Saturday, July 31, 2010

St Ignatius of Loyola's Feast Day Today

St Ignatius of Loyola, Ora pro nobis.

"Receive, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. You have given me all that I have, all that I am, and I surrender all to your divine will, that you dispose of me. Give me only your love and your grace. With this I am rich enough, and I have no more to ask."

(One of my fav prayers, yes..another one-lol, I have a many favorite prayers.)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

Monday, July 26, 2010

Because Too Many Defame His Name, A Great Prayer

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth by all the creatures of God and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.
Been saying this prayer of and on for years now...more need to honor His Holy name!

Quote for the day

Never underestimate the reality of your own greatness in Christ. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater . . ." (John 14:12).

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Glenn Beck to Jesus: Drop Dead

Rev. James Martin, S.J.

Posted: March 8, 2010 05:15 PM




Glenn Beck to Jesus: Drop Dead

Glenn Beck said last week on his eponymous show that Christians should leave churches that preach "social justice." Mr. Beck equated the desire for a just society with--wait for it--Nazism and Communism.
I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes.
This means that you would have to leave the Catholic Church, which has long championed that aspect of the Gospel. The term "social justice" originated way back in the 1800s (and probably predates even that), and has been underlined by the Magisterium and popes since Leo XIII, who began the modern tradition of Catholic social teaching with his encyclical on capital and labor, Rerum Novarum in 1891. Subsequent popes have built on Leo's work, continuing the church's meditation on a variety of issues of social justice in such landmark documents as Pope Pius XI's encyclical on "the reconstruction of the social order," Quadregismo Anno (1931), Paul VI's encyclical "on the development of peoples," Populorum Progressio (1967) and John Paul II's encyclical "on the social concerns of the church" Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987).
The Compendium of the Social Teaching of the Church, published by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, says this:
The Church's social Magisterium constantly calls for the most classical forms of justice to be respected: commutative, distributive and legal justice. Ever greater importance has been given to social justice., which represents a real development in general justice, the justice that regulates social relationships according to the criterion of observance of the law. Social justice, a requirement related to the social question which today is worldwide in scope, concerns the social, political and economic aspects and, above all, the structural dimension of problems and their respective solutions....
Social justice is not just some silly foreign idea. American Catholics know that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have an Office of Justice, Peace and Human Development. On that website the U.S. bishops say: "At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict."
Get it? Social justice is an essential part of Catholic teaching. It's part of being a Catholic. So Glenn Beck is, in essence, saying "Leave the Catholic church."
But Glenn Beck is saying something else: "Leave Christianity." Again and again in the Gospels, Jesus mentions our responsibility to care for the poor, to work on their behalf, to stand with them. In fact, when asked how his followers would be judged he doesn't say that it will be based on where you worship, or how you pray, or how often you go to church, or even what political party you believe in. He says something quite different: It depends on how you treat the poor.
In the Gospel of Matthew (25) he tells his surprised disciples, that when you are meeting the poor, you are meeting him. They protest. "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."
But our responsibility to care for "the least of these" does not end with simple charity. Giving someone a handout is an important part of the Christian message. But so is advocating for them. It is not enough simply to help the poor, one must address the structures that keep them that way. Standing up for the rights of the poor is not being a Nazi, it's being Christian. And Communist, as Mr. Beck suggests? It's hard not to think of the retort of the great apostle of social justice, Dom Helder Camara, archbishop of Recife, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."
The attack on social justice is the tack of those who wish to ignore the concerns the poor and ignore the social structures that foster poverty. It's not hard to see why people are tempted to do so. How much easier it would be if we didn't have to worry about the poor!
But ignoring the poor, and ignoring what keeps them poor, is, quite simply, unchristian. For the poor are the church in many ways. When St. Lawrence, in the fourth century, was ordered by the prefect of Rome to turn over the wealth of the church, he presented to him the poor.
Glenn Beck's desire to detach social justice from the Gospel is a move to detach care for the poor from the Gospel. But a church without the poor, and a church without a desire for a just social world for all, is not the church.
At least not the church of Jesus Christ. Who was, by the way, poor.
The Rev. James Martin, SJ is the author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. A longer version of this post can be found at America Magazine's blog "In All Things." http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?entry_id=1071
Read this article on Huffington Post today, thought I'd share it as a bit of pace changer. :


Norman Wirzba

Posted: July 12, 2010 04:29 PM







Gardening with God


God is the first, the best, and the eternal gardener. Viewed biblically, the day God ceases to garden is also the day we all perish. I have never heard a preacher say that, but it is true.
When you open the Bible, one of the very first stories describes a desolate landscape. There is land and a stream to water the ground, but there are no plants or herbs. God forms the first human being (adam) out of this plantless dirt (adamah). The Hebrew etymological connection, much like the English pairing of human and humus, tells us that our identity is irrevocably tied to dirt.
God then does another astonishing thing. God plants a garden in a place called Eden (Genesis 2:8) and puts the human "earthling" there. Eden means "delight." It must have been amazing, because the adam, having just come from the ground, now watches as God makes grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to look at and good for food.
God's creating does not end with the plants. Next, God forms out of the same ground all the kinds of animals and birds, hoping that one might be a companion and partner for the adam. None turn out to be suitable, so God uses one of adam's ribs to fashion a woman. She is the only creature not directly fashioned out of the ground.
If nothing else, we should be astonished by God's fondness for dirt. Soil is the life-bearing medium that God repeatedly uses to create plants, animals, and of course us. Life grows out of the soil together. We all depend on the soil. No wonder, then, that God takes the adam into the garden and says, in effect, "Take care of this delightful and delectable place. Till the dirt. Protect it. Your life and the life of all the creatures you have just seen me make depend on it."
This story says that gardening is the basic, perhaps even non-negotiable, human vocation. We are made by God the Gardener to do the work of gardening in a place called the Garden of Delights. When we do it well, we participate in God's own work of protecting and nurturing the world. We assist in life's unbelievable fertility and splendor. We enjoy life's beauty and its unbelievably good taste and aroma.
God has been gardening from the beginning of time, looking after all creatures and cultivating the conditions in which life can flourish. God is also gardening at the end of time in the new heaven and new earth. In the New Jerusalem there is a river of the water of life, and on each side of the river is the tree of life providing fruit for the feeding and the healing of all nations (Revelation 22:1-2). God continues always to look after the life he creates. That is what gardeners do.
This first garden story ends badly. The man and the woman find themselves exiled from Eden because they were not happy to take care of the garden. Rather than being gardeners that nurture and protect the life that God continually draws out of the ground, Adam and Eve wanted to secure life on their own terms. They reached for forbidden fruit, fruit that would make them like God.
This ending should not surprise us because their story is being played out again and again throughout our histories. Gardening is hard, physical work. It takes patience and attention, as well as a complex intelligence, to know how to nurture multiple forms of life. It takes love to get outside yourself and count the life of another as worthy of your energy and devotion. It also takes courage to admit to personal ignorance and incompetence when crops fail, and a great deal of humility to face the amount of death that occurs despite our best efforts. For many, it is a lot easier simply to walk away from gardens. We don't need God to kick us out. We go willingly, in search of an easier, more convenient and comfortable life that does not demand as much from us.
Our walking away from our gardening responsibilities has led to an unprecedented moment in creation's history. Humanity's abandonment of the humus -- our refusal to take up the gardening task of nurturing and protecting life -- has yielded a harvest of degraded and eroded soils, poisoned waters, diminishing forests and wetlands, and the erasure of uncountable numbers of plant and animal species. Our failure to be the gardeners God has made us to be has turned Earth as the place of delight into "Eaarth" (as Bill McKibben has recently renamed it), a place of needless suffering and death.
It is time for us to come to our senses. I mean this quite literally. We need to learn to appreciate how much our senses have lost in every bite of artificial flavoring, every whiff of polluted air, every noisy sound, and every gulp of contaminated water. We need to re-educate our senses so that they can appreciate life's needs and savor its delectable qualities.
This sort of education happens best in gardens. It happens when we learn to garden with God, the first, the best, and the eternal Gardener.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

St Sharbel, Pray for Us- Feast Day of a Great Maronite Saint

Father of Truth Prayer

Father of truth, behold your Son, a sacrifice pleasing to You. Accept this offering of Him who died for me; behold His blood shed on Golgotha for my salvation. It pleads for me. For His sake, accept my offering. Many are my sins, but greater is Your mercy. When placed on a scale, Your mercy prevails over the weight of the mountains known only to You. Consider the sin and consider the atonement; the atonement is greater and exceeds the sin. Your beloved Son sustained the nail and the lance because of my sins, so in His sufferings You are satisfied and I live.
Amen.

Was born in 1828, became a holy priest and then a hermit for God in 1875.  He had a stroke offering Mass on Christmas Eve right after saying the "Father of Truth Prayer".  His life is a beautiful example of a life lived fully in faith, love and obedience for, with, and through God.  St Charbel, pray for us.  To read more on this blessed man go to St Elias Maronite Church website.
The hour of our Lord was at last come; his death-struggle had commenced; a cold sweat overspread every limb. John stood at the foot of the Cross, and wiped the feet of Jesus with his scapular. Magdalen was crouched to the ground in a perfect frenzy of grief behind the Cross. The Blessed Virgin stood between Jesus and the good thief, supported by Salome and Mary of Cleophas, with her eyes riveted on the countenance of her dying Son. Jesus then said: ‘It is consummated;’ and, raising his head, cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ These words, which he uttered in a clear and thrilling tone, resounded through heaven and earth; and a moment after, he bowed down his head and gave up the ghost. I saw his soul, under the appearance of a bright meteor, penetrate the earth at the foot of the Cross. John and the holy women fell prostrate on the ground. The centurion Abenadar had kept his eyes steadfastly fixed on the disfigured countenance of our Lord, and was perfectly overwhelmed by all that had taken place. When our Lord pronounced his last words, before expiring, in a loud tone, the earth trembled, and the rock of Calvary burst asunder, forming a deep chasm between the Cross of our Lord and that of Gesmas. The voice of God—that solemn and terrible voice—had re-echoed through the whole universe; it had broken the solemn silence which then pervaded all nature. All was accomplished. The soul of our Lord had left his body: his last cry had filled every breast with terror. The convulsed earth had paid homage to its Creator: the sword of grief had pierced the hearts of those who loved him. This moment was the moment of grace for Abenadar; his horse trembled under him; his heart was touched; it was rent like the hard rock; he threw his lance to a distance, struck his breast, and cried out: ‘Blessed be the Most High God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; indeed this Man was the Son of God!’ His words convinced many among the soldiers, who followed his example, and were likewise converted.
~ Anne Catherine Emmerich

The parable of the weeds

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:24-30.

He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"


Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day :

Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407), priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church
Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Mathieu, 46, 1-2


The parable of the weeds


It is always the devil's way to mix the truth with errors draped in the outward appearance and hues of truth, in such a way as more easily to lead astray those who permit themselves to be deceived. That is why Our Lord only speaks of weeds since these are plants that look like wheat. He then describes how he goes about deceiving «while people are sleeping». From this we see the serious danger run by leaders, especially those to whom has been entrusted the care of the field. Moreover, this danger does not only threaten leaders but their subordinates too. And this also shows us how error follows truth... Christ tells us this to teach us not to fall asleep..., from which there arises the need of vigilant watching. Which is why he said: «Whoever stands firm to the end will be saved» (Mt 10,22)...

Now consider the servants' zeal: they want to collect the weeds at once. Even if they fall short in reflexion this does at least prove their care for the harvest. They are only concerned about one thing: not to avenge themselves on the one who had sown the weeds but to save the harvest – hence they attempt to get rid of the evil altogether... What does the Lord say then?... He stops them for two reasons: first, from fear of harming the wheat; second, the conviction that punishment will inevitably strike down those afflicted by this mortal sickness. If we want them to be punished without the harvest suffering from it, let us wait for the proper moment... Moreover, perhaps some portion of those weeds will be turned into wheat? So if you pull them up now you will damage the future harvest by pulling up the ones that may change to something better.

"Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase."
 
St. Rose of Lima
 



Sunday, July 18, 2010

Was doing the unusual and watching a movie... the movie a more realistic portrait of the world for American youth coming of age in my generation.  The generation that learned through the media and talk that nothing is to be trusted, everything is relative.  The coming of age tale post hippies, post Vietnam, post Watergate... post Vatican Two.... it was an age where the first true kids of the TV age came of age.  Disenfranchisement and the ugliness of life was laid bare.  Dreams were shown to mean little against a back drop of F-words and drugs, drinking and confusion.

My God have mercy.  I was raised by a good believing Mother, Grandparents, a Father who brought milkshakes to me after my many surgeries... but it was not enough to battle the fog of the age... the wonder of how can we little nothings make the world a better place if the idealism of the Hippies didn't work?  How can we trust anyone if the politics, the corporations, if the very establishment of our country was a maniacal greed feed machine of hubris.  How when we needed it most even the Church was lost in its own identity crisis of how to interpret Vatican Two, which in its proper context was a wonderful reform but in its application in the US a misunderstood and misinterpreted document.   So the generation fell into hedonistic pleasures to cover the emptiness and pain, the hopelessness of every having a better life then our parents.  The TV machine showed life to be nothing but a battle to the end of who has the most things.  The care and empathy of the common man, the poor man a forgotten reality that should be ignored.

No wonder so many were lost from my generation, how I mourn the beginning of lost innocence due the external influences that started to override the familial.  How I mourn the lost of so many souls who strove and craved more then what was being shown them thru schools, TV, music, movies... we are the product of mankind's manipulations... those that thought they had a better way then previous ages.   God was no longer allowed into our public consciousness, mercy a weakness, compassion another's mission.  God have nercy on us.... God forgive us...God, dear God teach us, now we are older to know better...I beg of you teach us and have mercy so we may do Thy will and heal this troubled world.

Friday, July 16, 2010


Teach us, good Lord,
To serve Thee as Thou deservest:
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not ask for any reward;
Save that of knowing that we do Thy will.


Ignatius of Loyola [1548]

Hymn
O Three in One, and One in Three,
Who rulest all things mightily,
Bow down to hear the songs of praise
Which, freed from bonds of sleep, we raise.
While lingers yet the peace of night,
We rouse us from our slumbers light;
That might of instant prayer may win
The healing balm for wounds of sin.
If, by the wiles of Satan caught,
This night-time we have sinned in aught,
That sin thy glorious power today,
From heaven descending, cleanse away.
Let naught impure our bodies stain,
No laggard sloth our souls detain,
No taint of sin our spirits know,
To chill the fervour of their glow.
Wherefore, Redeemer, grant that we
Fulfilled with thine own light may be:
That, in our course, from day to day,
By no misdeed we fall away.
Grant this, O Father ever One
With Christ, thy sole-begotten Son,
And Holy Ghost, whom all adore,
Reigning and blest for evermore.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Prayer of Abandonment
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.
—Charles de Foucauld

Monday, July 12, 2010

SEVENTH DAY NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL (Tuesday, July 13, 2010)

MARY, LISTENING VIRGIN
...
Listening to the Word: "Blessed are the breasts you sucked" (Luke 11:27-28)

"As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!" But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

Reflection: It may seem that Jesus belittles Mary's part, preferring his disciples. But if we read the text carefully we will see that Jesus is really praising his mother. She is the woman who listens to the Word of God and keeps it all the time. She is an attentive disciple who keeps in her heart her Son's words and day after day keeps them. She points the way to us so that we too may imitate her if we wish to be truly her devotees.

Prayer: Beautiful Mother, listening virgin, open our hearts so that we may learn to listen to the words of your Son.
Beautiful Mother, listening virgin, open our hearts and minds that we may learn to listen to the words of your Son and keep them.
Mother so tender, pure of heart, strengthen us in our resolve.

My commitment is to listen attentively to the Word of God when it is proclaimed in church. I also commit myself to listen to God who speaks to me through the people I meet throughout the day.

Flower of Carmel
Vine blossom-laden,
splendour of heaven,
Child-bearing yet maiden,
None equals thee.
Mother so tender,
whom no man didst know,
On Carmel's children
thy favours bestow,
Star of the sea.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

« He came down from heaven » (Creed)

Saint Severus of Antioch (around 465-538), bishop
Homily 89


« He came down from heaven » (Creed)


       “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho." Christ did not say, "somebody went down" but " a man went down", because this passage concerns all humanity. For humanity, as a result of Adam's sin, left Paradise, our tranquil home on high, where there was no suffering and which was filled with wonders; this place was rightly called Jerusalem, a name which means "God's Peace ". And all mankind fell towards Jericho, a hollow and low country, where the heat is stifling. Jericho is the feverish life of this world, a life that separates us from God... And once humanity had thus turned away from the right road towards this life, a troop of wild demons came to attack us like a band of robbers. They stripped us of the clothing of perfection, and left us no trace of the strength of mind, purity, justice, or prudence, or anything else which characterizes the divine image (Gn 1:26); but striking us repeatedly by the blows of various sins, they knocked us down and finally left us  half dead...

      The Law given by Moses passed by, but it lacked strength; it did not lead humanity to a complete cure; it did not raise us up from where we lay… For the Law offered sacrifices and offerings "which could not make perfect those who practised this worship" for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins" (He 10:1.4)...

      Finally a Samaritan came to pass. Christ deliberately gives himself the name Samaritan… For he himself came to us, carrying out the intention of the Law and showing by his acts "who is our neighbor" and what it is "to love others as oneself".

Saturday, July 10, 2010

"On each occasion I say: 'Lord, thy will be done! It's not what this or that one wants, but what You want me to do.' This is my fortress, this is my firm rock, this is my sure support."
 
          -St. John Chrysostom
 

Friday, July 9, 2010

Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus
O Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross, which so tore Thy Flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other Wound of Thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross. Amen.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

There was a passage read to me today by a friend out of the "Divine Intimacy", in it the writer marveled at the loving mercy of our God, and why was He merciful given our human wretchedness and unfaithfulness, but God is loving mercy.  (Guess I really should get up and actually re-read the passage. But sometimes it is better to let something roam around the mind in its spoken form and not its written form imo)

God who is all powerful, the Creator of everything is love, is mercy on a level we cannot even fathom. In the Old testament God flooded the world in anger over man's lack of reverence to Him.  The one and only time we ever saw Jesus get visibly angry was when the merchants were in His Father's House, so Jesus went through tossing stalls and chastising them.  I wonder, this is totally me thinking out loud here, being not in time when did God's mercy came about?  When He saw his son Jesus willing to come down to earth and live as one of us?... when the Father saw, endured and felt the suffering of his only son as Jesus lived his Passion?  Is it ever proper to think of a "when", "where"?  Did God like all Father's go through a bit of a learning curve to see what might get our attention?  Was it when He knew it was time to offer us a chance at real hope of entering into a Divine union with Him? Or is that just how we feeble humans saw it being to ignorant and blind to see?

  That love of God's so vast.. so merciful.  Somewhere in this blog, can't seem to find it right now, there was a great quote were it was said that God has no mercy for the Angels because they knew not miseries like we humans do... Since we suffer miseries He is full of compassion and forgiveness for us little creatures.  Hunh.. how incredible is that?  We suffer due the failings of the first humans and are stained with original sin and all humans fail, fall, and are weak... but our Father knows this, appreciates how despite the hardships we face, the temptations, the weakness of our flesh and will He roots for us to make it to Him.  He gives us the grace and gifts to climb ever closer to Him through His beloved son Jesus.  He gave us his Son!  He had his Son suffer the ultimate price by taking on our sins and suffering the price for our sins.

I think I am too tired now to adequately rehash the meditation I had on this earlier tonight in this post. Maybe later- hit the "save to drafts" button Lnda

Compline (Night Prayers)

Introduction
O God, come to my aid.
  O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
  world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.

This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.

Hymn
Christ, thou who art the light and day,
Who chasest nightly shades away,
Thyself the Light of Light confessed,
And promiser of radiance blest:
O holy Lord, we pray to thee,
Throughout the night our guardian be;
In thee vouchsafe us to repose,
All peaceful till the night shall close.
O let our eyes due slumber take,
Our hearts to thee forever wake:
And let thy right hand from above
Shield us who turn to thee in love.
O strong defender, hear our prayers,
Repel our foes and break their snares,
And govern thou thy servants here,
Those ransomed with thy life-blood dear.
Almighty Father, this accord
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord,
Who with the Holy Ghost and thee
Doth reign through all eternity.
 
Psalm 30(31)
Trustful prayer in time of Adversity 
O God, protect me; be my refuge.
In you, Lord, I put my trust: may I never be put to shame.
  In your justice, set me free,
Turn your ear to me,
  make haste to rescue me.
Be my rampart, my fortification;
  keep me safe.
For you are my strength and my refuge:
  you will lead me out to the pastures,
  for your own name’s sake.
You will lead me out of the trap that they laid for me –
  for you are my strength.
Into your hands I commend my spirit:
  you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
  world without end.
Amen.
O God, protect me; be my refuge.

Psalm 129 (130)
Out of the depths
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord.
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord:
  Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears listen out
  for the voice of my pleading.
If you took notice of our transgressions, Lord –
  Lord, who would be left?
But with you is forgiveness,
  and for this we revere you.
I rely on you, Lord,
  my spirit relies on your promise;
my soul hopes in the Lord,
  more than the watchman for daybreak.
More than the watchman for daybreak,
  let Israel hope in the Lord:
for with the Lord there is kindness
  and abundant redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
  from all its transgressions.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
  world without end.
Amen.
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord.

ReadingEphesians 4:26-27 ©
Even if you are angry, you must not sin: never let the sun set on your anger, or else you will give the devil a foothold.

Short Responsory
 
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
CanticleNunc Dimittis
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.
  You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
  which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;
  the glory of your people Israel.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
  world without end.
Amen.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, you lay a gentle yoke upon those who follow you. Meek and humble, you give them a light burden to carry. Receive the work and the prayers we have offered to you today; and give us rest, to make us more eager to serve you, who live and reign for ever and ever, Amen.

May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.

AMEN



Salve Regina
Hail to you, O Queen, mother of loving kindness,
  our life, our happiness, our hope.
Hear us cry out to you,
  children of Eve in our exile.
Hear as we sigh, with groaning and weeping
  in this life, this valley of tears.
Come then, our Advocate, turn towards us
  the gaze of your kind and loving eyes.
And show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb,
  when at last our exile here is ended.
O gentle, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.
Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae.
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.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Consors Paterni Luminis, a fifth or sixth century hymn of unknown origin:

O you who share the Father's light / You are the light and source of light / We break the silence of the night / to sing and ask your help for us.

Dispel the darkness from our minds / And put to flight all evil ways / Drive far away our sleepiness / And wake us to your presence here.

Grant pardon, Christ, to all who trust / And seek you with believing hearts / May you who hear our voices now / confirm us in your love and joy.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Padre Pio, Secrets of a Soul: "When Jesus wants me to understand that He loves me, He allows me to savor the wounds, the thorns, the agonies of His passion...When He wants to delight me, He fills my heart with that spirit which is all fire; He speaks to me of His delights. But when He wants to be delighted, He speaks to me of His sorrows, He invites me -- with a voice full of both supplication and authority -- to affix my body [to the cross] in order to alleviate His suffering. Who can resist Him? I realize how much my miseries have caused Him to suffer, how much I have offended Him. I desire no other than Jesus alone, I want nothing more than His pains (because this is what Jesus wishes). Let me say--since no one can hear me--I am disposed to remain forever deprived of the sweetness Jesus allows me to feel. I am ready to suffer Jesus hiding His beautiful eyes from me, so long as He does not hide His love from me, because then I would die. But I do not feel I can be deprived of suffering--for this I lack strength. [...] Perhaps I have not yet expressed myself clearly with regards to the secret of this suffering. Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, wants all Christians to imitate Him; He has offered this chalice to me yet again, and I have accepted it. That is why He does not spare me. My humble sufferings are worth nothing, but Jesus delights in them because He loved [suffering] on earth...Now shouldn't this alone be enough to humiliate me, to make me seek to be hidden from the eyes of men, since I was made worthy of suffering with Jesus and as Jesus? Ah, my father! I feel too keenly my ingratitude toward God's majesty."
One of my all time favorite Gospel passages!!! 

"A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." And from that hour the woman was cured." St Matthew 9:20-23
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Psalms 145(144):2-3.4-5.6-7.8-9.

Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever.
Great is the LORD and worthy of high praise; God's grandeur is beyond understanding.
One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works.
They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory, tell of your wonderful deeds.
They speak of your fearsome power and attest to your great deeds.
They publish the renown of your abounding goodness and joyfully sing of your justice.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love.
The LORD is good to all, compassionate to every creature.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9:18-26.

While he was saying these things to them, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, "My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping." And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Hobbit, small in stature, large in courage. We should all embrace our inner Frodo.
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There are times when I grow weary of this life, that is when I cling to the islands of respite- islands of consolation graced to me from God.  But there are times when viewing over the current when I fear the struggle is too much, when the ways of the world too much for one like myself.  How I crave the hope of a home with our Lord, our God.  To be united with Him, cleansed of all the sin, the ugliness of human existence.  There are times when I see the wondrous glory of life and the breathtaking wonder of His Divine hand in all that lives and breathes around me as the world passes before me.  Those are the islands of hope that feed my faith, my hope in God's love and mercy.  What an interesting creature we humans are, so frail, so wretched, so gentle and so loving.  We are a measure of extreme contradictions a living breathing paradox of oxymoron. 
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  I try to fight the human urge to know the future, to know beyond the moment to the next.  To fight the human urge to be attached to people, to things... the simple path I must follow.  A path that feeds the immediate, and the weakness in me, but it leads away leads away from the narrow path of Christ, that is not a path I wish to follow. Well, then, I know what I must do, hold on Jesus I'm a comin'!


Into the night the sun fades away,
The day a memory of faith and failings,
How shall the Divine judge our trails and tests?
How shall we be decided on our attempts for contrite offerings?


Silence of the self, a delectable blessed hum of listening and moving.

The moon is my mother, she is the perfect reflection of the sun.

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 To be blessed with a couple days of silence of mind, silence of being even in the midst of noise and frenetic activity...the gentle hum of  grace-filled silence that speaks to the heart, lets you listen to the voice within speaking. Allows you to softly talk with your Savior in a deeper, more intimate way then normal. The self craves to rest and remain within this all consuming silence so warm, loving and comforting.  Allowing the mind, heart to travel where it is lead.  To feel the cross chosen for you alone to bear within the silence makes the burden light and the journey a gift to He that lays it on you, an offering so sweet the hardship nominal. What more can I do for You dear Jesus?  What more?

It seems so little, so insignificant these meager offering I give to You.  How I wish I could lay at your feet large works that help my fellow man.  How I wish I could lay at your feet amazing acts of holiness for your glory.  Instead I lay these few crushed dying weeds of effort.  Instead you receive these sad little tokens of attempts and failures of my daily works and prayers. Forgive me my human efforts, so pathetic and tiny, so stained with my sin, selfishness and vanity.  Without you I can do nothing.. without you I am nothing.. without you I cease to be alive.  Let me always live in you dear Jesus. Let my heart be a loving restful home for you to rest your head.  Let me do for you everything.  Make me a holy servant of your will and nothing more.  You have the power to transform my miserly offerings into gifts of love that shine.  All I ask is for your love and your grace to always do your will and nothing else matters.
“In the consecrated Host we find...that same Jesus who rose again and appeared to the  Apostles and in whose wounds Thomas put his finger.”
Divine Intimacy, Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.

"We must wait for God long, meekly, in the wind and wet, in the thunder and lightning, in the cold and the dark. Wait, and he will come. He never comes to those who do not wait."
 
-Father Faber

Blessed Feast of St Thomas: "Let us also go and die with him"

Apostle         St. Thomas was one of the fishermen on the Lake of A Galilee whom our Lord called to be his apostles. By nature slow to believe, too apt to see difficulties, and to look at the dark side of things, he had withal a most sympathetic, loving, and courageous heart.
        Once when Jesus spoke of the mansions in his Father's house, St. Thomas, in his simplicity, asked: "Lord, we know not whither you go, and how can we know the way?"
        When Jesus turned to go toward Bethany to the grave of Lazarus, the desponding apostle at once feared the worst for his beloved Lord, yet cried out bravely to the rest: "Let us also go and die with him"
        After the Resurrection, incredulity again prevailed, and whilst the wounds of the crucifixion were imprinted vividly on his affectionate mind, he would not credit the report that Christ had indeed risen. But at the actual sight of the pierced hands and side, and the gentle rebuke of his Saviour, unbelief was gone forever; and his faith and ours has ever triumphed in the joyous utterance into which he broke: "My Lord and my God!"


Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

Friday, July 2, 2010

 Speaking of the Eucharist, St Gemma Galgani once said...
 
                "It is a question of uniting two extremes.
                God, who is everything, and the creature who is nothing;
                God who is Light, and the creature who is darkness;
                God who is holiness, and the creature who is sin.
 
                It is a question of taking part in the Table of the Lord.
                There cannot be, then, enough preparation for it."

Thursday, July 1, 2010

  PRAYER TO KNOW GOD'S WILL

            Lord grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by You, always follow Your plans, and perfectly accomplish Your holy will.

            Grant that in all things, great and small, today and all the days of my life, I may do whatever you may require of me. Help me to respond to the slightest prompting of Your grace, so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument. May Your will be done in time and eternity, by me, in me, and through me. Amen.
Prayer by St. Therese of Lisieux-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a COOL weather day today-Yeah!  God was kind to the valley!!!!  Was just a nice pleasant day, went to Mass, got to plant flowers, do some physical labor and not be drenched in sweat..ahhhhhh, sweet!!  Lovely flowers, lovely day, lovely company. Had a couple of those MH moements that don't really dawn on me until after I head home, where through a statement by one of the staff there that hits me when I get home. A "duh" moment that always amazes me how it washes over my head when there and comes back in replay in the mind later. Or just a particular moment that flashes before me when I see the error of my own behavior, or spoken statement and now wish I hadn't said such-n-such. One day I might actually learn to engage my brain before I talk? LOL, why someone like me really should follow the sage advice of saints and holy people and pratice being silent and not speaking unless really necessary.

Now if I can just quit these darn smokes completely (working on it, and failing, and working on it).  Tomorrow is Friday, so will start anew it's a fast day so that will be a good fast.. can't complain only had one cig all day, and one in the am pre-shower.  So I'll take another shower tonight and not smoke any afterwards.  

Why am I even writing about this here? :0P  LOL 

Oh, that's right because I still can be an ass that's way.  Ugh.  Could try and blame it on the nicotine withdraw, but that is excuse making and not changing the fact that selfishness is the factor behind the behavior.  So once again aware of the vain in myself and need to be rid of it by changing my self.  Welp, knew it wasn't going to be easy or a sprint.  Ask forgiveness, and the grace to be made always aware of this fault of mine and to have help in changing and letting go of this ugly trait in me.  Then study, meditate and learn from the two best examples of humility.  Mother Mary and Jesus.  And remind myself continually "I am third", "I am third".  Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Wow, after the past few days it is almost astonishing to feel this "normal".  Yes, I feel terrible about my oopsie's of the day, but still a wonderful lightness of being is dwelling within and it is refreshing like the cool, non-humid weather. Think I will thank God and the people I was with and just relax and go with it for as long as it may last  :0) 
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"One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I seek: that I may be constant in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
One thing I ask: to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple, that I may be constant in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

O God, by your grace you adopted us and chose us to be children of light.
  Grant that we may not become entangled in error and shadow
  but always shine with the glory of truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
  who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
  God for ever and ever.
Amen."
Office Of Readings: Thursday 1July2010