Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.
Day 9: My Lord and my God.
Let us go back to the disciples. They had abandoned the Lord at his Passion and felt guilty. But meeting them, Jesus did not give a long sermon. To them, who were wounded within, he shows his own wounds.
Thomas can now touch them and know of Jesus’ love and how much Jesus had suffered for him, even though he had abandoned him. In those wounds, he touches with his hands God’s tender closeness.
Thomas arrived late, but once he received mercy, he overtook the other disciples: he believed not only in the resurrection, but in the boundless love of God.
And he makes the most simple and beautiful profession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28).
Here is the resurrection of the disciple: it is accomplished when his frail and wounded humanity enters into that of Jesus. There, every doubt is resolved; there, God becomes my God; there, we begin to accept ourselves and to love life as it is.
Conclude by praying five Our Fathers, as you contemplate each of Jesus’ five wounds. This is the invitation of Pope Francis:
Do not forget this: look at the crucifix, but to look within it. There is this beautiful devotion to pray an Our Father for each one of the five wounds: when we pray that Our Father, we seek to enter through Jesus’ wounds inside, inside, right to His heart. And there we will learn the great wisdom of Christ’s mystery, the great wisdom of the cross.
With repeated references in homilies and meditations, Pope Francis has revealed his special devotion to the Five Wounds of Jesus.
The Holy Father sees in this devotion a path to arrive to the Sacred Heart, and there to find that this heart is the beating heart of Divine Mercy.
He also sees it as a path to draw close to suffering humanity, and to recognize that Jesus has taken his wounds to the Father in order to pray for his wounded brothers and sisters.
Let us meditate on the Five Wounds with Pope Francis as a novena in preparation for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, which this year falls on June 19.
Here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8
God is our one salvation:
let us give him thanks and praise.
Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!
Let not fear and wonder
Trouble heart and mind.
God has torn asunder
Chains that bound mankind.
Put away all sadness
Reigning here on earth;
Let our holy gladness
Rise in songs of mirth!
Come and hear the story
Told you from above.
Learn the wondrous glory
Of God’s boundless love:
To redeem creation
He gave up his Son;
God our heav’nly Father
Has our grace begun.
For if by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many. (Rom 5:15b)
Here we find the reason to jettison our fears of all but eternal loss: the love God has for us is so great that no power on earth can harm us whom he has redeemed and adopted through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
God chose us in him
before the world began
to be holy
and blameless in his sight.
He predestined us
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.
In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.
He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world so that
we might have life through him. (1 Jn 4:9)
See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. (1 Jn 3:1a)
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…
Rejoicing in the love God has for us, we pray:
R/You save us by your love!
When we weaken, you are strong: R/
When we falter, you stand firm: R/
When we die, you are our life: R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
May the Lord strengthen our hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen. (cf. 1 Thes 3:13)
Mary is the immaculate lily,
who brought forth Christ the imperishable rose.
O holy Mother of God,
immaculate sheep,
who gave birth to Christ the Lamb,
the Word incarnate from you;
O most holy Virgin,
who have astonished the hosts of angels;
stupendous is the miracle in heaven:
a woman clothed with the sun
carrying in her arms the Light.
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.
Occasionally, we might feel lost in life, not in the destination sense, but the spiritual sense. We believe we know everything about God, but something happens that throws our world into chaos, us off balance, and we begin to doubt our beliefs. Sometimes we may have been brought up in a particular religious tradition. When we get older, we embark on a spiritual journey of self-discovery, and it simply doesn’t seem right.
Whatever crisis you may be in, even if you disbelieve God’s existence, it’s best to take that spiritual journey straight to God. We Humans across all cultures and traditions have a deep sense that there is something more to this world than what we see, so praying to God can help us confront that reality and find the truth.
Here is a prayer from the Golden Manual that asks God for help and keeps us on the most certain path that leads us to the truth.
God of all goodness, enlighten my mind and touch my heart, that I may find the truth about you and, by finding you, may understand my purpose in the world. I anxiously seek after the path of life so that I may follow it and see you. May I never tire of searching for you and not be satisfied by half-truths? Please help me dig deeper and not follow what is popular, but only what is true, sound, and beautiful.
Catholic Hours.
Often when we wake up, we may not be excited about the day that is about to begin. The negative events of yesterday may still loom over us and looking forward, it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.However, Jesus, who is the Light of the World, wants to push away any clouds of darkness in your life and restore joy in your heart.
Here is a short prayer from the Golden Manual that highlights this symbolism and helps you start the day on the right foot.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified, I arise; bless me, O Lord; govern me, protect me, and confirm me in all good works, this day and for ever. Jesus, most beautiful and true light, shining in darkness, and enlightening every one that comes into this world; dispel all clouds of ignorance, and give me a right understanding, that in you, and through you, I may see and know the Father; whom to know is to live; and to serve, is to reign for ever. Amen.
Start your day with this morning prayer of hope
https://youtu.be/TWIEQ6Jc_Pw
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is ancient, finding its inspiration in various passages in the Bible. However, a more focused devotion was promoted by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, including a specific “consecration.”The consecration promoted by St. Margaret Mary was intended to unite the Christian faithful more closely to Jesus, looking to the example of St. John the apostle, who “reclined upon [Jesus’] chest during the supper” (John 21:20).
This image of resting upon the Heart of Jesus became a principal motivator behind this devotion, symbolizing a deeper relationship with Jesus.
The Directory on Popular Piety explains the spiritual requirements this devotion entails, specifically the act of consecrating oneself to the Heart of Jesus.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a wonderful historical expression of the Church’s piety for Christ, her Spouse and Lord: it calls for a fundamental attitude of conversion and reparation, of love and gratitude, apostolic commitment and dedication to Christ and his saving work.
To consecrate oneself to Jesus Christ is to pledge your life to Jesus Christ, making an intentional promise to reform your life and act with love.
St. John Paul II affirmed this essential ingredient to the devotion, highlighting it in his letter On the 100th Anniversary of the Consecration of the Human Race to the Divine Heart of Jesus.
Every member of the Church is invited to see consecration as the giving and binding of oneself to Jesus Christ, the King “of prodigal sons”, the King of all who are waiting to be led “into the light of God and of his kingdom” … From the Heart of Christ, man’s heart learns to know the genuine and unique meaning of his life and of his destiny, to understand the value of an authentically Christian life, to keep himself from certain perversions of the human heart, and to unite the filial love of God with love of neighbor.
For this reason, it is often suggested that Catholics go to confession before performing a formal act of consecration, renouncing sin and embracing the new life of virtue.
Besides these more abstract recommendations, there exists several different consecration prayers that put to words your desire to live united to Jesus. Often this prayer is recited while kneeling before an image or icon of the Sacred Heart, helping you to visualize what you are about to do.
Here is a prayer of consecration written by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque that summarizes these basic elements of the devotion, placing your entire self into the Heart of Jesus.
I consecrate and surrender to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, my person, my life, my difficulties and my sufferings, that I may henceforth live only for his love and glory. It is my firm and unwavering purpose to be his entirely, to do everything for his love and renounce wholeheartedly everything that could displease his divine Heart.
O Sacred Heart, I choose You as the sole object of my love, the protector of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the support of my weakness and the atoner for all the sins of my whole life. O mild and bountiful Heart, be likewise my refuge at the hour of death, my justification before God, and ward off from me the penalty of his just wrath.
O loving Heart, I place my trust entirely in You. While I fear everything from my own malice, I hope everything from Your goodness. Destroy in me whatever may displease You or be opposed to You, and let Your pure love imprint You so deeply upon my heart that it will be impossible for me ever to forget You or be separated from You.
O Sacred Heart, by Your goodness, I implore You, let my name be deeply engraved in You, for in Your service and in Your love I will live and die.
How to enthrone the Sacred Heart in your home (and heart)
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise Him.
The English Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins captures the magnificence of creation, even something of the haunting mystery that there is something rather than nothing, in this marvelous poem. All things have come from God. They belong to the dynamic love of the Father.
Hopkins in fact, concludes the paean of praise of creation describing God, saying, “He fathers-forth.” God is known by his work as Father, He who first creates, then sustains, and directs the whole of the order of creation.
The fundamental Christian claim on reality is that the world did not come from nothing. Creation is not a mistake or a coincidence. All that is, was made by God. The Catechism begins with these words which every Catholic should know:
God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.
The beauty, order, and harmony of the world we see and study all point to the greatness and love of the one who made it. Today, the Scriptures remind us that, “Even all the hairs of our heads are counted.” The Father knows things from the inside, because he has made them.
Our own fathers hint at the kind of knowledge that our heavenly Father has. Mine seemed to have a supernatural knowledge of the thermostat for example. The care a father takes in tending a year and ordering a home are reflections of God our Heavenly Father who sends rains to water the fields and orders our worship.
But God has not left His creation to its own devices. God, our Heavenly Father, sustains all that is, at every instance. By caring for his creation He continues to be the author of life who ennobles every human soul with the rank of his own image and likeness.
This likeness cannot be erased. Even our own moral failures do not render us orphans. The mechanisms of grace and the Father’s love assure us, that, as Pope John Paul II teaches,
We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus.
By sending his grace, particularly through the means of regular confession and worthy Holy Communions, the Father sustains us with His love. Pope Francis warns,
Without the grace that comes from the Father who is in heaven, fathers lose courage and abandon the field.
Human beings were made in the image of God, but the constant temptation of our culture is to efface that image. We must not let it be stamped out. Fathers, in particular, have a duty to their family, to protect this image, by availing themselves of the graces of prayer and the sacraments.
Finally, the Heavenly Father who creates and sustains, leads. We were made for something. The universe, which is ordered and patterned by God, is directed at something.
Fr. James Brent describes the mystery, saying,
God creates the world so that created persons may contemplate the order of things and by doing so come to know and love God to some extent—at least to the extent that his attributes are distantly reflected in the order, beauty, and harmony of things.
As the Scriptures say, we were made for life in the Father’s house. A life of seeing God, being united with every glory he intends. This is why even now, we sing, “Glory be to God for dappled things.”
Pope Francis declares,
A good father knows how to wait and knows how to forgive from the depths of his heart. Certainly, he also knows how to correct with firmness: he is not a weak father, submissive and sentimental. The father who knows how to correct without humiliating is the one who knows how to protect without sparing himself.
To stay on this path, fathers must direct their families. Children need to be pressed to worship well. Fathers have to declare to them right ways of life, without shying away from any of the difficulties of Gospel living. A father, who with his wife, is the first teacher of the faith, can offer a child the way to holiness, the way to live with the Heavenly Father.
On this Father’s Day, let us rejoice in the gift of our fathers. They, like all of creation, are as different and unique as only God Himself could have imagined. Our own fathers are marked by “trades, their gear and tackle and trim.” They may be “fickle, freckled (who knows how?)… swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim.” And they are ours. Praise Him.
When the Blessed Virgin Mary was assumed into Heaven to be by her Son, Jesus, she did not lose any of her motherhood.In fact, her motherly affection multiplied and she became mother of us all. This is important, as it remind us that as our mother, we can turn to her in our time of need.
She looks tenderly upon us and welcomes our anxieties and worries. Being united to her Son, she can take them to him and send down special graces to calm our weary heart.
Here is a prayer adapted from the Raccolta that recalls this symbolism and looks to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as a refuge during the storms of life.
Heart of Mary, Mother of God, our Mother, Heart most like the Heart of Jesus, ever compassionate towards our miseries,—thaw our icy hearts, and change them to the likeness of the Heart of Jesus. Be the road leading to Jesus; be the channel whereby we receive all graces needful for our salvation.
Be our help in need, our comfort in trouble, our strength in temptation, our refuge in persecution, our aid in dangers; but most in the last struggle of our life, at the moment of our death.
How great is the sweetness of your Mother’s Heart, and the power of your might with Jesus’ Heart, opening to us in the very fount of mercy itself a safe refuge, that so one day we too may join with you in paradise in praising Jesus’ Heart for ever and for ever. Amen.
Pope: Ask the Immaculate Heart for an end to the pandemic
In the Catholic Church there are thousands of prayers contained in her rich treasury of spiritual writings. Among them, the Litany of Loreto is one of the most popular and well-known prayers. It is a beautiful prayer, one that has a rich history.While some spiritual writers claim that it can be traced back to St. Gregory the Great or even to the Apostles, most historians believe that the Litany of Loreto was composed in the late 15th to early 16th century.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The most ancient printed copy hitherto discovered is that of Dillingen in Germany, dating from 1558; it is fairly certain that this is a copy of an earlier Italian one, but so far, in spite of much careful research, the oldest Italian copy that the writer has been able to discover dates from 1576.”
It is believed that the litany was initially adopted by the miraculous shrine in Loreto, Italy, where tradition claims the original house of the Virgin Mary was transported. The shrine was immensely popular in the 15th and 16th century, attracting pilgrims from all over Europe. As a result, many of these pilgrims took the litany they heard with them and it became very popular in their hometown churches.
Shortly after the litany was composed it was in danger of being forgotten forever, as the pope at the time did not especially like it. However, the priests of the shrine preserved it and it was sung every Saturday in Loreto. By the 17th century the litany became popular in the city of Rome and was sung frequently at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Ever since, it has remained one of the most popular litanies of the Church.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Holy Mary,
pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Mother of mercy,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comfort of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech thee,
O Lord God,
that we, your servants,
may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body;
and by the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
may be delivered from present sorrow,
and obtain eternal joy.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Fathers are called by God to set a spiritual example for their family, encouraging and leading family prayer and leading a life of virtue.One way fathers can incorporate more prayer into their family is to bless their children on a regular basis.
Evidence for this type of blessing runs throughout the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, such as Isaac blessing his son Jacob (cf. Genesis 27).
St. Louis, King of France, took his fatherhood seriously and strove to be not only a good king, but also an exceptional dad.
He wrote a letter to his son that is very beautiful, and at the end of it, he composed a prayer of blessing. This prayer can be adapted and used by any dad, or parent, to call down God’s graces upon their children.
May the three Persons of the Holy Trinity and all the saints protect you from every evil. And may the Lord give you the grace to do his will so that he may be served and honored through you, that in the next life we may together come to see him, love him and praise him unceasingly. Amen.
St. Joseph teaches fathers how to lead family prayer
Cover your children with God’s protection with this prayer from the Bible
We accept and share ALL God has revelead and try to explain them to others. We will never go against the Church now or in the future because we know She is Mother and Teacher. Thank You, Jesus!!!
Get important news delivered directly to your inbox and stay connected!
© Catholicsay.com
