Wednesday, May 26, 2021
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.
Wednesday after Pentecost-Ember Day
1 Samuel, Chapter 28, Verse 5
When Saul saw the
Philistine camp, he grew AFRAID and
lost heart completely.
Are
we like Saul? Have we lost heart completely? Have we seen the camps of our
enemies and come to despair? God will not abandon us like we have abandoned
him. Do not despair but call out to the Lord and listen. Pay attention and if
today you hear His voice harden not your hearts.
Comparing
David with Saul the one thing that distinguished them from each other was
David’s humility and confidence in the Lord. This we can see in David’s Psalm
23.
The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. You set a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Indeed, goodness and mercy* will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for endless days.
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 II
Hold Nothing Back from Christ
27. On the sacred day of Holy
Thursday, Jesus’ last night with His disciples, He knew that soon He would
return to His Father, but He also knew how much they will need His presence,
one that “The Imitation of Christ” eloquently describes as consoling and
strengthening: “When Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult.
When He is absent all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other
comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation”
(Book II Chapter 8). In a certain sense, we can say that here Jesus
faces a dilemma. On the one hand, He desires to return to His Father and on the
other hand, He desires to remain with His disciples. God’s love always finds an
ingenious solution to such dilemma. Jesus returns to His Father, but by
instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist, at the same time He remains with
His disciples, to accompany them in the challenges, difficulties, and suffering
that they will face as they take on the mission of preaching the Good News.
Through the Eucharist, Jesus gives the greatest gift of Himself to His
disciples and to us. Indeed, the Eucharist is truly the sacrament of Christ’s
love!
28. God’s love for us did not stop at
the Incarnation. He did not just become one of us and share our life from conception
to death and redeem us through His suffering, Death and Resurrection. His
self-giving love went beyond by becoming our very nourishment. The Eucharist
reveals how much Jesus loves us. Saint John Vianney, the patron saint of
priests, expresses eloquently God’s extreme love for us in the Eucharist: “Never
would we have thought of asking God to give us His own Son. But what man could
not have even imagined, God has done. What man could not say or think, and what
he could not have dared to desire, God, in His love has said it, planned it and
carried His design into execution. We would never have dared to say to God to
have His Son die for us, to give us His Body to eat, His Blood to drink… In
other words, what man could not even conceive, God has executed. He went
further in His designs of love than we could have dreamed” (The
Eucharist Meditation of the Curé D’Ars, Meditation I).
29. How do we, then, respond to the
Lord’s gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist? Do we really desire Him? Are we
anxious to meet Him? Do we desire to encounter Him, become one with Him and
receive the gifts He offers us through the Eucharist?
To be continued…
Devotions for Holy Communion[2]
ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION.
Act of Faith "
Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills"
(Cant. ii. 8). Ah, my most amiable Savior, over how many, what rough and craggy
mountains hast Thou had to pass in order to come and unite Thyself to me by the
means of this most holy sacrament! Thou, from being God, hadst to become man;
from being immense, to become a babe; from being Lord, to become a servant.
Thou hadst to pass from the bosom of Thy Eternal Father to the womb of a virgin:
from heaven into a stable; from a throne of glory to the gibbet of a criminal.
And on this very morning Thou wilt come from Thy seat in heaven to dwell in my
bosom.
Behold he standeth behind
our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices"
(Cant. ii. 9). Behold, my soul, thy loving Jesus, burning with the same love
with which He loved thee when dying for thee on the cross, is now concealed in
the Most Blessed Sacrament under the sacred species; and what doing? "
Looking through the lattices." As an ardent lover, desirous of seeing His
love corresponded with, from the host, as from within closed lattices, whence
He sees without being seen, He is looking at you, who are this morning about to
feed upon His divine flesh; He observes your thoughts, what it is that you
love, what you desire, what you seek for, and what offerings you are about to
make Him.
Awake then, my soul, and prepare to receive thy
Jesus; and, in the first place, by faith, say to Him: So then, my beloved
Redeemer, in a few moments Thou art coming to me? O hidden God, unknown to the
greater part of men, I believe, I confess, 1 adore Thee in Thy Most Holy
Sacrament as my Lord and Savior! And in acknowledgment of this truth, I would
willingly lay down my life. Thou comest to enrich me with Thy graces, and to
unite Thyself all to me; how great, then, should be my confidence in this Thy
so loving visit!
Act of Confidence. My soul, expand thy heart.
Thy Jesus can do thee every good, and, indeed, loves thee. Hope thou for great
things from this thy Lord, Who, urged by love, comes all love to thee. Yes, my
dear Jesus, my hope, I trust in Thy goodness, that, in giving Thyself to me
this morning, Thou wilt enkindle in my poor heart the beautiful flame of Thy
pure love, and a real desire to please Thee; so that, from this day forward, I
may never will anything but what Thou wiliest.
Act of Love. Ah, my
God, my God, true and only love of my soul, and what more couldst Thou have
done to be loved by me? To die for me was not enough for Thee, my Lord; Thou
wast pleased to institute this great sacrament in order to give Thyself all to
me, and thus bind and unite thyself heart to heart with so loathsome and
ungrateful a creature as I am. And what is more, Thou Thyself invitest me to
receive Thee, and desirest so much that I should do so! O boundless love,
incomprehensible love, infinite love, a God would give Himself all to me!
My soul, believest thou this? And what doest thou?
what sayest thou? O God, O God, O infinite amiability, only worthy object of
all loves, I love Thee with my whole heart, I love Thee above all things, I
love Thee more than myself, more than my life! Oh, could I but see Thee loved
by all! Oh, could I but cause Thee to be loved by all hearts as much as Thou deservest!
I love Thee, O most amiable God, and I unite my miserable heart in loving Thee
to the hearts of the seraphim, to the heart of the most blessed Virgin Mary, to
the heart of Jesus, Thy most loving and beloved Son. So that, O Infinite Good,
I love Thee with the love with which the saints, with which Mary, with which Jesus
love Thee. And I love Thee only because Thou art worthy of it, and to give Thee
pleasure. Depart, all earthly affections, which are not for God, depart from my
heart. Mother of fair love, most holy Virgin Mary, help me to love that God
Whom thou dost so ardently desire to see loved!
Act of Humility. Then,
my soul, thou art even now about to feed on the most sacred flesh of Jesus! And
art thou worthy? My God, who am I, and who art Thou? I indeed know and confess
Who Thou art Who givest Thyself to me; but dost Thou know what I am, who am
about to receive Thee?
And is it possible, O my Jesus, that Thou, Who art
infinite purity, desirest to come and reside in this soul of mine, which has
been so many times the dwelling of Thy enemy, and soiled with so many sins? I
know, O my Lord, Thy great majesty and my misery; I am ashamed to appear before
Thee. Reverence would induce me to keep at a distance from" Thee; but if I
depart from Thee, O my life, whither shall I go? to whom shall I have recourse?
and what will become of me? No, never will I depart from Thee; nay, even I will
ever draw nearer and nearer to Thee. Thou art satisfied that I should receive
Thee as food, Thou even invitest me to this. I come then, O my amiable Savior,
I come to receive Thee this morning, all humbled and confused at the sight of
my defects; but full of confidence in Thy tender mercy, and in the love which
Thou bearest me.
Act of Contrition. I am indeed grieved, O God
of my soul, for not having loved Thee during the time past; still worse, so far
from loving Thee, and to gratify my own inclinations, I have greatly offended
and outraged Thy infinite goodness: I have turned my back against Thee, I have
despised Thy grace and friendship; in fine, O my God, I was deliberately in the
will to lose Thee. Lord, I am sorry, and grieve for it with my whole heart. I
detest the sins which I have committed, be they great or small, as the greatest
of all my misfortunes, because I have thereby offended Thee, O Infinite
Goodness. I trust that Thou hast already forgiven me; but if Thou hast not yet
pardoned me, oh, do so before I receive Thee: wash with Thy blood this soul of
mine, in which Thou art so soon about to dwell.
Act of Desire. And
now, my soul, the blessed hour has arrived in which Jesus will come and take up
His dwelling in thy poor heart. Behold the King of heaven, behold thy Redeemer
and God, Who is even now coming; prepare thyself to receive Him with love,
invite Him with the ardor of thy desire; come, O my Jesus, come to my soul,
which desires Thee. Before Thou givest Thyself to me, I desire to give Thee,
and I now give Thee, my miserable heart; do Thou accept it, and come quickly to
take possession of it.
Come, my God, hasten; delay
no longer. My only and infinite good, my treasure, my life, my paradise, my
love, my all, my wish is to receive Thee with the love with which the most holy
and loving souls have received Thee; with that with which the most blessed
Virgin Mary received Thee; with their communions I unite this one of mine.
Most holy Virgin and my
Mother Mary, behold, I already approach to receive thy Son. Would that I had
the heart and love with which thou didst communicate! Give me this morning thy
Jesus, as thou didst give Him to the shepherds and to the kings. I intend to
receive Him from thy most pure hands. Tell Him that I am thy servant and thy
client; for He will thus look upon me with a more loving eye, and, now that He
is coming, will press me more closely to Himself.
Wednesday
after Pentecost-Ember Day[3]
EPISTLE.
Acts v. 12-16.
IN
those days: By the hands of the apostles were many signs - and wonders wrought
among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. But of
the rest no man durst join himself unto them; but the people magnified them.
And the multitude of men and women who believed in the Lord was more increased:
insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on
beds and couches, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least might
overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities. And
there came also together to Jerusalem a multitude out of the neighboring
cities, bringing sick persons, and such as were troubled with unclean spirits,
who were all healed.
GOSPEL.
John vi. 44-52.
At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: No man can come
to Me, except the Father, Who hath sent Me, draw him, and I will raise him up
in the last day. It is written in the prophets: And they shall all be taught of
God. Everyone that hath heard of the Father, and hath learned, cometh to Me. Not that any man hath seen the
Father, but He Who is of God, He hath seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say unto
you: He that believeth in Me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life.
Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead. This is the
bread which cometh down from
heaven; that if any man eat of it he may not die. I am the living bread, which
came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread he shall live forever: and
the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.
What Are Ember Days?[4]
The term “Ember Days” is derived from the
Latin term Quatuor Tempora, which literally means “four times.” There
are four sets of Ember Days each calendar year: three days each – Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday. Ember Days fall at the start of a new season and they are
ordered as days of fast and abstinence. The significance of the days of the
week are that Wednesday was the day Christ was betrayed, Friday was the day He
was crucified, and Saturday was the day He was entombed.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the
purpose of Ember Days, “besides
the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the
gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist
the needy.”
Ember
Wednesday Mediation on Betrayal[5]
Why
is the Devil still in action? God is
infinitely more powerful than the Devil and his hosts. So why doesn’t God
prevent them from their evildoing on planet earth?
We could ask a similar question about why God
doesn’t stop human beings from committing wicked deeds. Evil’s continuing presence
among us is a mystery we can’t fully figure out in this life. Nevertheless, we
can say this much: God allows evil because He’s powerful enough to bring out of
even the greatest evil a much greater good. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ
provides a vivid illustration of this reality. According to the Gospel, when
“Satan entered into Judas,” one of the twelve Apostles, he went out to betray
Jesus (see Lk 22:3–4). So, the worst evil we can imagine—the torture and murder
of God’s innocent Son—occurred through the Devil’s influence. Yet the triumph
of the empty tomb transformed the horror of the Cross. Satan was thwarted. When
Jesus rose from the dead, He displayed God’s power to bring out of the greatest
of evils an even greater good: the world’s redemption.
THREE MEDITATIONS ON THE LITURGY
FROM THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM FOR EACH OF THE EMBER DAYS AFTER PENTECOST.
Written
by Monsignor Martin B. Hellriegel, originally published in the journal Orate
Fratres Vol. XVIII, May 14, 1944, No. 7, pp. 299-305, later reprinted in Vine
and Branches, Pio Decimo Press, 1948.
These meditations are attached to
the 1962 Extraordinary Form liturgy. The current lectionary has different
readings and prayers not specific to the Ember Days.
Prayer:
EMBER WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Station "With St. Mary Major"
All these were persevering with one
mind in prayer with the women, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with the
brethren (Acts 1:14).
What a splendid group! What a
wonderful beginning of the Church! Persevering in prayer, united in mind and
heart, gathered about Mary, the Mother of Jesus and their Mother, such were the
dispositions in the one hundred and twenty disciples of the Lord on the day
when the Holy Ghost began His vivifying and sanctifying works in the Church.
Alleluia! A fertile soil for His seed of light and love; a joyous spectacle for
the Author of joy to find such precious stones for the building of the Temple
of the Church.
Perseverance in prayer, unity of mind
and heart and "station" with Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our
Mother, such must be the dispositions in our heart if the mysteries of this
ember Wednesday are to bear fruits for eternity. May the pure spouse of the Holy
Spirit, the golden lamp on which burnt the brightest pentecostal flame pray for
us, that the Spirit of the Lord may fill our hearts, and enkindle them with the
fire of His love.
In the first lesson St. Peter
shows that the prophet of Joel and the longing of the Old Law are fulfilled:
"I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh...and it shall come to pass that
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Let not
the spirit of perseverance be broken. What God has promised He will keep.
"May the Paraclete enlighten our minds and lead us into all truth, as Thy
Son has promised" (first collect).
The second lesson speaks of
unity of mind and heart, "And they were all with one accord in Solomon's
porch." Fellowship with Christ and with one another was the glory of the
infant Church. "See how they love each other!" Without this bond of
union, Christ the Vine cannot bear fruit; without this Christian fellowship,
the Spirit of unity cannot work; without unity of mind and heart, the temple of
God cannot be built. "Grant that the coming of the Holy Ghost may, by
dwelling in us, make us temple of His glory" (second collect).
"No man can come to Me, except
the Father who hath sent Me, draw him." So today's gospel, Who was drawn
more by the Father and who had herself drawn more than our blessed Mother? She
was "taught of God" (gospel). She is the richest fruit of the
blessed Vine, she is the most perfect temple of the Holy Spirit, she is the
first and noblest member of the Church. Around this all-holy Mother we gather
and keep this ember Wednesday.
Accompany us, O holy Mother, to the
eucharistic Table where we shall "eat the living bread that came down from
heaven" (gospel). May the power of this life-giving bread perfect
in us perseverance in prayer, intensify in us unity of mind and heart, and make
us in a fuller measure thy children, O Mother of Jesus and our Mother!
Prayer Source: Orate Fratres/Worship: A Review
Devoted to the Liturgical Apostolate , The Liturgical Press
Senior Health & Fitness Day[6]
For
Grandma, Grandpa, Granny, Gramps, Nana, Papa and all our well-loved elders, Senior Health & Fitness Day is a
time to explore the many senior-friendly physical activity options, and to
understand the importance of exercise and nutrition for ongoing health and
illness-prevention. A healthy diet can boost energy and immunity, and regular
exercise is necessary to retain bone mass and lower the risk of fractures, and
to build muscle strength and reduce the risk of falls. Various community events
will be staged on Senior Health & Fitness Day, and seniors are encouraged
to attend for health screenings and diet and exercise information sessions.
Low-impact, non-competitive exercise program choices may include stretching,
walking and swimming, all designed to increase strength and flexibility. And
although Grandma is probably an excellent cook, she may be able to pick up a
few healthy tips to make her legendary meals even more delicious and
nutritious.
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 Air Force[7]
Fighting at 25,000 feet in thin, freezing air that no warriors had ever encountered before, bomber crews battled new kinds of assaults on body and mind. Air combat was deadly but intermittent: periods of inactivity and anxiety were followed by short bursts of fire and fear. Unlike infantrymen, bomber boys slept on clean sheets, drank beer in local pubs, and danced to the swing music of Glenn Miller’s Air Force band, which toured U.S. air bases in England. But they had a much greater chance of dying than ground soldiers. In 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a one-in-five chance of surviving his tour of duty, twenty-five missions. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps. The bomber crews were an elite group of warriors who were a microcosm of America — white America, anyway. (African Americans could not serve in the Eighth Air Force except in a support capacity.) The actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber boy, and so was the “King of Hollywood,” Clark Gable. And the air war was filmed by Oscar-winning director William Wyler and covered by reporters like Andy Rooney and Walter Cronkite, all of whom flew combat missions with the men. The Anglo-American bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest military campaign of World War II, a war within a war. Until Allied soldiers crossed into Germany in the final months of the war, it was the only battle fought inside the German homeland.
Full
Flower Moon
Today
according to the almanac is a Full Flower Moon; bring flowers to all the women
in your life. Christ always brought His mother Lilies of the Valley.
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.
·
Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St.
Joseph
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Daily
Devotions
·
Litany of the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 3
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
[2] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[3] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[4]http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/ember-days-in-the-catholic-liturgical-year/article/236
[5] Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare.
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