The U.S. Army ran a very effective "Army Strong" advertising campaign to recruit soldiers. The key message was: "There is strong, and then there is Army Strong." The commercial goes on to say, "It is a strength like none other. It is a physical strength. It is an emotional strength. It is strength of character. It is strength of purpose. The strength to do good today, and the strength to do well tomorrow. The strength to obey, and the strength to command. The strength to build, and the strength to tear down. The strength to get yourself over, and the strength to get over yourself."
These are warrior assets necessary to overcome the enemy. However, recall that our struggle is not against flesh and blood combatants, but against the much stronger and craftier spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm (Eph 6:11). This means it is not enough for you to possess the power of a warrior. You must discover what it means to be supernaturally empowered by God. You are to become not just Army Strong, but God Strong. You must know what it means to be in a state of grace. St. Ignatius of Loyola said, "Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to him and if they were to allow his grace to mold them accordingly."
Fr. John Hardon wrote: "St. Thomas Aquinas believed that man is more than a composite of body and soul, that his is nothing less than elevated to a supernatural order which participates, as far as a creature can, in the very nature of God. Accordingly, a person in the state of grace, or divine friendship, possesses certain enduring powers, the infused virtues and gifts, that raise him to an orbit of existence as far above nature as heaven is above earth, and that give him abilities of thought and operation that are literally born, not of the will of flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (Excerpt from Church Militant Field Manual).
Abandon yourself to the Lord and become GOD STRONG!
PRAY A ROSARY
Choose either:
Rosary of the Day: Joyful Mysteries
Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Sorrowful Mysteries
PRAYERS FOR TRADITIONAL 54 DAY NOVENA
THE SORROWFUL 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, blood red roses to remind thee of the passion of thy divine Son, with Whom thou didst so fully partake of its bitterness, each rose 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 blood red roses to remind thee of the passion of thy divine Son, with Whom thou didst so fully partake of its bitterness each rose 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 Agony in the Garden - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these blood red roses with a petition for the virtue of resignation to the will of God and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Scourging at the Pillar - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these blood red roses with a petition for the virtue of mortification and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Crowning with Thorns - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these blood red roses with a petition for the virtue of humility and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Carrying of the Cross - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these blood red roses with a petition for the virtue of patience in adversity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Crucifixion - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these blood red roses with a petition for the virtue of love of our enemies 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
Those who would like to pray with others via The Telephone Rosary, call 1-951-799-9866 daily at 6 pm Eastern.
Ember Saturday
Psalm 71, Verse 5-6
5You are my HOPE, Lord, my trust, GOD, from my youth. 6On you I have depended since birth; from my mother’s womb you are my
strength; my HOPE in you never wavers.
God will rise
from the depths to save his servant. Translation? The enemies of the writer
have no chance.[1]
Ember Saturday[2]"Holy
impatience" over the coming of the Lord, both in the manger and in glory
at the end of time.
Psalm
147:12, 16-17 "Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise thy God, O Sion. Who
giveth snow like wool: scattereth mists like ashes. He sendeth his crystal-like
morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?"
Reflect "If we say that we have not sinned, we make [God]
a liar, and his word is not in us" (1 Jn 1:10).
Pray Add this "O Antiphon" to your daily or
meal-time prayer today: "O Key of David, opening the gates of God's
eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness." (Catholic
Household Blessings and Prayers, Revised Edition, 76)
Act Make going to confession a priority before
Christmas.
O Root of Jesse, who stands for an
ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silence and unto whom the
Gentiles shall make supplication: Come to deliver us, and tarry not.
O Root of Jesse
"Come to deliver us and tarry not." The world cries
out for Christ its King, who shall cast out the prince of this world (John
12:31). The prince of this world established his power over men as a result of
original sin. Even after we had been delivered from the servitude of Satan
through the death of Christ on the cross, the prince of this world attempts to
exercise his power over us. "The devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about
seeking whom he may devour" (I Pet. 5:8). In these trying times, when
faith in Christ and in God has largely disappeared, when the propaganda of a
pagan culture is broadcast everywhere, and the forces of evil and falsehood
rise up to cast God from His throne, who does not feel the power of the devil?
Does it not appear that we are
approaching that time when Satan will be released from the depths of hell to
work his wonders and mislead, if possible, even the elect? (Apoc. 20:2; Matt.
24:24.)
"Come, tarry not." Observe
how thoroughly the world of today has submitted to the reign of Satan. Mankind
has abandoned the search for what is good and holy. Loyalty, justice, freedom,
love, and mutual trust are no longer highly regarded. Establish, O God, Thy
kingdom among us, a kingdom established upon truth, justice, and peace.
"Come, tarry not." "Thy kingdom come."
A special devotion that can be performed during Advent to
prepare for the coming of the Infant Savior. It can be adapted for adults
and/or children and applied as is appropriate to your state in life.
·9th day, December 19th: THE OX—Silence Today we
may speak nothing unnecessary, much less give way to distracting thoughts. On
the contrary, hold interior converse with God by loving aspirations to Him.
Every Christmas although the same in many ways is
always new for each Christmas expresses a hope learned from a lifetime of
praising God. For every Christmas if we open our eyes to truth, we will see the
handiwork of God, the rock of our salvation. Perhaps in these final days of
anticipation it would do us well to reflect on the virtues of Mary Christ’s
very own mother and in these final days in some way reflect them in our own
lives.
Humility the
first of Our Lady’s virtues
“True
humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“These
are the few ways we can practice humility: To speak as little as possible of
one's self; to mind one's own business, not to want to manage other people's
affairs; to avoid curiosity, to accept contradictions and correction
cheerfully; to pass over the mistakes of others, to accept insults and
injuries; to accept being slighted, forgotten and disliked, to be kind and
gentle even under provocation; never to stand on one's dignity, to choose
always the hardest.”
― Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living
Every year one thing
remains the same around the holidays, people everywhere have to decide at what
point before the big day they’re going to go out and hunt down a Christmas tree.
Look for an Evergreen Dayis about the last opportunity you have
if you haven’t already gotten yours to ensure you have a tree for the Holidays.
Even if you’ve already got your tree for this year, this is a great opportunity
to go out and familiarize yourself with the other types of Evergreens in your
neighborhood, and discover that these regal giants are around you all year
round. Look for an Evergreen Day was originally established by the National
Arborist Association to create a day to appreciate the beauty of these trees
outside of the confines of merely being bedecked with glittering lights and
ornaments even in the depths of winter these noble trees keep their foliage,
providing that wonderful green and white contrast that is so representative of
deep winter. Evergreens have played an important role in many societies
throughout the ages, selected for religious observances due to their seemingly
eternal nature even in a season of death, ·but that’s not the only place
they’re represented, the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest were
entirely reliant on the red cedar for multiple aspects of their culture. Whether
they were making clothing, fishing line, ropes, or building their homes or
canoes, the red cedar was vital a vital part of their lives. Going back even
further, most people have heard about how Socrates was made to drink a glass of
hemlock tea, which he did with his normal unflinching nature. Hemlocks are a
shade tolerant evergreen with short striped needles. As you can tell, knowing
the difference between your evergreens could one day save your life!
How to
celebrate Look for an Evergreen Day
·The
best way to celebrate is to grab a book of local flora/fauna, and head out to identify
all the different types of evergreen plants that grow in your part of the
world· There are literally thousands of different varieties from every place in
the vegetable kingdom, so there are certain to be multiple examples in your
local area.
·Obviously,
if you haven’t gotten your tree yet, then Look for an Evergreen Dayis when it should
happen· By understanding the difference between Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir, and
the dozens of other varieties of Christmas Tree available, you’ll know which
ones will have the most even spread, which ones will be the most dense, and
will best compliment your home and decorating scheme.
“Beware
the Pogonip”
Definition:
The word pogonip is a meteorological term used to describe an uncommon
occurrence: frozen fog. The word was coined by Native Americans to describe the
frozen fogs of fine ice needles that occur in the mountain valleys of the
western United States in December. According to Indian tradition, breathing the
fog is injurious to the lungs.
Daily Devotions
·Jesse
Tree ornament: Jesus is Flower of Jesse: Isaiah 11:1-3 Symbols: flower,
plant with flower
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