Pope Benedict XVI said, "The heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind ... the Evil One has power in this world, as we experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God."
This brings us to the key to Pope John Paul II's master plan for the new millennium, as he asks us to set aside our disconnected busy-ness, and to start fresh by contemplating the face of Christ. It is clear that the Holy Father was encouraging us to place our emphasis on reconnecting to the Divine Life of God, which is classically referred to as the unum necessarium, the one thing necessary.
The "one thing necessary" constitutes the essential foundation for the interior life and consists in hearing the word of God and living by it (I will serve!). It stems from the story of Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42), where we first see that, amazingly, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity was sitting right in their living room. Now, Martha remains busy with the good and noble protocol of hospitality while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, her eyes locked on his holy face, peering into his soul, hanging on his every word. Mary is actually in adoration, soaking in everything our Lord wants to give her. I like to say that she is "Mary-nating" - soaking in the gusher of God's graces.
When Martha objects to Mary's lack of activity, Jesus tells Martha that she remains anxious and upset about many things while Mary has chosen the better portion, the "one thing necessary" (unum necessarium). Mary was the one who was making the guest truly feel welcomed while Martha remained detached, going through the motions of the demands of protocol. God is light and love and truth who brings order and meaning and serenity to our lives. While we remain disconnected from our Source, we remain easily agitated and frustrated in our disordered and chaotic existence as we continue to walk in darkness. (Excerpt from Church Militant Field Manual).
PRAY A ROSARY
Choose either:
Rosary of the Day: Luminous Mysteries
Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Glorious Mysteries
PRAYERS FOR TRADITIONAL 54 DAY NOVENA
THE GLORIOUS 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, full-blown white roses, tinged with the red of the passion, to remind thee of thy glories, fruits of the sufferings of thy Son and thee, 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 full blown white roses, tinged with the red of the passion, to remind thee of thy glories, fruits of the sufferings of thy Son and thee 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 bast 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.
For each of the following Mysteries, say: Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
The Resurrection - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of faith and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Ascension - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of hope and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of charity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Assumption of Mary - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of union with Christ and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Coronation of the Blessed Mother - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these full-blown roses with a petition for the virtue of union with thee 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.
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
O ANTIPHONS
John,
Chapter 14, Verse 1
“Do
not let your hearts be troubled. You have FAITH
in God; have FAITH also in me.
Christ is the way, the truth and the
life: to follow Him and to strive to be Saints of God is our faith.
O Antiphons[1]The "Octave" Before Christmas and/or the
Golden Nights
Today also marks the beginning of the O Antiphons, the seven jewels of
our liturgy in preparation of Christ. With each new Sunday heightening our
sense of anticipation and with every Advent custom doing the same, it is little
wonder that the eight days before Christmas became a semi-official octave of
impatient expectation. This is expressed liturgically in the Divine Office's
special Magnificat antiphons for this period. Beginning on the evening of
December 17 during Vespers, a "Greater"
or "O" antiphon (so named for its opening vocative) is
said which explicitly invokes the Son of God under various titles and begs Him
to come. The Gregorian chant for these antiphons is exquisite, as are the antiphons
themselves, which call attention to the Word's different manifestations to man
in the Old Testament and to several of His divine attributes. The antiphons are
also noteworthy for their "code."
The titles for Christ from each antiphon form an acrostic which, when read
backwards, spells, "ERO CRAS"
-- "I will be [there] tomorrow!" It is as if Christ were answering
our prayers through the prayers themselves. Finally, the Greater antiphons are
the inspiration of the beautiful medieval hymn, Veni, Veni Emmanuel. Each stanza of this famous song is
a poetic rendering of an antiphon, which is why the hymn is traditionally sung
only during the eight days prior to Christmas. In many places, however, the
octave of preparation was extended over nine days, making a Novena. By special permission,
the "Golden Mass"
of Ember Wednesday was sometimes offered in the pre-dawn hours for nine
consecutive days prior to Christmas. Central Europe observed the "Golden Nights," a festive
season honoring the Blessed Virgin, the expectant Mother of God; in fact,
December 18 was once the Feast of
the Expectancy in Spain.
In the Alps, schoolchildren observed the custom of Josephstragen -- "carrying
St. Joseph." Each night, a group of boys would carry a statue of St.
Joseph to another boy's home. The night after the visit, the boy who had been
visited would join the procession, making the number of carriers grow
progressively larger. On Christmas Eve all the boys, accompanied by schoolgirls
dressed in white, would process the statue through the town to the church,
where it would be placed near the manger.
In Latin America, on the other hand, a Novenato the Holy Child (La Novena del Niño) was held in
which prayers would be said and lively carols sung in front of the church's
empty manger.
Come, and
teach us the way of prudence.
O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching
from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly, Come, and teach
us the way of prudence.
Today, according to the Roman Martyrology, is
the feast of St Lazarus known as the brother of St Martha and St Mary of
Bethany. He was the man whom Jesus raised from the dead after having been dead
and in his tomb for four days. The Bible does not trace his history after the
miracle, but tradition says he became a missionary to Gaul, the first bishop of
Marseilles, France, and a martyr in the persecutions of Domitian.
The
Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus is one of the orders of
chivalry to survive the downfall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the attempts
by the Crusader knights to win control of the Holy Land from the forces of
Islam.
In
theory the Order remained a military one, but with the exception of a brief
period in the 17th century it played no military role after 1291. The Order of
Saint Lazarus is one of the most ancient of the European orders of chivalry. At
the very least it dates back to the time of the Crusader knights. From its
foundation in the 12th century, the members of the Order were dedicated to two
ideals: aid to those suffering from the dreadful disease of leprosy and the
defense of the Christian faith.
Today
the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem is an
international self-governing and independent body, having its own Constitution;
it may be compared with a kind of electoral kingdom. According to the said
Constitution the Order is nonpolitical, oecumenical or nondenominational, as
its membership is open to all men and women being practicing members of the
Christian faith in good standing within their particular denomination. Its
international membership consists of Roman-catholic, Anglican, Protestant,
Orthodox, United, Old Catholic, New Apostolic and other Christians, upholding
with their lives, fortunes and honor the principles of Christianity.
Traditionally
it is organized as a Christian Chivalric Order. The Order is registered in
London in accordance with the laws in England. It is both a Military Order of
Mercy and a Hospitaller Order dedicated to the care and assistance of the poor
and the sick. Its aim is to preserve and defend the Christian faith, to guard,
assist succor and help the poor, the sick and dying, to promote and maintain
the principles of Christian chivalry and to follow the teachings of Christ and
His Holy Church in all its works. With the exception of the present Teutonic
Order ("Deutscher Orden") the Order of Saint Lazarus is today the
smallest of the orders of Christian chivalry. It is made up of approximately
five thousand members in the five continents. The Order sees itself as an
oecumenical Christian order whose genesis goes back to the Holy Land, to the crusades
and to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
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.
·THE CRIB—Confidence-Build the little Crib
by an unbounded confidence in God. Give no way to sadness in adversity. Also
think not too much of our past sins and faults, making many acts of hope in
God's mercy instead. Reflect a little each hour on the great love of God, who
becomes Man for us.
Daily Devotions
·JESSE
TREE: Jesus is Wisdom:
Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus in old Bibles) 24:2; Wisdom 8:1 Symbols: oil
lamp, open book
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