This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Many theologians state that the eighth deadly sin is fear. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
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DAY 10 - MOTHER MOST AMIABLE, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING!
GOD'S WORD
"The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple." (Psalm 119:130)
"Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints ..." (Ephesians 1:18)
HEROES' WORDS
"Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand." -St. Augustine
"Understanding is the sure and clear knowledge of some invisible thing." -St. Bernard
"Thus understanding and love, that is, the knowledge of and delight in the truth, are, as it were, the two arms of the soul, with which it embraces and comprehends with all the saints the length and breath, the height and depth, that is the eternity, the love, the goodness, and the wisdom of God." -St. Bernard
MEDITATION
The Gift of Understanding: The infused gift of the Holy Spirit given to the mind for grasping revealed truths easily and profoundly. It differs from faith because it gives insight into the meaning of what a person believes, whereas faith, as such, merely assents to what God has revealed. This gift produces three principal effects in those who possess it. They are enabled to penetrate to the very core of revealed truths, without ever fully understanding their meaning; they are confirmed in their belief by acquiring great certitude in the revealed word of God; and they are brought to the knowledge of a greater number of truths by drawing numerous conclusions from revealed principles. (Fr. John Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary)
PRAY A ROSARY
Choose either:
Rosary of the Day: Glorious 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.
Spiritual Communion: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. 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.
PETITION: May truth be revealed, and may America and the Catholic Church become strong in God's power. - Ephesians 6:10
Please consider adding these prayers, until the election is called (more information HERE):
Fr. Ripperger's Recommended Prayers for Breaking Oppression and Sending Back Evil Until the Election is Called
Consecration of One's Exterior Goods to the Blessed Virgin Mary
(This prayer is particularly useful for breaking various forms of oppression. By relinquishing what belongs to us into the hands of the Blessed Virgin, Satan cannot touch them. This is a strong prayer of protection on you and yours):
I; (Name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the heavenly court, I choose thee, O Mary, this day for my Mother and Mistress. Knowing that I have received rights over all my exterior goods by the promulgation of the Natural Law by the Divine Author, I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, all of my exterior goods, past, present and future; I relinquish into thy hands, my Heavenly Mother, all rights over my exterior goods, including our President, the fairness, honesty and accuracy of the outcome of the election, and our country and I retain for myself no right of disposing the goods that come to me but leave to thee the entire and full right of disposing of all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity. As I now interiorly relinquish what belongs to me exteriorly into thy hands, I entrust to thee the protection of those exterior goods against the evil one, so that, knowing that they now belong to thee, he cannot touch them. Receive, O good and pious Virgin, this little offering of what little is, in honor of, and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to Thy maternity; in homage to the power which both of You have over this poor sinner, and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored thee. Trusting in the providential care of God the Father and thy maternal care, I have full confidence that thou wilst take care of me as to the necessities of this life and will not leave me forsaken. God the Father, increase my trust in Thy Son's Mother; Our Lady of Fair Love, give me perfect confidence in the providence of Thy Son. Amen.
Sending Evil Back
(Fr. Chad Ripperger comments that the following prayer may appear harsh, in that it seems to seek evil befall on another, yet it is meant to expose evil and to teach that evil does not win. And, in fact, choosing evil will, eventually, lead to bad repercussions)
Jesus and Mary, I ask that if it be Your Holy Will, that any curses or evil sent against the President or the election process be sent back from whence they came.
All of the daily Novena Prayers and Reflections are also posted at usgraceforce.com
Finally,
brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one
another, live in peace, and the God
of love and PEACE will be with you.
One
way to mend your ways and bring love and peace to your organizations and
relationships is to use an ideal developed by the late Steven Covey.
We all know how our regular bank account works. We
make deposits, save up money, and when we need that money later, we withdraw
it. An emotional bank account is an account of trust instead of money. It’s an
account based on how safe you feel with another person.
Covey identifies six ways to make deposits (or reduce
withdrawals):
1.Understanding
the Individual. This means listening intently to what the other
person is saying and empathizing with how they may feel. It’s important
to care for others and act with kindness toward them.
2.Keeping
Commitments. How do you feel when someone arrives right on
time when you have a meeting? How about when people simply do what they say
they will do? You build up an emotional reserve by keeping your commitments.
3.Clarifying
Expectations. We are not mind readers, and yet we consistently
expect others to know what we expect of them. Communicating our expectations
can help create a higher level of trust. When we ask for what we want, and we
get it, we can then trust a little more.
4.Attending
to the Little Things. Don’t you find that the little things tend to
become the BIG things when they do not receive our attention? Doing the little
things is how we honor and show respect for others. Small kindnesses, a smile,
a little extra effort, a hug, doing something you didn’t “have” to these are
the things that build trust.
5.Showing
Personal Integrity. Integrity is the moral floor upon which trusting
relationships are built. When we operate with sound moral character, it makes
it so easy for others to trust us.
6.Apologizing
When We Make a Withdrawal. We will make mistakes; it’s part of life. But
when you see you have violated a trust, sincerely apologizing is how we make a
deposit to counteract the damage we have done.
When your trust level is high, because you’ve made
lots of deposits, communication is almost effortless. You can be yourself, and
others understand and appreciate you. Then, when you make mistakes or offend
someone unexpectedly, you draw on that reserve and the relationship still
maintains a solid level of trust. Conversely, when you are discourteous,
disrespect others, interrupt others, speak sarcastically or ignore others, your
emotional bank account becomes overdrawn because you have jeopardized the trust
level. When the trust level is low, you have to be very careful of what you
say; you tend to be more political. Our most precious relationships (with our
spouse, kids, friends and boss) require constant deposits, because those
relationships continue to grow and change, and with these changes come new
expectations. If you have a teenager at home, you may make several withdrawals
in just one day! As your marriage evolves, your roles and responsibilities may
change, and your work and home lives may change over time because of career
changes or kids moving out or back in. These relationships require constant
investment.
To remind ourselves of His love
and to prepare our hearts and souls for the reception of His body we should get
to Mass early enough to say the Prayer of St. Thomas prior to Mass.
Almighty and everlasting God, behold I come to the Sacrament
of Thine only-begotten Son, our LordJesus Christ: I come
as one infirm to the physician of life, as one unclean to the fountain of
mercy, as one blind to the light of everlasting brightness, as one poor and
needy to the Lord of heaven and
earth. Therefore I implore the abundance of Thy measureless bounty that Thou
wouldst vouchsafe to heal my infirmity, wash my uncleanness, enlighten my
blindness, enrich my poverty and
clothe my nakedness, that I may receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings,
the Lord of
lords, with such reverence and humility, with such sorrow and devotion, with
such purity and faith, with such purpose and intention as
may be profitable to my soul's salvation. Grant unto me, I pray, the grace of
receiving not only the Sacrament of our Lord's Body and Blood, but also
the grace and
power of the Sacrament. O most gracious God, grant me so to receive the Body of
Thine only-begotten Son, our LordJesus Christ, which
He took from the Virgin Mary, as to merit to
be incorporated into His mystical Body, and to be numbered amongst His members.
O most loving Father, give me grace to
behold forever Thy beloved Son with His face at last unveiled, whom I now
purpose to receive under the sacramental veil here below.Amen.
Saint Michael the Archangel was
the protector of Israel and is also traditionally known as “The Medicine of
God.” Saint Michael as the military captain of the church of God has a great
interest in the happenings of his people, their calamities and he does not
overlook their calls for his aid. Let us therefore have recourse to him in
times of sickness. He will most certainly come to our assistance bringing the
healing graces of the Redeeming Blood. Yet, if it is the will of the father
that we depart from this world Saint Michael does not abandon us for he is
especially our advocate at our hour of death and assists at every deathbed for
it is part of his office to receive the souls of the elect on their quitting
the flesh. When the last hour of our earthly career draws near we are
confronted by that awful moment when our soul must leave the body which it has
loved so much, to pass through the narrow portal of death, satanic hosts like
raving lions will make a last attack upon our souls. But we need not fear (but
be at peace) if during life we have had devotion to the Precious Blood and have
been faithful in venerating St. Michael and imploring his aid. He will cover us
with his strong shield and lead us safely through the midst of our enemies.
Every Wednesday is
Dedicated to St. Joseph
The Italian culture has
always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you could make
Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of pizza or
spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday evening Mass.
You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are adventurous you
could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the evening a family
night perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make the day special.
Friday In the Octave of Christmas ST SYLVESTER-NEW YEARS EVE Sirach, Chapter 2, Verse 15-17 15 Those who FEAR the Lord do not disobey his words; those who love him keep his ways. 16 Those who fear the Lord seek to please him; those who love him are filled with his law. 17 Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts and humble themselves before him. “Perfect love casts out all fear .” Many of us are conscious of our sins and failures. The older we get, the more we become aware that we have not measured up to what God had in mind for us from all eternity. We begin to worry about Judgment Day. Fear . Even when we are younger, if we have a good conscience, we worry over our sins. Remember that God loved us so much that he sent his Son to save us. Remember that Jesus gave his life for each of us personally. Remember that God is not like us: He loves us with an everlasting love. We need to realize this love of God so that it will cast out all fear from our hearts. We
30 Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) 2 Maccabees, Chapter 15, Verse 8 He urged his men not to fear the attack of the Gentiles, but mindful of the help they had received in the past from Heaven, to expect now the victory that would be given them by the Almighty. As an old, retired military man it was common for us to say while we were loading our magazines with bullets, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition." We knew that without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Optimists see steppingstones where pessimists see stumbling blocks. Heavenly Intercession [1] "Stretching out his right hand, Jeremiah presented a gold sword to Judas. As he gave it to him, he said 'Accept this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you shall crush your adversaries.' " —2 Maccabees 15:15-16 Nicanor planned to slaughter the Jews on th
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Switch of Manliness Legacy OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA Acts, Chapter 10, verse 1-4 1 Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Cohort called the Italica, 2 devout and God-fearing along with his whole household, who used to give alms generously to the Jewish people and pray to God constantly. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God come into him and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 He looked intently at him and seized with FEAR , said, “What is it, sir?” He said to him, “Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial offering before God. Cornelius’ Cohort was an auxiliary unit of archers, men who are expert at hitting a mark or target. Sin is the act of violating God's will. Sin can also be viewed as anything that violates the ideal relationship between an individual and God, or as any diversion from the ideal order for human living. To sin has been defined as "to miss the mark" to have a harden
Eat Something with Spinach today OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL Isaiah, Chapter 7, Verse 3-6 3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, 4 and say to him: Take care you remain calm and do not fear ; do not let your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands, the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans and of the son of Remaliah— 5 because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you. They say, 6 “Let us go up against Judah, tear it apart, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king there . These verses contain a series of oracles and narratives, all closely related to the Syro-Ephraimite war of 735–732 B.C. Several passages feature three children whose symbolic names refer to the Lord’s purposes: Shear-jashub, Emmanuel, and Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Judah and its Davidic dynasty should trust Go
Monday Night at the Movies Luis Bunuel, Simon of the Desert, 1965 SAINT MOTHER THEODORE GUERIN Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 21 Indeed, so FEARFUL was the spectacle that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.” Moses was the heir apparent to the throne of Egypt in his youth. As a member of the Egyptian court, he would have seen many fearful spectacles yet imagine what it must have been like to have been a witness of God descending on Mount Sinai to give the law. He was terrified and trembling. Again, now imagine if Moses was somehow resurrected and was able to walk into an ordinary catholic church that has a very modest Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Do you think his reaction would be any different than the first time he encountered the living God? Be Still and Know that I am God [1] On the evening of October 1995, John Paul II was scheduled to greet the seminarians at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. It had been a very full day that began with a Mass at Oriole Park in Camden Y
Saints, Feast, Family - Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring - July 15 Saint of the day: Saint Vladimir of Kiev Monday- Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop ST. SWITHUN Monday Night at the Movies Raffaello Matarazzo, The White Angel, 1955. Deuteronomy, Chapter 31, Verse 8 It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not FEAR or be dismayed.” For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. The Lord our God calls us to His service. This is the message of St. Therese of Lisieux that we are all called, and we should have great confidence and humility seeking to bring the kingdom in small ways and asking our Lord to multiply our efforts. The greatest way we can bring about the Kingdom is in our own families. This is the reason Pope Francis made such efforts to attend the family symposium in Philadelphia in 2015. Yes, families
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Auxilium Christianorum - Praying for Persecuted Priests Monday, May 24 is the Feast of Mary Mother of the Church. It is also the Feast of Mary Help of Christians (Auxilium Christianorum). Please consider joining this Auxilium Christianorum family to pray daily for our holy and courageous persecuted priests. The Church teaches us that it is divided into the Church Triumphant (which includes the members of the Church in heaven), the Church Suffering (this includes the members of the Church in purgatory), and the Church Militant (this refers to those members of the Church who are alive in this world). Because we are part of the Church Militant, we are in a spiritual warfare and this spiritual warfare requires that we recognize, as Saint Paul teaches us "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places." ( Ephesians 6:12 ) The me
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