tobias’ travel guide, and in this tradition he is often invoked by pilgrims.

On the way back home, Raphael and Tobias stopped at the home of Tobit’s kinsmen — the parents of Sarah. Tobias and Sarah fell in love, and on their wedding night Tobias’ pledge of chaste love, stirred by Raphael’s angelic power, defeated the demon.

Returning home with his bride, Tobias laid the fish liver on Tobit’s eyes and his blindness was healed. At the marriage feast of Tobias and Sarah, the family turned to thank Raphael, who only then revealed himself as an archangel.

The word Raphael in Hebrew can be rendered as “God heals,” “Divine Healer,” or “Remedy of God.” His angelic mission on earth is to heal, which is very important for those suffering in any way. Traditionally, he had a separate feast celebrated on October 24, though recently his feast was combined with those of the other two archangels on September 29.

Below is a prayer to St. Raphael for any intention you may have, especially for anyone you know who may be hurting right now. In light of recent events, all of us should pray for the healing of our country, and all those suffering in mind, body or spirit.

Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for

your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or

air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners. I beg you, assist me in all my needs

and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels.

Because you are the “medicine of God” I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of

my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor (here mention

your special intention), and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the

Holy Spirit.

Amen.

When Our Lady visited the asthmatic child from the poorest family in town

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October 7, 2020

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When Our Lady visited the asthmatic child from the poorest family in town

For 5 months, the Immaculate Conception sent a message of conversion

For five months, between February and July of 1858, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, “a young lady” appeared to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous. Introducing herself as the “Immaculate Conception,” the “Lady” asked that a sanctuary be built on the landfill where the apparitions took place.Bernadette, the asthmatic child of the poorest family in town, soon became an object of discredit. Despite the derision and suspicion, however, she remained persevering in the obedience she learned in the “School of Mary,” a term Pope Pius XII would coin.

It was thanks to her abiding to the guidelines of the Lady that a fountain sprung up in that place. Its waters, endowed with healing powers, have been the vehicle for 70 miracles already confirmed by both science and the Church, alongside thousands of other claims from pilgrims.

The girl told the parish priest that the Lady requested a chapel be built on the grotto. He initially rejected the request, but Bernadette’s instructions eventually helped confirm the authenticity of these supernatural events and the complex concepts involved in them.

“I am the Immaculate Conception,” the Lady had said, according to Bernadette. But how could that poor girl know that four years earlier the dogma of the Immaculate Conception had been promulgated by Pope Pius IX? She did not even know what the word “conception” meant.

Local authorities wanted to prevent the crowds from visiting the place. In fact, they tried to convince the bishop, who eventually created a commission to investigate the facts.
Four years later the apparitions were declared authentic and in 1876, the basilica on the grotto was finally consecrated.

Thanks to the apparitions in Lourdes, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception spread widely and helped improve the understanding of the divine logic of preserving Mary from sin.

Bernadette died in a convent, 20 years after the last apparition. Her body remains incorrupt. During the third exhumation, in 1925, wax coatings were placed on her face and hands before the body was moved to a glass reliquary.

Prayer of thanksgiving after confession

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October 7, 2020

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Give thanks to God for the beautiful gift you received in the sacrament of confession.

Confession is a beautiful sacrament of God’s mercy, in which the penitent reveals their soul to God and asks forgiveness for all the times they have missed the mark.However, sometimes we forget about the beauty of this sacrament, and do not stop to thank God for the graces he showers upon us.

Here is a brief prayer from My Prayer Book that emphasizes the great goodness of God and his mercy.

Eternal Father, I thank you, I bless you, for your goodness and mercy. You have had compassion on me, although in my folly I had wandered far away from you and offended you most grievously. With fatherly love you have received me anew after so many relapses into sin and forgiven me my offenses through the holy sacrament of penance. Blessed forever, O my God, be your loving-kindness, your infinite mercy! Never again will I grieve you by ingratitude, by disobedience to your holy will. All that I am, all that I have, all that I do shall be consecrated to your service and your glory.

Abandon yourself to God’s providence with this prayer

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October 7, 2020

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Abandon yourself to God’s providence with this prayer

Composed by St. Jane Frances de Chantal, it places a radical amount of trust in God.

In the midst of the 17th century, St. Jane Frances de Chantal endured many trials and suffering with the help of St. Francis de Sales, her spiritual director. He helped her mourn the loss of her husband and find greater meaning in life.Inspired by St. Francis’ missionary zeal, St. Jane Frances helped found a new religious order called the Order of the Visitation of Mary. They dedicated their entire lives to serving the poor and sick and daily abandoned themselves to Divine Providence. The sisters had to be totally reliant on God’s will and placed a radical amount of trust in his ability to provide for their needs.

Here is a prayer composed by St. Jane Frances de Chantal that can encourage us to do the same. It challenges us to place everything into God’s hands and allow him to have a greater influence in our lives.

O sovereign goodness of the sovereign Providence of my God! I abandon myself forever

to Thy arms. Whether gentle or severe, lead me henceforth whither Thou wilt; I will not

regard the way through which Thou wilt have me pass, but keep my eyes fixed upon

Thee, my God, who guidest me. My soul finds no rest without the arms and the bosom of

this heavenly Providence, my true Mother, my strength and my rampart.

Therefore I resolve with Thy divine assistance, O my Savior, to follow Thy desires and

Thy ordinances, without regarding or examining why Thou dost this rather than that; but I

will blindly follow Thee according to Thy divine will, without seeking my own inclinations.

Hence I am determined to leave all to Thee, taking no part therein save by keeping

myself in peace in Thy arms, desiring nothing except as Thou incitest me to desire, to

will, to wish. I offer Thee this desire, O my God, beseeching Thee to bless it; I undertake

all it includes, relying on Thy goodness, liberality, and mercy, with entire confidence in

Thee, distrust of myself, and knowledge of my infinite misery and infirmity.

Amen!

AND TODAY WE CELEBRATE… Saint of the Day: Our Lady of the Rosary (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7)

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October 7, 2020

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AND TODAY WE CELEBRATE… Saint of the Day: Our Lady of the Rosary (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7)

Sitting at the School of Mary

The meaning of the celebration

+ This celebration—originally dedicated to Mary under her title Our Lady of Victories—was introduced by the Dominican Pope Saint Pius V to commemorate the victory of the Christian fleet against the Turkish navy at the Battle of Lepanto in 1572.

+ In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of the celebration to “Our Lady of the Rosary.” It has been celebrated by the Universal Church since 1716.

+ The texts of Mass for this feast highlight Mary’s contemplative spirit as she “held within her heart” the mysteries of the life of Jesus and her own union with God.

For prayer and reflection

“With the Rosary, the Christian people sit at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty of the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.”—Pope Saint John Paul II

Spiritual bonus

October 7 is also the day the Church celebrate the memory of Pope Saint Mark. Elected bishop of Rome in 336, he is credited with establishing two important lists: the Depositio episcoporum (a list of the dates and names of the popes who did not die as martyrs) and the Depositio martyrum (a list of the martyrs venerated in Rome). These documents formed the basis of the original liturgical calendar of the Church in Rome. Pope Saint Mark died on October 7, 336, serving as pope for only eight months.

Vocations

To learn about religious communities dedicated to the rosary or named for Our Lady of the Rosary visit the links below:

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary: www.dongmancoi.org

Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary: www.mshr.org

Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary: http://soeursdusaintrosaire.org

Dominican Nuns of the Perpetual Rosary:

Milwaukee, WI: www.dsopr.org

Marbury, AL: www.marburydominicans.org

Syracuse, NY: www.dominicanmonastery.net

Lancaster, PA: www.opnunslancaster.org

Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary (Buffalo, NY): www.opnuns.org

Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary (Summit, NJ): www.summitdominicans.org

Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, NY (Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary): www.sparkill.org

Prayer

Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord,

your grace into our hearts,

that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son

was made known by the message of an Angel,

may, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

by his Passion and Cross

be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.

PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7)

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October 7, 2020

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PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7)

Our Lady of the Rosary

Prayer for the Morning

Let us proclaim God’s goodness

in the assembly of the faithful!

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

HYMN

The gladness of thy motherhood,

The anguish of thy suffering,

The glory now that crowns thy brow,

O Virgin-Mother, we would sing.

Hail, blessed mother, full of joy

In thy consent, thy visit too;

Joy in the birth of Christ on earth,

Joy in him lost and found anew.

Hail, sorrowing in his agony—

The blows, the thorns that pierced his brow;

The heavy wood, the shameful Rood—

True queen and chief of martyrs thou!

Hail in the triumph of thy Son,

The quick’ning flames of Pentecost;

Shining a queen in light serene,

When all the world is tempest-tossed.

O come, you nations, roses bring

Culled from these mysteries divine,

And for the mother of your King

With loving hearts your chaplets twine.

PSALM 86:1-6, 11-13

All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:14)

Mary, Mother of the Church, prays with us and for us. Through her example and intercession, we learn the lesson of faithful prayer, just as through our meditation on the mysteries of the rosary we learn the lesson of faithful life taught by Mary and by her Son Jesus.

Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer

for I am poor and needy.

Preserve my life, for I am faithful:

save the servant who trusts in you.

You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,

for I cry to you all the day long.

Give joy to your servant, O Lord,

for to you I lift up my soul.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,

full of love to all who call.

Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer

and attend to the sound of my voice.

Show me, Lord, your way

so that I may walk in your truth.

Guide my heart to fear your name.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart

and glorify your name for ever;

for your love to me has been great:

you have saved me from the depths of the grave.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Ephesians 6:18)

With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.

When you call me, when you go to pray to me,

I will listen to you.

(Jer 29:12)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

As for me, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you and to teach you the good and right way. (1 Sam 12:23)

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 ask Mary’s intercession on behalf of all who are in need:

R/Lord, hear your Mother’s prayer.

Mother of good counsel, you prayed with the disciples as they waited in the Upper Room:

– pray for all those who await deliverance from suffering and death. R/

Mother of our Savior, you watch with a mother’s care over the whole body of Christ:

– pray for all those in need of salvation. R/

Mother of God, you dwell in glory before the face of God:

– pray always for your children. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

Loving Father, increase our devotion to the most holy rosary, and draw us ever closer to you through the intercession of the Mother of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Pray this short and simple prayer to the Holy Cross of Jesus

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October 7, 2020

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Pray this short and simple prayer to the Holy Cross of Jesus

The prayer was written by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Through Jesus’ sacrificial death on Mount Calvary, the cross became the source of eternal salvation and the ultimate sign of God’s love for humanity.Christians ever since have looked to the cross, to Jesus’ Passion and death on that first Good Friday, for consolation and hope in times of darkness. It is a constant reminder of God’s love for each one of us and a pledge of future glory.

St. Thomas Aquinas, the brilliant but humble theologian of the 14th century, always looked to the cross throughout his life and composed a short and simple prayer to remind him of it. Below is that prayer, which can be easily memorized and said both in moments of trial and joy.

The Cross is my sure salvation.

The Cross I ever adore.

The Cross of my Lord is with me.

The Cross is my refuge.

PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6)

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October 7, 2020

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PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6)

Prayer for the Evening

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;

for his love endures for ever.

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 Son of God, in Galilee

You made the deaf to hear,

The mute to speak, the blind to see;

O blessed Lord, be near.

O listen to the silent prayer

Of your afflicted ones.

O bid them cast on you their care;

Your grace to them make known.

Canticle (Philippians 2:6-11)

Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Mt 16:25)

Jesus did not hesitate to take up the cross for our sake. Will we refuse to take it up for his sake and for the sake of all those for whom he died? If we do, we may gain temporary benefits, but what will we lose in the long run?

Though he was in the form of God,

Jesus did not consider equality with God

something to be grasped at.

Rather, he emptied himself

and took the form of a slave,

being born in the likeness of men.

He was known to be of human estate

and it was thus that he humbled himself,

obediently accepting even death,

death on a cross!

Because of this,

God highly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

above every other name,

So that at Jesus’ name

every knee must bend

in the heavens, on the earth,

and under the earth,

and every tongue proclaim

to the glory of God the Father:

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Word of God (Isaiah 57:15b-c, 18)

On high i dwell, and in holiness,/ and with the crushed and dejected in spirit,/ To revive the spirits of the dejected,/ to revive the hearts of the crushed./ I saw their ways,/ but I will heal them and lead them;/ I will give full comfort/ to them and to those who mourn for them.

If you will to do so, you can cure me.

(cf. Mk 1:40)

CANTICLE OF MARY

Heal me, Lord, that I may be healed;/ save me, that I may be saved,/ for it is you whom I praise. (Jer 17:14)

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

God dwells with the crushed and dejected in spirit. For them, let us pray:

R/Lord, hear the cry of the poor.

For those who suffer chronic illness:

– grant them patient endurance. R/

For those who suffer mental or emotional illness:

– grant them peace of mind. R/

For those who suffer terminal illness:

– grant them hope as they approach you. R/

For all who love and care for the sick:

– grant them the reward of your love. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the God of peace himself make us perfect in holiness. May he preserve us whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (cf. 1 Thes 5:23)

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.

What is a prayer of supplication?

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October 6, 2020

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Offering prayers of supplication is primarily a recognition that we need God for everything.

The verb “to supplicate” comes from a Latin word that means “to implore” and has the added prefix of “sub” meaning “from below.” Whenever someone “supplicates,” it is an activity that is done when a person puts themselves lower than someone else.It makes sense, then, that supplication has become associated with Christian prayer, recognizing that God is far beyond us and we are in need of his help.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church expands on this definition and connects it to other synonyms that helps us understand it.

The vocabulary of supplication in the New Testament is rich in shades of meaning: ask, beseech, plead, invoke, entreat, cry out, even “struggle in prayer.” Its most usual form, because the most spontaneous, is petition: by prayer of petition we express awareness of our relationship with God. We are creatures who are not our own beginning, not the masters of adversity, not our own last end. We are sinners who as Christians know that we have turned away from our Father. Our petition is already a turning back to him. (CCC 2629)

A prayer of supplication, then, is a prayer of petition that asks our Heavenly Father for a particular spiritual or material benefit. It recognizes God’s supreme power over all creation and his ability to grant us what we need.

Prayers of supplication are scattered everywhere throughout the Bible, with the Psalms being the most prime example. If we need any inspiration as to how our prayers of supplication should look like, open up the Psalms and start reading.
When we pray, let us remember that God is God and we are not. He is in control and has a planned marked out for us. It is up to us to turn towards him and away from our sins, asking him to have mercy on our souls.

Unite your heart with Jesus’s heart with these short prayers

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October 6, 2020

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Unite your heart with Jesus’s heart with these short prayers

“My Jesus! Give me a heart conformable to thy own sacred heart.”

If there is any heart that we should strive to be like, it is Jesus’ heart. Uniting our hearts with the most sacred heart of Jesus should be the goal of every Christian, finding in his heart the key to true Gospel living.One way to remind us of the various qualities of Jesus’ heart is to pray to Jesus for specific attributes. This will help us overcome particular weaknesses in our own lives and set us on the right path to union with Jesus.

Below is a whole litany of short prayers that can be memorized or written down and prayed throughout the day, especially when we feel deficient and the most unlike Jesus.

My Jesus! Give me a heart conformable to thy own sacred heart.

Give me a humble heart, loving an abject and a hidden life.

Give me a meek heart, ready to bear all in silence—to pardon and forget the greatest

injuries.

Give me a patient heart, tranquil in the severest trials.

Give me a heart filled with the love of poverty, and with contempt for all earthly things.

Give me a pure heart, desiring only to please you in my thoughts and deeds.

Give me an obedient heart, having no will but that of God.

Give me a heart delighting in prayer, and making this heavenly exercise its chief

occupation.

Give me a heart having no joy but that of seeing God known, loved, served and honored.

Give me a heart having no sadness but that of seeing God offended.

Give me a heart having no aversion but for sin.

Give me a heart having no desire but for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

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Saints and More

Recent Comments

Articles

Prayers

Exhortations

Saints and More

The archangel’s name in Hebrew can be rendered as “God heals,” “Divine Healer,” or “Remedy of God.”

For 5 months, the Immaculate Conception sent a message of conversion

Give thanks to God for the beautiful gift you received in the sacrament of confession.

Composed by St. Jane Frances de Chantal, it places a radical amount of trust in God.

Sitting at the School of Mary

The meaning of the celebration

For prayer and reflection

Spiritual bonus

Vocations

Prayer

Prayer for the Morning

HYMN

PSALM 86:1-6, 11-13

Word of God (Ephesians 6:18)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

INTERCESSIONS

The prayer was written by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Prayer for the Evening

HYMN

Canticle (Philippians 2:6-11)

Word of God (Isaiah 57:15b-c, 18)

CANTICLE OF MARY

INTERCESSIONS

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Offering prayers of supplication is primarily a recognition that we need God for everything.

“My Jesus! Give me a heart conformable to thy own sacred heart.”

sharing the faith received

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