NOVEMBER
The
Thanksgiving meal is a ritual. Whether we are from rural or urban backgrounds,
we know the harvest time passes and the year draws to an end. Giving thanks to
God is Eucharist, a heavenly banquet and the foretaste of things to come. We
are not worthy receivers of this sacrament without the haunting knowledge of
the poor nutrition for many in our country and famine in other countries. How can we respond to homelessness and
hunger here in our own land and share our bounty with those who are poor in
other countries (lands)?
Highlights of November
The month of November is dedicated to the Souls in Purgatory, whose
feast is celebrated on November 2. The entire month of November falls during
the liturgical season known as Ordinary Time and is
represented by the liturgical color green. During November, as in all
of Ordinary Time (Time After Pentecost), the Liturgy signifies and expresses
the regenerated life from the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is to be spent
on the model of Christ's Life and under the direction of His Spirit. As we come
to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own
as well as the world's. The culmination of the liturgical year is the Feast of
Christ the King. "This feast asserts the supreme authority of Christ over
human beings and their institutions.... Beyond it we see Advent dawning with
its perspecitive of the Lord's coming in glory."— The Liturgy and Time,
A.G. Mortimort
The national holiday (USA) of Thanksgiving also falls on the
last Thursday of November. The tradition of eating goose as part of the
Martin's Day celebration was kept in Holland even after the Reformation. It was
there that the Pilgrims who sailed to the New World in 1620 became familiar
with this ancient harvest festival. When, after one year in America, they
decided to celebrate a three days' thanksgiving in the autumn of 1621, they
went in search of geese for their feast. We know that they also had deer (a
present from the Indians), lobsters, oysters, and fish. But Edward Winslow, in
his account of the feast, only mentions that "Governor Bradford sent four
men on fowling that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together,
after we had gathered the fruit of our labours." They actually did find
some wild geese, and a number of wild turkeys and ducks as well. The Pilgrim
Fathers, therefore, in serving wild turkeys with the geese, inaugurated one of
the most cherished American traditions: the turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day.
They also drank, according to the ancient European tradition, the first wine of
their wild-grape harvest. Pumpkin pie and cranberries were not part of the first
Thanksgiving dinner in America but were introduced many years afterward. The
second Thanksgiving Day in the New World was held by the Pilgrims two years
later, on July 30, 1623. It was formally proclaimed by the governor as a day of
prayer to thank God for their deliverance from drought and starvation, and for
the safe arrival from Holland of the ship Anne. In 1665 Connecticut proclaimed
a solemn day of thanksgiving to be kept annually on the last Wednesday in
October. Other New England colonies held occasional and local Thanksgivings at
various times. In 1789 the federal Congress authorized and requested President
George Washington to proclaim a day of thanksgiving for the whole nation.
Washington did this in a message setting aside November 26, 1789 as National
Thanksgiving Day. After 1789 the celebration reverted to local and regional
observance for almost a hundred years. There grew, however, a strong desire
among the majority of the people for a national Thanksgiving Day that would
unite all Americans in a festival of gratitude and public acknowledgment for
all the blessings God had conferred upon the nation. It was not until October
3, 1863, that this was accomplished, when President Abraham Lincoln issued, in
the midst of the Civil War, a Thanksgiving Proclamation. In it the last
Thursday of November was set apart for that purpose and made a national
holiday.
Since then, every president has followed Lincoln's example, and
annually proclaims as a "Day of Thanksgiving" the fourth Thursday in
November. Only President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the date, in 1939, from
the fourth to the third Thursday of November (to extend the time of Christmas
sales). This caused so much consternation and protest that in 1941 the
traditional date was restored."
NOVEMBER 1 First
Friday
ALL SAINTS DAY (Holy Day of Obligation-Go to Mass)
1 John, Chapter 3, Verse 1-3
1See
what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of
God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not
know him. 2Beloved,
we are God’s
children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when
it is revealed
we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone
who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.
The greatest sign of God’s love is the gift of his Son that
has made Christians true children of God. This relationship is a present
reality and also part of the life to come; true knowledge of God will
ultimately be gained, and Christians prepare themselves now by virtuous lives
in imitation of the Son.[1]
“I promise you, in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful
love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the first Friday for
nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance; they shall not die in
my disgrace nor without receiving the sacraments; my divine Heart shall be
their safe refuge in that last moment.” — Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary
How to complete the First Friday’s Devotion
1. Receive Holy
Communion on each First Friday;
2. The nine Fridays
must be consecutive;
3. They must be made
in honor and in reparation to His Sacred Heart.
ACT OF REPARATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Sacred
Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered
to Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all
mankind, pledge our love and fidelity to Thee!
·
The
more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the
more firmly we shall believe them, O Sacred Heart of Jesus!
·
The
more impiety endeavors to extinguish our hopes of immortality, the more we shall trust in Thy Heart, sole
hope of mankind!
·
The
more hearts resist Thy Divine attractions, the
more we shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable Heart of Jesus!
·
The
more unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the
more humbly and profoundly we shall adore It, O Divine Heart of Jesus!
·
The
more Thy holy laws are transgressed and ignored, the more we shall delight to observe them, O most holy Heart of Jesus!
·
The
more Thy Sacraments are despised and abandoned, the more frequently we shall receive them with love and reverence, O
most liberal Heart of Jesus!
·
The
more the imitation of Thy virtues is neglected and forgotten, the more we shall endeavor to practice them,
O Heart of Jesus, model of every virtue!
·
The
more the devil labors to destroy souls, the
more we shall be inflamed with desire to save them, O Heart of Jesus, zealous
Lover of souls!
·
The
more sin and impurity destroy the image of God in man, the more we shall try by purity of life to be a living temple of the
Holy Spirit, O Heart of Jesus!
·
The
more Thy Holy Church is despised, the
more we shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus!
·
The
more Thy Vicar on earth is persecuted, the
more we will honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy Church, show our
fidelity and pray for him, O kingly Heart of Jesus!
O
Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may we become Thy apostles in the
midst of a corrupted world, and be Thy crown in the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
12 Promises of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary
1. I will give
them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give
peace in their families.
3. I will
console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be
their refuge in life and especially in death.
5. I will
abundantly bless all their undertakings.
6. Sinners
shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls
shall become fervent.
8. Fervent
souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
9. I will
bless those places wherein the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed
and venerated.
10. I will give to
priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Persons who
propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.
12. In the excess of
the mercy of my heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to
all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive
months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor
without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in
that last hour.
2177
The
Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the
Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated
in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy
day of obligation in the universal Church."
"Also, to be
observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany,
the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast
of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast
of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."
WHY has the Church appointed
this feast?
1. To honor God in His saints, in whom He has shown
Himself so wonderful, and to thank Him, as the author of all sanctity, for the
benefits He has bestowed upon them.
2. To put us in lively remembrance of the communion of
saints; that is, of all true children of the Church, whether they belong to the
Church militant on earth, to the Church suffering in purgatory, or to the
Church triumphant in heaven; but more particularly to cause us to consider,
with earnestness, the communion of the saints in heaven with us, who are yet
combating on earth.
3. To encourage us to strive for the like sanctity
with them, and to teach us that it is by no means impossible; for if thousands
of men could become saints, why should not we, who can do all things through
Him Who strengthens us, and has sent the Holy Ghost for our sanctification?
4. To pay honor to those saints to whom no particular
day in the year is dedicated.
5. That, in consideration of so many intercessors, God
may grant us perfect reconciliation, may give us a share in their merits, and
may grant us the grace of one day sharing in their joy in heaven.
Explanation of the Eight Beatitudes
I.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit
are:
o
those
who, like the apostles, readily forsake all earthly things, and for Christ’s
sake become poor.
o
Those
who, happening to lose their property by misfortune or injustice, suffer the
loss patiently, in resignation to the will of God.
o
Those
who, like Jesus, are content with their poor and humble position, seek no
higher or happier one, and would rather suffer want than enrich themselves by
unlawful acts, by fraud or theft.
o
The
rich and noble who set not their hearts upon the riches and greatness of the
world; but who use their riches and influence to relieve the misery of the
needy and oppressed.
o
Finally,
the truly humble, who, convinced of their weakness, their helplessness and
misery, think lowly of themselves, and regard themselves but as beggars, who
are always in need of the grace of God. To all these, therefore, in whose
hearts the world has no place, there is assured, as their inheritance, the
kingdom of heaven; here the kingdom of grace there the kingdom of glory.
II. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land.” That man
is meek who does not murmur against God for sending afflictions upon him, who
is not angry at men who do him injury, but who rather suppresses impatience,
anger, envy, and revenge, nay, who seeks to recompense the evil done him by his
neighbor with good. Such a one is greater than he who takes by storm fortified
cities; he possesses an unfailing fountain of peace, quiet, and cheerfulness;
by his meekness prevails over the most hostile minds, is by such means truly a
ruler upon earth, and will one day, for his portion, obtain heaven, the land of
the living, there to enjoy eternal peace.
III. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted,” By them
that mourn we are not to understand such as grieve and lament over a death, a
misfortune, a loss of worldly goods, or the like; but those who are grieved
that God should be in so many ways offended by themselves and by others that
His Church should be so heavily oppressed, and thereby so many souls lost that
have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. The only evil really to
be grieved for is sin, and the tears shed on account of sin are the only tears
that are profitable, for they shall be recompensed with everlasting joy.
IV. “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall
have their fill.” Hunger and thirst denote the most ardent longing after
those virtues which constitute Christian perfection; such as humility,
meekness, the love of God and of our neighbor, penance. Whoever longs for these
virtues as the hungry man does for food and drink and prays to God for them
with perseverance and earnestness, shall have his fill; that is, he shall be
enriched with them, and one day shall be satisfied with eternal happiness.
V. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” The
merciful here spoken of are:
o
Those
who willingly for give the injuries done to them.
o
Those
who have compassion on their poor neighbors, and, according to their ability,
sustain them by alms. These shall obtain mercy; that is, God will forgive them
their sins and endow them abundantly with the goods of this world and of the
world to come. Thus, God deals with us as we deal with others.
VI. “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” The clean
of heart are those who preserve with care the innocence with which they are
invested at holy Baptism, or seek to regain it, when lost, by penance; those
who keep their hearts and consciences unspotted from all sinful thoughts,
particularly from all unchaste thoughts, desires, words, and acts, and who
endeavor in all things to have a pure intention directed to God alone. They
shall see God, that is, they shall know Him even here upon earth, for as the
eye that is to see must be clean, so
only souls that are pure and unstained can behold God. But further, our
knowledge is like our hearts; the purer the heart the clearer and greater is
the knowledge of God. But in the world above they shall see, know, and possess
Him as He is. What blessedness! Strive, therefore, to keep your heart clean.
VII. “Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of
God.” By peace-makers we are to understand those who have peace with
themselves, that is, a quiet conscience, and who endeavor to maintain peace
among others, or to restore it when broken. Such are called the children of
God, because they follow God, Who is a God of peace, and who even gave His only
Son to reconcile the world with Him, and to bring down upon earth that peace
which the world itself could not give.
VIII. “Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.” Hereby all those are declared blessed who, on
account of the true faith, of virtue, of the fear of God, of purity, are
persecuted, calumniated, and even put to death, and who bear all this with
Christian patience and constancy, nay, with joy. Thus, have the saints done,
and thereby they have gained the heavenly crown. Do we desire to be crowned
with them; we must also suffer with
them. And in truth, if we would apply ourselves zealously to virtue, occasions
will not be wanting to us, for all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution.
In the Roman liturgical books, the celebration of All Saints' Day ends in the afternoon. When it is time for evening Vespers, the office for the Dead is recited in preparation for All Souls' Day. Those who do not use the breviary have followed the same pattern as well. Beginning at sunset on All Saints' Day, families gather in one room, extinguish all lights except the blessed candle that had been saved since Candlemas Day, and pray for the souls of their departed loved ones. In Brittany a group of men would actually go from farm to farm at night, shouting: "Christians awake; pray to God for the souls of the dead and say the Pater and Ave for them." The household would reply "Amen" and rise in prayer.
Things to
Do[5]
·
Visiting
a cemetery and praying for the dead during the Octave of All Saints' Day
(November 1 through November 8) will gain a plenary indulgence that can be
applied only to the souls in purgatory. On other days, this work gains a
partial indulgence.
·
Spend
a little time after Mass thanking God for all the unnamed saints, some of whom
could be our own relatives.
·
Have
a special meal and if you have young children have them dress up like saints
and play games.
·
Pray
the Litany of the
Saints
-- you could make it really special by chanting it ("he who sings prays
twice") and you could read an explanation of this litany, which is
considered the model of all other litanies.
·
From
the Catholic Culture library:
·
An
indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the
faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for
the departed. The indulgence is plenary each day from the first to the eighth
of November; on other days of the year it is partial.
·
A
plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to
the faithful, who on the day dedicated to the Commemoration of All the Faithful
Departed [November 2 {as well as on the Sunday preceding or following, and on
All Saints' Day}] piously visit a church. In visiting the church, it is
required that one Our Father and the Creed be recited.
·
To
acquire a plenary indulgence, it is necessary also to fulfill the following
three conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for
the intention of the Holy Father. The three conditions may be fulfilled several
days before or after the performance of the visit; it is, however, fitting that
communion be received and the prayer for the intention of the Holy Father be
said on the same day as the visit.
·
The
condition of praying for the intention of the Holy Father is fully satisfied by
reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. A plenary indulgence can be acquired
only once in the course of the day.
·
Visit
the cemetery where your loved ones are buried and light a candle. This is
exactly what the holiday is meant to celebrate, and it is also very common for
people to do on All Souls’ Day.
·
Watch
a movie about All Souls’ Day or Christianity. Some of our favourites are: All
Soul’s Day (2005), Passion of the Christ (2004), and Raising the Undead (2006).
·
Spread
awareness on social media by using the hashtag #AllSoulsDay, #HonourTheDead and
#HeavenAwaits.
·
Create
an alter in memory of a loved one. This can be done within your home and typically
uses pictures of the person, candles, flowers and any other sentimental pieces.
·
Prepare
a meal in memory of a deceased family member. In many countries, it is
customary to prepare this meal and it is believed that the dead return to
consume the food.
Pope Gregory
speaks of a priest of Centumcellæ, now Civita Vecchia, who also went to the
warm baths. A man presented himself to serve him in the most menial offices,
and for several days waited upon him with the most extreme kindness, and even eagerness.
The good priest, thinking that he ought to reward so much attention, came the
next day with two loaves of blessed bread, and, after having received the usual
assistance of his kind servant, offered him the loaves. The servant, with a sad
countenance, replied, “Why, Father, do you offer me this bread? I cannot eat
it. I, whom you see, was formerly the master of this place, and, after my
death, I was sent back to the condition in which you see me for the expiation
of my faults. If you wish to do me good, ah! Offer up for me the Bread of the
Eucharist.” At these words he suddenly disappeared, and he, whom the priest had
thought to be a man, showed by vanishing that he was but a spirit. For a whole
week the good priest devoted himself to works of penance, and each day offered
up the Sacred Host in favor of the departed one; then, having returned to the
same baths, he no longer found his faithful servant, and concluded that he had
been delivered. It seems that Divine Justice sometimes condemns souls to undergo
their punishment in the same place where they have committed their sins.
Fitness Friday-Hunting Workout
Recognizing
that God, the Father created man on Friday the 6th day I
propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and renew
yourself in strength; mind, soul and heart.
Elk hunting[8] (or indeed any
rough-country hunt where drastic elevation changes are a routine part of the
hunt) requires a different kind of planning and conditioning than your usual
whitetail hunt. The most common problem out-of-state hunters experience is not
being in good enough physical condition to handle constant up-and-down foot
travel at high elevation - especially when carrying a pack. The result is a
physically exhausted hunter who is unable to perform. Hours and days of
precious hunting time are wasted due to need for rest and recovery. Here’s a
twelve-week plan that will prep you for the high country. There are two main
components to physical prep for rough-country hunting: cardiovascular and
muscular. Plan on exercising thirty to forty-five minutes per weekday,
alternating between cardio and muscular workouts. Be sure to stretch and warm
up gradually before workouts and cool off gradually afterwards.
1.
Week One: Start out easy on yourself to lower risk
of hurting joints or tendons.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Go for a brisk 45-minute walk, preferably including up and down terrain.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Spend 30 minutes climbing up and down the local bleacher stairs (or a nice steep hill). Take regular short rests.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Go for a brisk 45-minute walk, preferably including up and down terrain.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Spend 30 minutes climbing up and down the local bleacher stairs (or a nice steep hill). Take regular short rests.
2.
Week Two: Step it up a little.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Add short stints of jogging to your walk.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: same 30-minute routine, just cut down on rest time.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Add short stints of jogging to your walk.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: same 30-minute routine, just cut down on rest time.
3.
Week Three: Start getting focused.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Begin pushing yourself, walking less and jogging more.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same 30-minute routine, add three squats and three lunges (don’t use weights) alternately during short rest periods.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Begin pushing yourself, walking less and jogging more.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same 30-minute routine, add three squats and three lunges (don’t use weights) alternately during short rest periods.
4.
Week Four: You should be feeling much stronger by
now and hurting less. Remain careful to avoid injury.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Try to jog the majority of your 45 minutes.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Try to spend the entire 30 minutes climbing your stairs or hillside, alternating between five squats and five lunges every few minutes. Only rest at the ten- and twenty-minute marks.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Try to jog the majority of your 45 minutes.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Try to spend the entire 30 minutes climbing your stairs or hillside, alternating between five squats and five lunges every few minutes. Only rest at the ten- and twenty-minute marks.
5.
Week Five: By now you should be enjoying your
workouts.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Warm up, then alternate two-minute sprints with walking to catch your breath. 45 minutes.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Wear a pack with 20 pounds of weight in it during your routine. Rest when needed.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Warm up, then alternate two-minute sprints with walking to catch your breath. 45 minutes.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Wear a pack with 20 pounds of weight in it during your routine. Rest when needed.
6.
Week Six: You should be feeling like a bonafide
athlete.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Back to jogging but pick up the pace a bit.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Try to get through your routine – hiking with pack and five crunches/lunges every five minutes – without stopping to rest.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Back to jogging but pick up the pace a bit.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Try to get through your routine – hiking with pack and five crunches/lunges every five minutes – without stopping to rest.
7.
Week Seven: Halfway there!
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Back to sprinting/walking. Push yourself.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Add five pounds to your pack (total 25), same routine.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Back to sprinting/walking. Push yourself.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Add five pounds to your pack (total 25), same routine.
8.
Week Eight: Second amendment week.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Trade the jogging in for a smooth relaxed 45 min run. (Faster than jogging, but not a sprint)
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same routine as week seven but carry your bow or rifle (empty of course) or object of similar weight/balance).
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Trade the jogging in for a smooth relaxed 45 min run. (Faster than jogging, but not a sprint)
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same routine as week seven but carry your bow or rifle (empty of course) or object of similar weight/balance).
9.
Week Nine: Hang in there.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Sprinting and walking. Keep pushing.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Add five pounds – you’re up to 30 pounds plus your rifle/bow. Stay strong and focused.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Sprinting and walking. Keep pushing.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Add five pounds – you’re up to 30 pounds plus your rifle/bow. Stay strong and focused.
10. Week Ten: Home stretch –
only three weeks till the hunt.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: More smooth relaxed running. Keep it strong.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same routine, add another five pounds. You’re up to thirty-five now, approximately the weight of a three-day bivy pack. Keep up the squats and lunges, they will prep you for big tough steps when climbing and crouching while stalking.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: More smooth relaxed running. Keep it strong.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same routine, add another five pounds. You’re up to thirty-five now, approximately the weight of a three-day bivy pack. Keep up the squats and lunges, they will prep you for big tough steps when climbing and crouching while stalking.
Let's Pray for a
Christmas Miracle!
"Pray for an apostolic
exhortation that glorifies and lifts up
Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation."-Msgr. Charles Pope
Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation."-Msgr. Charles Pope
Msgr. Charles
Pope writes,
Reported from Rome are terrible and seemingly impious things at worst,
and confusing and ambiguous things at best. In the final document of the synod are included
proposals for married priests on a wide scale and women "deacons."
The Church is currently deeply divided and, I would argue, on the brink of
schism, if the Pope includes such proposals in his apostolic exhortation and
plan. We must pray for him as never before to hold the line, much as Pope Paul
VI miraculously held the line in 1968 when he wrote Humanae Vitae, upholding the Church's perennial
view of the nature and purpose of human sexuality and the ancient forbiddance
of contraception. He did this against pressure from the spirit of the age - a
pressure that was even stronger than the pressure Pope Francis currently
encounters. And, like Francis, Paul VI was no conservative and was very
friendly with the agents of radical change. This makes Humanae
Vitae all the more
miraculous, and we must allow this to give us hope now that Pope Francis will
issue a document that does not take us over the brink.
Fr. John
Zuhlsdorf writes,
I have in the
past written, when writing about miracles, that it we don't pray for miracles,
we won't receive them. Praying does not compel God to grant them, but praying
prepares us to accept all that God grants and does not grant.
But God also
works miracles. He pours out extraordinary, undeserved graces.
My friend Msgr. Charles
Pope penneda thoughtful and also heartfelt reaction to the Synod,
the antics in and around in, and its closing document, to which I subscribe. He
contextualized it against the background of those things Francis has been
rumored to have said, things hardly to be believed about the divinity of Christ
and the annihilation of the souls of sinners rather than damnation.
Msgr. Pope
recognizes, as so many do, that these are times of unprecedented uncertainty
and disorder, and much of that disorder is coming from the top. Ex
capite.
Pope Francis
has said that his Apostolic Exhortation will be released at the end of the
year. This is Christmas time.
My friends, we
need a "Christmas Miracle!" So, that is exactly what we will be
praying for.
Providentially,
a 54 Day Rosary Novena that leads up to Christmas, begins on the Solemnity of
All Saints (Nov. 1 - Dec. 24). Let's ask the
Saints and Holy Souls to join us in prayer!
54 Day Novena
for the Holy Father's Apostolic Exhortation
November 1 to
December 24, 2019
The world-wide
prayer campaign - Novena for the Holy Father's Apostolic Exhortation - begins
on November 1, the Solemnity of All Saints, and will end on December 24,
Christmas Eve.
Prayer Intention: May the Holy Spirit guide the Holy Father as he
writes the post-synodal apostolic exhortation.
Here's how the 54 Day Rosary Novena works (it is really very simple) ...
First, we have added a short 1-2 minute
reflection for "Basic Training in Holiness." So, participants are not
only praying for our nation, but receiving a quality 54 day basic training for
becoming the saints we are called to be.
Second, you will pray a rosary, each day
for 54 days, in one of two ways (Modern or Traditional) ...
Third, we ask that you add the force of fasting in whatever
way God is calling you.
"Fasting
gives birth to prophets and strengthens the powerful; fasting makes lawgivers
wise. Fasting is a good safeguard for the soul, a steadfast companion for the
body, a weapon for the valiant, and a gymnasium for athletes. Fasting repels
temptations, anoints unto piety; it is the comrade of watchfulness and the
artificer of chastity. In war it fights bravely, in peace it teaches
stillness." - St. Basil the Great
·
What
is the 54 Day Rosary Novena? See HERE.
·
Sign-up
to receive daily emails of the prayers and reflections during Novena: HERE
·
Also,
if you have not yet joined the Grace Force Facebook group, go HERE
·
Find
everything you need for the Grace Force at RomanCatholicGear.com
Daily Devotions
DAY 1 - HOLY MARY, HELP US TO STRIVE FOR PERFECTION!
GOD'S WORD
"So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 4:48)
HEROES' WORDS
"If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!" -St. Catherine of Siena
"This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections." -St. Augustine
"To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often." -Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman
"He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end.
"He never stops desiring what he already knows." -St. Gregory of Nissa
"Let us begin in earnest to work out our salvation, for no one will do it for us, since even he himself, who made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves." -St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
MEDITATION
"All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity." All are called to holiness: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (CCC 2013)
Spiritual progress tends toward ever more intimate union with Christ. This union is called "mystical" because it participates in the mystery of Christ through the sacraments - "the holy mysteries" - and, in him, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God calls us all to this intimate union with him, even if the special graces or extraordinary signs of this mystical life are granted only to some for the sake of manifesting the gratuitous gift given to all. (CCC 2014)
The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes. (CCC 2015)
PRAY A ROSARY
Choose either:
- Rosary of the Day: Sorrowful Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Joyful Mysteries
PRAYERS FOR TRADITIONAL 54 DAY NOVENA
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY ROSARY
Prayer before the recitation: Sign of the cross. Hail Mary.
In petition (first 27 days): Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I humbly kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses, snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys, each bud recalling to thee a holy mystery, each 10 bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God's graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee, thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my petition; from thy bounty thou wilt give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek. I despair of nothing that I ask of thee. Show thyself my Mother!
In thanksgiving (last 27 days): Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys each bud recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, Dispenser of God's graces. and Mother of all who invoke thee! thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou hast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother.
Say: The Apostles' Creed, Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
The Annunciation - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of humility and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Visitation - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of charity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Nativity - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of detachment from the world and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Presentation - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of purity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of obedience to the will of God and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
Say: The Hail Holy Queen.
Say: St. Michael Prayer
Say this prayer written by Msgr. Charles Pope:
Let us pray: Help us, Lord. Save us and have mercy on us, and draw us back from the brink. We acknowledge our sins Lord and that all of us have fallen short of the glory and holiness to which you have summoned us. But now, on the edge of a precipice, we pray for a miracle - indeed, Lord, one that will stun the world. Guide the Holy Father, who now writes an apostolic exhortation, and may his thoughts be directed only to you and the precious faith you have revealed. Lord, we are poor and needy - whom do we have but you, O Lord? To whom else can we turn? In these times of deep confusion and division we ask a miracle, Lord - yes, a miracle.Mother Mary, intercede for us. Amen.
In petition (first 27 days): Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this spiritual communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow. O my Mother! Look with favor upon my gift, and in thy love obtain for me (specify request, see below). Hail Mary ...
In thanksgiving (last 27 days): Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this Spiritual Communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow in thanksgiving for (specify request, see below) which thou in thy love hast obtained for me. Hail, Mary, etc.
PETITIONS: May the Holy Spirit guide the Holy Father as he writes the post-synodal apostolic exhortation. Your personal intentions (name them). The personal intentions of all praying the 54 Day Christmas Miracle Novena.
Sign-up to receive daily emails of the prayers and reflections during Christmas Miracle Novena: HERE
Novena prayers and reflections are posted daily at usgraceforce.com
Here is the US Grace Force Website: usgraceforce.com
Also, if you have not yet joined the US Grace Force Facebook group, go HERE
Find everything you need for the Grace Force at RomanCatholicGear.com
[1]
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/1john/3:1
[2]https://americaneedsfatima.org/Our-Lord-Jesus-Christ/the-nine-first-fridays-devotion.html
[3]Goffine’s
Devout Instructions, 1896.
[7]Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory
Explained (with Supplemental Reading: What Will Hell Be Like?)
[8]https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/game-changers/your-12-week-plan-get-shape-elk-hunting-season
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