Auxilium Christianorum - Praying for Persecuted Priests
R. Who made heaven and earth.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.
God the Father of 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-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, save us.
Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God, save us.
Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament, save us.
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony, save us.
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging, save us.
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns, save us.
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross, save us.
Blood of Christ, price of our salvation, save us.
Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness, save us.
Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls, save us.
Blood of Christ, stream of mercy, save us.
Blood of Christ, victor over demons, save us.
Blood of Christ, courage of Martyrs, save us.
Blood of Christ, strength of Confessors, save us.
Blood of Christ, bringing forth Virgins, save us.
Blood of Christ, help of those in peril, save us.
Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened, save us.
Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow, save us.
Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent, save us.
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying, save us.
Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts, save us.
Blood of Christ, pledge of eternal life, save us.
Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory, save us.
Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor, save us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
R. And made of us a kingdom for our God.
From hatred, fornication, and envy - We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From thoughts of jealousy, rage, and death - We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From every thought of suicide and abortion - We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From every form of sinful sexuality - We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From every division in our family, and every harmful friendship - We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From every sort of spell, malefice, witchcraft, and every form of the occult - We implore Thee, deliver us, O Lord.
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.
Virgin Most Powerful, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
All You Holy Angels, pray for us.
Whit Monday
MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH-MARY
HELP OF CHRISTIANS
1 Samuel, Chapter 23, Verse 15
While David was in the wilderness
of Ziph at Horesh he was AFRAID that
Saul had come out to seek his life.
David trusted his life to God and did what was
righteous.
David
a.k.a. Robin Hood[1]
·
The
Philistines are robbing grain at Keilah, so David and his men go attack them.
·
Even
though Saul is after them, David still knows he needs to protect the people for
God.
·
After
David defeats the Philistines, Saul learns of David's whereabouts (1-8).
·
David
learns that Saul is coming for him and he starts freaking out.
·
God
informs David that the people will turn him over to Saul this time, which is a
hard lesson for David because even though he was acting on the people's behalf,
they were willing to stab him in the back (9-13).
·
Even
though Saul is unable to find David, Jonathan finds him no problem. BFFs can be
like that. Jonathan encourages David to keep fighting the good fight because
one day he will be king of Israel as God intends (14-18).
·
Saul
learns that David is staying in the wilderness of Ziph with his merry men a la
Robin Hood. Saul starts chasing through Ziph and a variety of other areas.
·
Unfortunately
for Saul, David is quick as lightning and always avoids danger. At one point,
Saul and his men are on one side of a mountain and David and his men are on the
other side. Tough luck, Saul.
·
Saul
gets word the Philistines are raiding the land. For once, Saul makes a good
decision and goes to defend the Israelites against the Philistines (15-29).
We glorify God when we are
righteous as he is righteous who makes the rain fall on both the good and the
evil.
Apostolic Exhortation[1]
Veneremur
Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of
Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My
beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Part I
II. The Mass as the eternal
memorial of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross
19. In the Bible and the Church
liturgy, when the Sacrifice of the Mass is called a ‘memorial,’ it means much
more than remembering the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. It means that whenever
the Mass is celebrated, the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary that happened in the
past is really made present to us at Mass, here and now. This is only possible
because being the eternal High Priest who has conquered death, His
self-offering on the Cross is an everlasting act of love. The Letter to the
Hebrews points clearly to the eternal nature of Christ’s sacrifice: “Because He
remains forever, [He] has a priesthood that does not pass away… He is always
able to save those who approach God through Him, since He lives forever to make
intercession for them” (Heb 7:24-25).
20. Therefore, in every Mass,
Jesus is not being offered again; rather, we – the Mystical Body of Christ –
are taken up into the one sacrifice at Calvary by means of the Priesthood of Christ.
The sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary is perpetuated and made present to us in such
a way that we can participate in it, linking our imperfect and sinful lives to
the perfect and pure sacrifice of God and receiving all the divine benefits
that flow from His eternal sacrifice. Our Lord made this possible for us at the
Last Supper by instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist. He uses this
Sacrament to make His self-offering at Calvary present to all believers in
every place and in every time. Ever since that holy night, throughout the
centuries, whenever and wherever the Mass is celebrated, the eternal sacrifice
of Jesus Christ on the Cross is really made present.
21. If we were at Calvary, what would
stand out to us? We would see Jesus’ gasping for breath. His gaze would seem to
alternate down and up, first towards us with mercy and longing and second
upwards in surrender to His Father. Would we simply say “thank you” or would we
be compelled to make a response of compassion? When we attend Mass, do we seek
to join Jesus in His total surrender to the Father’s will? Do we bring our
imperfections, our toil and sin, and lay them before Jesus to be consumed by
His Death? We either say with Jesus, “Into Your hands, Father, I commend my
spirit, too!” or we choose to remain enslaved to our sin. To be continued…
Devotions for Holy Communion[2]
HOW WE
OUGHT TO COMMUNICATE.
PREPARE
yourself for holy communion the evening before by many thoughts of love,
retiring earlier, that you may rise sooner in the morning. Should you awake in
the night, raise your heart to God immediately, and make some ardent aspirations,
in order to prepare your soul for the reception of her Spouse, Who, being awake
whilst you were asleep, prepares a thousand graces and favors for you, if, on
your part, you are disposed to receive them.
In the
morning, rise up with eagerness to enjoy the happiness you hope for; and having
confessed, go with a great but humble confidence to receive this heavenly food,
which nourishes your soul to immortality: and after repeating thrice, “Lord, I
am not worthy,” cease to move your lips to pray, or to sigh, but opening your
mouth gently and moderately, and lifting up your head as much as is necessary,
that the priest may see what he is about, full of faith, hope, and charity,
receive Him, in Whom, by Whom, and for Whom you believe, hope, and Whom you
love. Represent to yourself that as the bee, after gathering from the flowers
the dew of heaven, and the choicest juice of the earth, reducing them into
honey, carries it into her hive, so the priest, having taken from the altar the
Savior of the world, the true Son of God, Who, as the dew, is descended from
heaven, and the true Son of the Virgin, Who, as a flower, is sprung from the
earth of our humanity, puts Him as delicious food into your mouth and body.
Having
received Him in your breast, excite your heart to do homage to the author of
your salvation; treat with Him concerning your internal affairs; consider that
He has taken up His abode within you for your happiness; make Him then as
welcome as you possibly can, and conduct yourself in such a manner as to make it
appear by all your actions that God is with you.
But
when you cannot enjoy the benefit of really communicating at holy Mass, communicate
at least spiritually, uniting yourself by an ardent desire to this
life-giving flesh of Our Savior. Your principal intention in communicating
should be to advance in virtue, to strengthen yourself in the love of God, and to
receive comfort from this love; for you must receive through love that which
love alone caused to be given to you. You cannot consider Our Savior in an
action either more full of love, or more tender than this, in which He
annihilates Himself, or, as we may more properly say, changes Himself into
food, that so He may penetrate our souls, and unite Himself most intimately to
the heart, and to the body of His faithful.
If
worldlings ask you why you communicate so often, tell them it is to learn to
love God, to purify yourself from your imperfections, to be delivered from your
miseries, to be comforted in your afflictions, and supported in your
weaknesses.
Tell
them that two sorts of persons ought to communicate frequently: the perfect,
because, being well disposed, they would be greatly to blame not to approach to
the source and fountain of perfection; and the imperfect, to the end that they
may be able to aspire to perfection; the strong, lest they should become weak;
and the weak, that they may become strong; the healthy, lest they should fall
into sickness; and the sick, that they may be restored to health: that for your
part, being imperfect, weak, and sick, you have need to communicate frequently
with Him Who is your perfection, your strength, and your physician.
Tell
them that those who have not many worldly affairs to look after ought to
communicate often, because they have leisure; that those who have much business
on hand should also communicate often, for he who labors much and is loaded
with toil ought to eat solid food, and that frequently.
Tell
them that you receive the Holy Sacrament, to learn to receive it well; because
one can hardly perform an action well which he does not often practice. Communicate
frequently, then, and as frequently as you can, with the advice of your ghostly
father; and, believe me, by approaching to and eating beauty, purity, and
goodness itself, in this divine sacrament, you will become altogether fair,
pure, and virtuous.
[2] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
Whit Monday[2]
FILLED with joy over the gracious descent of the Holy Ghost, the Church sings, at the Introit of the Mass, He fed them with the fat of wheat, alleluia, and filled them with honey out of the rock, alleluia, alleluia. Rejoice to God, our helper, sing aloud to the God of Jacob (Ps. Ixxx.).
Prayer. O God, Who didst give the Holy
Spirit to Thy apostles, grant to Thy people the effect of their pious prayers,
that on those to whom Thou hast given grace, Thou mayest also bestow peace.
EPISTLE.
Acts x. 34, 43-48.
In
those days Peter, opening his mouth, said: Men, brethren, the Lord commanded us
to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He Who was appointed by God
to be judge of the living and of the dead. To Him all the prophets give
testimony, that by His name all receive remission of sins, who believe in Him.
While Peter was yet speaking these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that
heard the word. And the faithful of the circumcision, who came with Peter, were
astonished, for that the grace of the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the
gentiles also. For they heard them speaking with tongues, and magnifying God.
Then Peter answered: Can any man forbid water, that these should not be
baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
And
he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
GOSPEL.
John iii. 16-21.
At that time Jesus said
unto Nicodemus: God so loved the world, as to give His only begotten Son; that
whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For
God sent not His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world may
be saved by Him. He that believeth in Him is not judged. But He that doth not
believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment: because the light is come into
the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light, for their works were
evil. For everyone that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the
light, that his works may not be reproved. But he that doth truth, cometh to
the light, that his works may be made manifest, because they are done in God.
By what has God most
shown the greatness of His love?
By giving up His only begotten Son to the most painful and ignominious death,
that we, the guilty, might be delivered from eternal death, and have life
everlasting.
If, then, so many are
lost, is it the fault of God?
No: as the physician gives up only the incurable, so God condemns only those
who believe not in Christ as their Savior and God; who love darkness, that is,
the principles and works which correspond to their corrupt inclinations; who
despise Jesus, the light of the world, and His doctrines; who neglect the
divine service, the public instructions, and the reception of the holy
sacraments; who take this licentious life for wisdom and enlightenment; who
refuse to be taught, and have pronounced their own condemnation, even before
the final judgment.
Why should we love God? Because He has loved us from
eternity: He loved us when as, yet we were not. If we love him who does us some
good, who helps us in need, or exposes himself to danger for our sake, how much
more should we love Him Who has given us all that we have: the angels to be our
guards, the sun, moon, and stars to be our light; the earth to be our
dwelling-place; the elements, plants, and animals to supply our necessary
wants, and to serve for our advantage and enjoyment; Who continually preserves
us and protects us from countless dangers; Who has subjected Himself for our
sake, not merely to the danger of His life, but to the most painful and
humiliating death; Who for gives all our sins, heals all our infirmities,
redeems our life from destruction, and crowns us with compassion and mercy.
The Time
After Pentecost[3]
As both the Bible and Church Fathers attest, there are several distinct
periods of sacred history. These periods arise, are given their own set of
dispensations, and then disappear. The age before the Law was replaced by the
age under it, and that age, in turn, was closed during the time that Jesus
Christ walked the face of the earth. Likewise, the age of divine revelation
(which ended at the death of the last Apostle) gave way to a different era, the
era immediately preceding the Second Coming. It is that era in which we now
find ourselves. Despite the expanse of two thousand years and the plethora of
cultural and technological changes that separate us from the Christians who
outlived the Beloved Disciple, we are still living in the same age as they, the
last age of mankind.
The Time After Pentecost is the time that corresponds to this age. Just
as Advent symbolizes life under the Old Law while the Christmas, Lenten, and
Easter seasons recapitulate the thirty-three-year era of Jesus Christ's earthly
sojourn, the Time after Pentecost corresponds to the penultimate chapter of the
story of redemption, the chapter that is currently being written. That story,
as we all know, has been written somewhat out of order. Thanks to the last book
of the Bible, we have a vivid account of history's climax but not of what
happens in between the Apostolic Age and the Final Judgment. In a sense we
should all feel a certain affinity for the Time After Pentecost, since it is
the only liturgical season of the year that corresponds to where we are now.
Where we are is the age of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is often
called the birthday of the Church because even though the Apostles were
transformed by earlier events such as the institution of the Eucharist and
priesthood on Maundy Thursday or their acquiring the power to forgive sins on
Easter afternoon, they - and by extension, the Church - did not really come
into their own until the Paraclete inspired them to burst out of their closed
quarters and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. And just as Pentecost
marks the birthday of the Church in the Holy Spirit, so too does the Time after
Pentecost mark the life of the Church moving through the vicissitudes of
history under the protection and guidance of that same Spirit. It is for this
reason that the epistle readings from this season emphasize the Apostles'
advice to the burgeoning churches of the day while its Gospel readings focus on
the kingdom of heaven and its justice. It is also the reason why the
corresponding lessons from the breviary draw heavily from the history of the
Israelite monarchy in the Old Testament. All are somehow meant to teach us how
to comport ourselves as citizens of the city of God as we pass through the
kingdoms of this world.
The sectoral cycle
that concurs with the Time after Pentecost is the part of the year with the
most saints' days. Saints are an important component in the Christian landscape
not only because of their capacity to intercede for us, but because they are
living proof that a holy, Catholic life is possible in every time and place. In
fact, the feasts kept during the Time after Pentecost encompass virtually every
aspect of Church life. If the saints in general remind us of the goal of
holiness, certain saints, such as St. John the Baptist (June 24 &
August 29) or Sts. Peter (June 29 & August 1) and Paul (June
29 & 30) remind us of the role that the hierarchy plays in leading the
Church towards that goal. Likewise, the feasts of the temporal cycle, such as
the Feast of the Holy Trinity, of Corpus Christi, or of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, direct our attention to the explicit dogma, sacramentality, and
spirituality of the Church, respectively. Even the physical space is
consecrated for sacred use; all feasts for the dedication of churches take
place only during the Time after Pentecost. The Time after Pentecost truly is
the time of the Church, the liturgical season that corresponds to the spotless
Bride's continuous and multifaceted triumph over the world. This is one of the
reasons why the liturgical color for this season is green, the symbol of hope
and life. It might also be the reason why it is the longest liturgical season,
occupying 23 to 28 weeks of the year.
And because the
Time after Pentecost is the time of the Church, it is also a profoundly
eschatological season. Every believer needs to heed St. Paul's admonitions
about the Parousia and to ready himself for the end times, for the Last
Judgment and the creation of a new heaven and earth.
Mary,
Mother of the Church[4]
By issuing the Decree on the celebration of the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, Pope Francis wishes to promote this devotion in order to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety”.
·
The decree reflects on the history of Marian
theology in the Church’s
liturgical tradition and the writings of the Church Fathers.
·
It says Saint Augustine and Pope Saint Leo the
Great both reflected on the Virgin Mary’s importance in the mystery of Christ.
o
“In fact the former [St. Augustine] says that
Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she
cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church, while the latter
[St. Leo the Great] says that the birth of the Head is also the birth of the
body, thus indicating that Mary is at once Mother of Christ, the Son of God,
and mother of the members of his Mystical Body, which is the Church.”
·
The decree says these reflections are a result
of the “divine motherhood of Mary and from her intimate union in the work of
the Redeemer”.
·
Scripture, the decree says, depicts Mary at the
foot of the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25). There she became the Mother of the Church
when she “accepted her Son’s testament of love and welcomed all people in the
person of the beloved disciple as sons and daughters to be reborn unto life
eternal.”
In 1964, the decree says, Pope Paul VI “declared the Blessed
Virgin Mary as ‘Mother of the Church, that is to say of all Christian people,
the faithful as well as the pastors, who call her the most loving Mother’ and
established that ‘the Mother of God should be further honored and invoked by
the entire Christian people by this tenderest of titles’”
Australia and Our Lady Help of Christians[5]
When Cardinal Patrick Moran of Sydney wrote his History of the Catholic Church in Australia, he recalled the laying of the foundation stone of what was to become the first cathedral in this land. His eminence declared: "Who was the patron selected by the people and their newly arrived pastor, Father Therry, for the Mother Church? Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, under the special invocation of Help of Christians, was chosen patroness. In choosing Mary, the young Church was following a sure Catholic instinct. But why the particular title of Help of Christians?
Events had happened in
Europe only several years earlier, and this no doubt was still fresh in
people's minds. Napoleon Bonaparte had jailed Pope Pius VI who died in goal,
after which Pope Pius VII was elected. Just a short time later, he too was
jailed by Napoleon, who kept him prisoner at Fontainebleau, 35 miles from
Paris. The Holy Father vowed to God that, if he were restored, he would
institute a special feast in honor of Mary. Military reverses forced Napoleon
to release the Pope, and on May 24th, 1814, Pius VII returned in triumph to
Rome. Twelve months later, the Pope decreed that the feast of Mary Help of
Christians, be kept on the 24th of May.
Australia became the first
nation in the world to have, Mary, Help of Christians as Patroness: the first
church to celebrate May 24th on a national scale (elsewhere the feast was
restricted to Rome and specified places); and the first country to have a
mother-cathedral under the same title.
Mary
Help of Christian’s patroness of Australia
and of the Military Ordinariate (Feast: 24th May)
Almighty
God deepen in our hearts our love of Mary Help of Christians. Through her
prayers and under her protection, may the light of Christ shine over our land.
May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace. Grant wisdom to our
leaders and integrity to our citizens. Bless especially the men and women of
the Australian Defense Force and their families. We ask this through Christ Our
Lord. Amen.
Mary
Help of Christians, pray for us.
Things
to Do:
·
Make
a virtual visit to the chapel of Our Lady, Help of Christians at the Basilica of the National
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
·
Read
more about Our Lady, Help of Christians.
·
Travel
via the Internet to the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians built by St. John Bosco as a
monument to the Virgin Mary, with the title Help of Christians, as the mother
church and spiritual center of the Salesian Congregation.
Memorial Day Build Up
Every day from now to Memorial Day I
ask your prayers for each service and all of our defenders to include police
and fire on Memorial Day.
US Navy[6]
John Barry, an Irish
Catholic, was the "Father of the American Navy." He has been
forgotten by all but a few historians, but he outranks John Paul Jones and was
the official father of the Continental and U.S. Naval forces. He went to sea at
a young age in Ireland and settled in Philadelphia. In October 1775, John was
given command of the Continental Congress vessel, the Leviathan, and his
commission, the first issued, was dated Dec. 7, 1775. When the war began, John
Barry served in a spectacular manner. If his ship was shot out from under him,
he and his crew battled on land. They were with George Washington at Trenton
and Princeton. At the end of the war, Congress enacted on March 27, 1794, a law
establishing the U.S. Navy. The U. S. Senate issued the appointments of
officers made by George Washington, and John Barry's commission reads:
"Captain of the U.S. Navy...to take rank from the 4th day of June,
1784...registered No. 1." With victory in hand at the end of the
Revolutionary War, Americans in cities, towns and villages chanted a new ditty:
'Irish Commodore'
"There
are gallant hearts whose glory
Columbia
loves to name,
Whose
deeds shall live in story
And
everlasting fame.
But
never yet one braver
Our
starry baner bore,
Then
saucy old Jack Barry,
The
Irish Commodore."
Please
pray for the intentions of my dear friend from my South Pole adventure and the
Godfather of my daughter Claire, the eminent Navy Chief James Grace.
Daily
Devotions/Activities
·
Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Monday: Litany of
Humility
·
Rosary
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