Monday, March 23, 2020



Monday Of the Fourth Week of Lent

Isaiah, Chapter 10, verse 24

Therefore, thus says the Lord, the GOD of hosts: My people, who dwell in Zion, do not FEAR the Assyrian, though he strikes you with a rod, and raises his staff against you as did the Egyptians.

Who is it you fear; who are the Assyrians in your life? God asks us to trust in Him. Even in the worst of situations God is with you.

Sometimes the Lord asks us to go out into the desert to face our fears for it is in this barren place we can grow in faith like Abraham and Moses and have an encounter with the living God. Deserts are fearful places and are full of rocks, pointy things, snakes, spiders and the indescribable beauty of God’s creation. By encountering God in the desert, we learn that the very same stones that somehow get in our shoes and make progress impossible are the very same stones that lay foundations, bridges and roads. In the desert we can search for God; avoid of our distractions and find Him. In the desert we can write out our sins and confess them to God. In the desert we can shed our old lives like the snake sheds its skin and find a new perspective for life. It is during this time alone with; He that IS; we make a spiritual change of clothes. In the desert we can make an all-night vigil and with the coming of the new day we can proclaim as in the Negro spiritual: When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me. For it is in the desert that we can quit deluding ourselves and be doers of the word and not hearers only. For it is in the desert we can find the strength to keep ourselves unstained by the world and find that pure and undefiled religion is to care for others in their afflictions.

Today I am going out into the desert to pray for those afflicted with the Corona Virus. Below is my prayer plan: feel free to use it to go out to a deserted place to pray for those afflicted in this pandemic.




Precious Blood of Christ Hike

Fay Canyon Trail #53


The Divine Mercy Chaplet is on page 9, during this hike you will be praying the Divine Mercy Novena as Christ asked "Today bring to Me the Souls All mankind, especially sinners and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.[1]

Length: 1.1 miles
Rating: Easy
Use: Moderate
Season: All year
Hiking time: 1 hour round trip

Notes: No mechanized vehicles (including mountain bikes) in the wilderness. This trail can be hot and dry in summer. Please do not disturb ruins or remove artifacts.

USGS Maps: Wilson Mountain

Location: 33 miles south of Flagstaff (2.5 miles west of Sedona) in scenic Red Rock Country on roads that are paved. Elevation is 4500 feet.
GPS: N34° 54' 7.4154", W-111° 51' 28.2594"

Access: Drive 27 miles south from Flagstaff to Sedona on US 89A. Continue through Sedona to Dry Creek Road (152C) at the west end of town. Turn north three miles to the Boynton Canyon intersection then left about a half mile to the Fay Canyon parking area on the left. Cross the street to the trailhead.

This hike is also excellent to reflect on the precious Blood of our Lord. A good time to hike this would be during the Month of July at sunset.

Legend states that the Canyon is so beautiful at sunset that the Angels come to visit.  During twilight in the canyon a strong breeze can often be felt.  A unique rock formation is also located in the canyon that is in the shape of a chalice, bringing to life that the very rocks cry out the divine mercy of God.

I suggest you complete the meditation on the Precious Blood of Christ first, and on the way back pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet that is listed on page 9, for the intention of all of mankind.

  • Start at the Beginning of Fay Canyon Trail--Red Cliffs form the West wall of the canyon.
Meditation:  "The Precious Blood which we worship is the Blood which the Savior shed for us on Calvary and reassumed at His glorious Resurrection; it is the Blood which courses through the veins of His risen, glorified, living body at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven; it is the Blood made present on our altars by the words of Consecration; it is the Blood which merited sanctifying grace for us and through it washes and beautifies our soul and inaugurates the beginning of eternal life in it."
  • The trail enters a low deciduous forest.
Meditation:  Cain and Abel are making an offering. Abel's sacrifice is pleasing to God, Cain's is not. This gives rise to the sin of hatred, and fratricide is its resolution. The thirsting earth soaks up Abel's blood as it shouts to Heaven for vengeance. This shouting prefigured the scene on Calvary, where Christ's Blood cried to Heaven for the redemption of mankind.

  • A relatively flat trail leads deep into the canyon. At approximately 0.6 miles from the parking lot on the right is the trailhead to the Fay Canyon Arch (optional moderate hike up to the arch).  It traverses a creek bed and is usually marked by hikers with a pile of rocks.
Meditation:  Millennia pass, and now we see Israel oppressed by Egypt. God commands the people to kill a lamb and to sprinkle the doorposts with its blood; houses thus besprinkled are spared by the messenger of death; but where the doors are not reddened with the blood of the lamb, all male firstborn from king to slave die. This blood on the doorposts was a type of the Blood of Christ. Can the blood of a lamb save a man? No, but as a figure of the Redeemer's Blood it certainly does. For when the Destroyer sees the thresholds of a human heart marked with Christ's sacred Blood, he must pass by. And another soul is saved.

  • After the Arch, on the right will be a rock formation in the shape of a chalice.  At the end of the trail a rock formation can be seen over the tree-tops.
Meditation:  The Church reminds us of the first drops of blood that flowed for our redemption on the day when Jesus was circumcised.

  • The main Fay Canyon Trail ends at a rockslide as the canyon divides.  A short climb up this dividing rock formation affords majestic views of Fay Canyon.
Meditation:  It is night on Mount Olivet, and the moon is shining. We see the holy face crimsoned with blood during the agony in the garden.

Meditation:  Unhappy, despairing Judas casts the blood-money down in the temple. "I have betrayed innocent blood!"

  • As you look down Fay Canyon to the southeast you will see Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock in the distance.
Meditation:  In the scourging chamber we see the Lord in deepest humiliation; under raw strokes the divine Blood spurts out over the floor. Christ is led before Pilate. Pilate shows the blood-covered Body to the crowds: Ecce homo! We go through Jerusalem's streets following the bloody footsteps to Golgotha. Down the beams of the Cross blood trickles. A soldier opens the sacred side. Both Water and Blood flow for our redemption.

Excerpted from the Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Litany of the Most Precious Blood[2]

 Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
God our Father in Heaven
have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world
have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit
have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, one God
have mercy on us
Blood of Christ, only Son of the Father
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, incarnate Word
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, of the new and eternal covenant
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, that spilled to the ground
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, that flowed at the scourging
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, dripping from the thorns
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, shed on the cross
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, the price of our redemption
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, our only claim to pardon
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, our blessing cup
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, in which we are washed
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, torrent of mercy
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, that overcomes evil
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, strength of the martyrs
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, endurance of the saints
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, that makes the barren fruitful
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, protection of the threatened
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, comfort of the weary
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, solace of the mourner
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, hope of the repentant
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, our peace and refreshment
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, our pledge of life
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, by which we pass to glory
be our salvation
Blood of Christ, most worthy of honor
be our salvation
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world
have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world
have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world
have mercy on us
Lord, you redeemed us by your blood.
You have made us a Kingdom to serve our God.
Let us pray.

Father, by the blood of your Son you have set us free and saved us from death. Continue your work of love within us, that by constantly celebrating the mystery of our salvation we may reach the eternal life it promises. 

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.




Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Prayer. GRANT, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that, keeping with yearly devotion these sacred observances, we may please Thee both in body and mind.

EPISTLE, in. Kings iii. 16-28.

In those days: There came two women that were harlots to King Solomon, and stood before him: and one of them said: I beseech thee, my lord, I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the chamber. And the third day after that I was delivered, she also was delivered, and we were together, and no other person with us in the house, only we two. And this woman’s child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him. And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I thy hand maid was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently when it was clear day, I found that it was not mine which I bore. And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayest, but thy child is dead, and mine is alive. On the contrary, she said: Thou liest: for my child liveth, and thy child is dead. And in this manner, they strove before the king. Then said the king: This one saith: My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: nay, but thy child is dead, and mine liveth. The king therefore said: Bring me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king, divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. But the woman whose child was alive, said to the king (for her bowels were moved upon her child): I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it. But the other said: Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. The king answered, and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed, for she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to judgment.


GOSPEL. John ii. 13-25.

At that time: the Pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when He had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, He drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers He poured out, and the tables He overthrew. And to them that sold doves He said: Take these things hence, and make not the house of My Father a house of traffic. And His disciples remembered that it was written: The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up. The Jews therefore answered, and said to Him: What sign dost Thou show unto us, seeing Thou dost these things?

Jesus answered, and said to them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said: Six and forty years was this temple in building, and wilt Thou raise it up in three days?
But He spoke of the temple of His body. When therefore He was risen again from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word that Jesus had said. Now when He was at Jerusalem at the Pasch, upon the festival-day, many believed in His name, seeing His signs which He did. But Jesus did not trust Himself unto them, for that He knew all men, and because He needed not that any should give testimony of man: for He knew what was in man.




Lenten Calendar[3]

Read: The Seven Penitential Psalms, Day Six:

We return to the penitential psalms we explored last week.
(During times when we wish to express repentance and especially during Lent, it is customary to pray the seven penitential psalms.  The penitential designation of these psalms’ dates from the seventh century. Prayerfully reciting these psalms will help us to recognize our sinfulness, express our sorrow and ask for Gods forgiveness.)

Today we will focus on Psalm 130.

Reflect: Read a reflection of Psalm 130Prayer for Pardon and Mercy. Pray “Out of the depths I call to you,    LORD;         Lord, hear my cry! May your ears be attentive    to my cry for mercy.” (Ps 130:1-2)

Act: From great depths of his soul, the psalmist cries out to the Lord in anguish. But he waits for the Lord, he looks for the Lord, and he hopes in the Lord.


Figure 1 Chapel of the holy cross-sedona

The Tree of Knowledge[4]

Meditation - The Tree of Knowledge and the Cross. The sin that was wrought through the tree was undone by the obedience of the tree, obedience to God whereby the Son of man was nailed to the tree, destroying the knowledge of evil, and bringing in and conferring the knowledge of good; and evil is disobedience to God, as obedience to God is good. And therefore the Word says through Isaiah the prophet, foretelling what was to come to pass in the futurefor it was because they told the future that they were "prophets"the Word says through him as follows: I refuse not, and do not gainsay, my back have I delivered to blows and my cheeks to buffets, and I have not turned away my face from the contumely of them that spat. [Is. 50, 6] So by obedience, whereby He obeyed unto death, hanging on the tree, He undid the old disobedience wrought in the tree. And because He is Himself the Word of God Almighty, who in His invisible form pervades us universally in the whole world, and encompasses both its length and breadth and height and depthfor by God's Word everything is disposed and administeredthe Son of God was also crucified in these, imprinted in the form of a cross on the universe; for He had necessarily, in becoming visible, to bring to light the universality of His cross, in order to show openly through His visible form that activity of His: that it is He who makes bright the height, that is, what is in heaven, and holds the deep, which is in the bowels of the earth, and stretches forth and extends the length from East to West, navigating also the Northern parts and the breadth of the South, and calling in all the dispersed from all sides to the knowledge of the Father. St. Irenaeus

Things to Do:


·         The fasting desired by the Lord is not so much denying oneself food (although this is important) but rather, consists in "Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own." Many families take these words to heart by having an inexpensive, penitential dinner on Fridays in Lent (such as beans and rice) and then giving the extra money to the poor.

·         Many families give each child one pretzel during Friday dinners in Lent. Remind your children of the spiritual significance of the pretzel.

·         Pray the Stations of the Cross today with your family. An excellent version with beautiful meditations composed by our Holy Father is his Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum. Some other recommended versions are: Eucharistic Stations of the Cross, and the more traditional Stations of the Cross written by Saint Alphonsus Liguori can be found in most Catholic bookstores. Here are some guidelines for praying the Stations of the Cross in your home.

·         Any of the linked activities (Fun Pretzel Project, Lenten Scrapbook, Candelabrum for Stations of the Cross) are a perfect way for your children to spend their Friday afternoons throughout this season of Lent.

Rosary[5]

The Rosary is the foremost daily method of meditative prayer used by popes and saints alike. There are many forms of praying the Rosary such as the “The Seven Sorrows” Rosary and recently Pope John Paul II added the luminous mysteries. The Rosary has even been adapted to pray for the United States. Pious Germans have the custom of improvising a mystery-specific insertion for each Hail Mary. For example, while meditating on the annunciation, they pray, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus” (and they insert the words) “who died for our sins” then start again with “Holy Mary...The Rosary works, on a human level, because it engages the five senses. It involves our speech and our hearing. It occupies our mind and incites our emotions. We feel the beads with our fingertips. If we pray before a sacred image or better before the Blessed Sacrament we are transported into the lives of Mary and Jesus. The Rosary works best when we stop working and abandon ourselves like children to the time we are spending with our mother. The best place to pray the Rosary is with the family. Mother Teresa of Calcutta after enduring a vision of Calvary stated that Mary reassured her to: “Fear not. Teach them to say the Rosary—the family Rosary—and all will be well.” To God and to the Blessed Virgin, all our efforts at prayer are precious, when we persevere in praying the Rosary, we become like little children, children of Mary, children of our heavenly Father.

Atheist Day[6]

Christmas. Basant. Diwali. Eid al-Adha. Easter. Yom Kippur. Vesak. Hanukkah. Ramadan. There is no shortage of religious holidays celebrated every year. According to recent studies, there are approximately 7.1 billion people currently living in this world, 31% of whom are Christians, 23% of whom are Muslims, 13% of whom are Hindus, and almost 7% of whom are Buddhists. There are also millions of other people who follow religions such as Judaism, Jainism, and Spiritism. But what about those of us who do not believe in a god or gods? An estimated 2% of the worlds population does not adhere to any religion. So why dont they get to have any holidays? Just because 142 million people dont believe in God, does mean they dont like to have a good time, right?

Last Words of famous Atheists[7]


Thomas Hobbs [political philosopher]
·         I say again, if I had the whole world at my disposal, I would give it to live one day. I am about to take a leap into the dark."

Thomas Payne [the leading atheistic writer in American colonies
·         "Stay with me, for God's sake; I cannot bear to be left alone, O Lord, help me! O God, what have I done to suffer so much? What will become of me hereafter? "I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. 0 Lord help me! Christ help me! …No, don't leave; stay with me! Send even a child to stay with me; for I am on the edge of Hell here alone.
If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one."

Voltaire famous anti-Christian atheist:
·         "I am abandoned by God and man; I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months' life." (He said this to Dr. Fochin, who told him it could not be done.) "Then I shall die and go to hell!" (His nurse said: "For all the money in Europe I wouldn’t want to see another unbeliever die! All night long he cried for forgiveness.

Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor, and who, like Adolf Hitler, brought death to millions to satisfy his greedy, power-mad, selfish ambitions for world conquest:
·         "I die before my time, and my body will be given back to the earth. Such is the fate of him who has been called the great Napoleon. What an abyss between my deep misery and the eternal kingdom of Christ!”

In a Newsweek interview with Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of Josef Stalin, she told of her father's death:
·         "My father died a difficult and terrible death. God grants an easy death only to the just. At what seemed the very last moment he suddenly opened his eyes and cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane or perhaps angry. His left hand was raised, as though he were pointing to something above and bringing down a curse on us all. The gesture was full of menace. The next moment he was dead."


Aids in Battle[8] Words of Warning in Battle

The Enemy is crafty and powerful. Heed these warnings to avoid his ambush.
·         Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary the Devil, like a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. 1 Peter 5: 8– 9
·         Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Cor 11: 14
·         But I fear lest, as the serpent seduced Eve by his guile, so your minds may be corrupted and fall from a pure devotion to Christ. 2 Cor 11: 3
·         Wisdom that is from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, moderate, docile, in harmony with good things, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation. The fruit of justice is sown in peace by those who make peace. Jas 3: 13– 18
·         Be angry and do not sin do not let the sun go down upon your anger; do not give place to the Devil. Eph 4: 26– 27

Daily Devotions
·         Ask for the Prayers and assistance of the Angels
·         Nineveh 90-Total Consecration to Mary-Day 16
·         Manhood of the Master-week 7 day 1
·         Drops of Christ’s Blood
·         Universal Man Plan




[2]http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/litanies/litany-of-the-most-precious-blood.cfm
[4]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-04-01
[5] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 35. Rosary.
[8]Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare. TAN Books.



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