Let Freedom Ring: Freedom from Lukewarmness
At a word from You the devil and his minions flee in terror.
You are the source of all truth. You are the source of all strength.
By the power of your Cross and Resurrection, we beseech You, O Lord
To extend Your saving arm and to send Your holy angels
To defend us as we do battle with Satan and his demonic forces.
Exorcise, we pray, that which oppresses Your Bride, The Church,
So that within ourselves, our families, our parishes, our dioceses, and our nation
We may turn fully back to You in all fidelity and trust.
Lord, we know if You will it, it will be done.
Give us the perseverance for this mission, we pray.
Amen
St. Joseph...pray for us
St. Michael the Archangel...pray for us
(the patron of your parish )... pray for us
(your confirmation saint)...pray for us
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ graciously hear us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, etc.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed in the womb of the Virgin Mother by the Holy Ghost,
Heart of Jesus, united substantially with the word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty,
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven,
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Divinity,
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, we have all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy,
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who invoke Thee,
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, saturated with revilings,
Heart of Jesus, crushed for our iniquities,
Heart of Jesus, made obedient unto death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, .
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints,
Spare us, oh Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
Christ graciously spare us.
Lamb of God who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
Make our hearts like unto Thine.
Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end. Amen.
__ Daily reflection and prayers
__ Litany of the day
__ Pray a Rosary
__ Divine Mercy Chaplet
__ Spiritual or corporal work of mercy
__ Fast/abstain (according to level)
__ Exercise (according to level/ability)
__ Refrain from conventional media (only 1 hr. of social)
__ Examination of conscience (confession 1x this week)
ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN
Tobit, Chapter 14,
Verse 1-2
1
So the words of Tobit’s hymn of
praise came to an end. Tobit died in peace at the age of a hundred and twelve
and was buried with honor in Nineveh. 2 He was fifty-eight years old when
he lost his eyesight, and after he recovered it he lived in prosperity, giving
alms; he continued to FEAR God and
give thanks to the divine Majesty.
May
God in his grace open your eyes to your blessings! Tobit’s song of praise
focuses on giving praise to God who is all powerful and yet has a love for us
that grants us freedom and mercy.
Tobit[1]
- Tobit took the
angel’s words seriously. He prayed out loud and long, proclaiming
God’s great mercy to anyone who would listen. He also prayed for his
countrymen. If God could bring about such healing in Tobit’s life,
what more could he do for the people of Israel!
- Tobit,
apparently, lived a happy life after that. He passed on when he was
112. He was 58 when he became blind and was blind for four
years. He continued to give alms and to praise God.
- Before he
died, he called Tobias (who now had seven sons) and told him to leave
Nineveh and to return to Media. He predicted the destruction of the
temple in Jerusalem as well as its restoration. When the temple
would be rebuilt, people would see and be converted to the one God.
- He made Tobias
promise that he would leave the day his mother was buried.
Having
and retaining a grateful heart is the key to making right judgments and being a
person of character. John McCain highlights in his book, “Character is Destiny”
the life of the Native American war Chief Tecumseh as an example of a man that
never lost his gratitude in life. Tecumseh was a great Indian leader who lost a
war but taught even his enemies how to live. Everyone knew that the great
Tecumseh, fearless warrior and visionary, steadfast leader, did not tolerate
torture or murder, or suffer intentional harm to be done to innocents. He was a
man of honor. Even his enemies knew that, especially the man who had fought him
the longest, William Henry Harrison. However, as a youth Tecumseh was unnerved
in his first encounter with organized bloodletting, and fled the battle. It was
the only time in his life his courage failed him. In a later raid near the end
of the war, the Shawnees attacked the crew of a flatboat on the Ohio River. All
but one of the crew was killed in the encounter. The lone survivor was dragged
ashore and burned at the stake. The atrocity left a deep mark on Tecumseh, who,
though he was too young to intervene in the victim’s behalf, denounced the
murder after it occurred, and swore he would never again remain silent in the
face of such an injustice. He would live and die determined to defend Indian
land from the insatiable appetites of American settlers. In the course of his
crusade, he became the greatest Indian leader of his time. Many would argue,
including Americans who fought him, that he was the greatest war chief of all
time. Raised by his older brother Chiksika, he took special care of his younger
brother Tecumseh. He taught him to hunt and fish, and to learn the fighting
skills of a Shawnee brave. He raised him to revere the memory of their
courageous father, and the virtues he had exemplified as a warrior who
preferred death to dishonor. There
was something in his character that repelled despair, finding in life, with all
its many tragedies, a reason to be thankful for the very fact that he could
remain true to himself. He was the kind of person for whom life was a gift that
could not be diminished by suffering, and it gave him a unique strength, a confidence
that was superior to most people. Tall and sinewy, with an erect bearing,
a superior skill at arms, exuding a sense of command, and possessing a gift for
oratory that earned him admirers even among his enemies, he was renowned as a
capable provider and protector of his clan, whose leadership had an
ever-broadening appeal to neighboring tribes. Tecumseh delivered an address to
his people as he prepared them for the coming struggle that has become famous
not only as a measure of his own character, but as a code of honor that merits
respect and emulation.
So
live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no
one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they
respect yours.
Love
your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make
your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Always
give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a
stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to
none.
When
you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and the joy of living. If you
see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse
no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit
of vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are
filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray
for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing
your death song and die like a hero going home.
On
the day of his final battle never having despaired over the vicissitudes of
life, he would not do so now. He arose in the morning and gave thanks for the
joy of living. At the Battle of the Thames in Ontario on October 5, 1813,
British General Procter and his soldiers fled the field after the first volley
was fired. Tecumseh dispensed with his sword and British officer’s jacket, and
charged, as always, into the thick of the battle. When a musket ball shattered
his right leg, he told his braves to leave him. He kept fighting until a crowd
of American soldiers surrounded him. He sang his death song and died like a
hero going home.
St. Bridget of Sweden[3]
Bridget was born in Sweden of noble and pious parents and
led a most holy life. While she was yet unborn, her mother was saved from
shipwreck for her sake. At ten years of age, Bridget heard a sermon on the
Passion of our Lord; and the next night she saw Jesus on the cross, covered
with fresh blood, and speaking to her about his Passion. Thenceforward
meditation on that subject affected her to such a degree, that she could never
think of our Lord's sufferings without tears. She was given in marriage to Ulfo
prince of Nericia; and won him, by example and persuasion, to a life of piety.
She devoted herself with maternal love to the education of her children. She
was most zealous in serving the poor, especially the sick; and set apart a
house for their reception, where she would often wash and kiss their feet.
Together with her husband, she went on pilgrimage to Compostela, to visit the
tomb of the apostle St. James. On their return journey, Ulfo fell dangerously
ill at Arras; but St. Dionysius, appearing to Bridget at night, foretold the
restoration of her husband's health, and other future events. Ulfo became a
Cistercian monk but died soon afterwards. Whereupon Bridget, having heard the
voice of Christ calling her in a dream, embraced a more austere manner of life.
Many secrets were then revealed to her by God. She founded the monastery of
Vadstena under the rule of our Savior, which was given her by our Lord himself.
At his command, she went to Rome, where she kindled the love of God in very
many hearts. She made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem; but on her return to Rome she
was attacked by fever and suffered severely from sickness during a whole year.
On the day she had foretold, she passed to heaven, laden with merits. Her body
was translated to her monastery of Vadstena; and becoming illustrious for
miracles, she was enrolled among the saints by Boniface IX. Excerpted from the
Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B
Things to
do
·
From
the Catholic Culture Library, two articles by Pope John Paul II — St. Bridget: A Unique Model of
Feminine Holiness,
Three Co-Patronesses of Europe and Saint Birgitta.
·
St.
Bridget was a member of the Franciscan Third Order. If you have never
considered joining one of the Church's order's for lay people today might be a
good time to think about it. Learn more about becoming a secular
Franciscan.
·
You
may want to purchase a copy of which contains excerpts from her revelations.
·
You
might like to read about St. Birgitta
of Sweden's Influence in Finland.
·
The
Birgittine Order now has thirteen monasteries of contemplative nuns and a
congregation of contemplative-apostolic sisters whose motherhouse is in Rome,
in the actual former dwelling of St. Birgitta. For information about the
sisters here are some websites: About the Birgittine Nuns in
Vadstena, Birgittine Sisters and About the Brigittine sisters
·
The
Brigittine Monks existed from the 14th to the middle of the 19th century, when
they were dispersed, largely due to European wars. (In 1970, a Brigittine Monk,
Richard Reynolds, martyr, was declared a saint.) This monastery, the 1st in
over 100 years, was founded in 1976 and has the Canonical status of a Priory
“Sui Juris.” If you want to know about the monks visit Brigittine Monks of the Order of the Most Holy Savior.
·
Read
about the saints of the
Brigittine order
and more about Bl. Elizabeth Hesselblad who refounded the order.
·
The
Catholic Encyclopedia has this to say about the Brigittines.
·
You
may want to buy some delicious
fudge made by the
monks or purchase a Brigittine
Rosary.
Redeemed Sexuality[4]
As Christians we should be grateful beyond words for the gift of our redemption. We believe that Christ’s action on the cross has changed all things, for all time. We should seek to relate every aspect of our lives to how Christ has redeemed us and our world. When we consider the mystery and contemporary confusion of human sexuality, it is even more urgent for Christians to ask, ―How has Christ redeemed human sexuality?
Today our media features topics that not long ago would
have been labeled science fiction, or pornography. Cloning, ―casual sex,
getting pregnant by means of reproductive technologies, frozen embryos,
adultery — the list goes on. Does anyone in the public square relate these
issues to the spiritual?
When those of us try to bring God into the equation, we are
often told that ―individual morality must not be ―imposed on the public. But
that should not deter the Christian. Christ’s work on the cross has restored
all of human life, even human sexuality. That means that human sexuality is not
tinged with sin, nor is it morally neutral. Although we can misuse even the
best of God’s gifts, that does not change the fact that sex is God’s gift of
life and love to us. Specifically, sexual intercourse was never meant to be
directed to the individual. It’s not a sport or game to be enjoyed on its own.
Sexual intercourse is a powerful event of interpersonal communion — it is a
sacramental event. This makes more sense when we realize that Christian
marriage is a sign of Christ’s presence in the world. As Christians we accept
on faith that human sexuality is caught up in Christ, uniting a man and woman
in a union which reflects God’s love in the world and is directed to others.
With that starting point, it makes excellent sense to keep sex in marriage.
The redeemed nature of marriage was understood by the
Church from our earliest history. Following up on Jesus’ own words on the
indissolubility of marriage, St. Paul likened Christian marriage to Christ’s
relationship with His Church. ―As Christ loved the Church . . . so the husband
should love and cherish his wife as he cherishes his own body; for husband and
wife are one body, as Christ and the Church are one body. This is a great
mystery. St. John Chrysostom (347-407) taught that the ―one flesh of the
spouses is ―not an empty symbol. ―They have not become the image of anything on
earth, but of God Himself‖ (Homily 12).
The love of spouses, says the Catechism, ―requires of its
very nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses’ community of
persons, which embraces their entire life (#1644). The root of this
indissolubility is found in God Himself, who taught us of His fidelity through
His covenant with Abraham. It is found finally in Christ, who united Himself
with His Church. In this age of continuous assaults on God’s design for life
and love, it would do the world good if Christians reclaimed our rich heritage.
Before we can do this, we need to return to the mystery of our faith and
meditate on who Jesus is, what He did for us, and how this has changed all life
for all ages.
Novena
of St. Ann[5]
Daily Prayer to Saint Ann
O
glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and
with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my
troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present
intention which I recommend to you in your special care.
Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it
before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue
to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me
the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the
saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.
Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .
O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at
the hour of my death. Good St. Ann, intercede for me.
SEVENTH
DAY
Once again, Good St. Ann, I choose you for my
advocate before the throne of God. By the power and grace that God has placed
in you, extend to me your helping hand. Renew my mind and my heart.
Dear St. Ann, I have unbounded confidence in
your prayers. To your blessed hands I entrust my soul, my body and all my hopes
for this world and the next. Direct my actions according to your goodness and
wisdom. I place myself under your motherly care. Receive me, good mother. Cover
me with the mantle of your love. Look kindly on me. By your powerful
intercession, may I obtain from God grace and mercy. Obtain for me remission
for sin and release from the punishment my offenses have deserved. Pray that I
may receive grace to lead a devout life on earth and that I may obtain the
everlasting reward of heaven.
Recognizing
that God the Father created man on Friday the 6th day I propose in
this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and renew yourself in
strength; mind, soul and heart.
Your
Posture says a lot about you-stand tall have an erect bearing
Daily Devotions
·
Make
your own vanilla ice cream at home. Check out this recipe
for help
·
Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1]http://www.biblewise.com/bible_study/characters/tobit-and-tobias.php
[2] Character is Destiny, John McCain.
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2016-07-23
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