Friday, August 18, 2023
DAY 4 – MOTHER OF CHRIST, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE VIRTUE OF LOVE!
GOD’S WORD
“Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” (John 15:9-10)
HEROES’ WORDS
“Love to be real, it must cost — it must hurt — it must empty us of self.” -Mother Teresa
“To love God is something greater than to know him.” -St. Thomas Aquinas
“It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey.” -St. Ignatius of Loyola
MEDITATION
Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God (CCC 1822). Charity: The infused supernatural virtue by which a person loves God above all things for his own sake, and loves others for God’s sake. It is a virtue based on divine faith or in belief in God’s revealed truth, and is not acquired by mere human effort. It can be conferred only by divine grace. Because it is infused along with sanctifying grace, it is frequently identified with the state of grace. Therefore, a person who has lost the supernatural virtue of charity has lost the state of grace, although he may still possess the virtues of hope and faith. (Fr. John Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary)
Jesus makes charity the new commandment. By loving his own “to the end,” he makes manifest the Father’s love, which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus, which they themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.” And again: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (CCC 1823).
The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which “binds everything together in perfect harmony”; it is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love (CCC 1827).
PRAYERS FOR TRADITIONAL 54 DAY NOVENA
THE JOYFUL 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, snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys, each bud 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 snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys each bud 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 Annunciation – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be. Fatima Prayer.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of humility and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Visitation – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be. Fatima Prayer.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of charity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Nativity – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be. Fatima Prayer.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of detachment from the world and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
The Presentation – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be. Fatima Prayer.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of purity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.
Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple – Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be. Fatima Prayer.
Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of obedience to the will of God 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 our Church and our country find hope as we unite at the foot of the cross. (Please add your own petitions to this powerful novena)
All of the daily Novena Prayers and Reflections are found in this book: 54 Day Basic Training in Holiness
All of the daily Novena Prayers and Reflections are also posted at usgraceforce.com
You can join the United State Grace Force Facebook group HERE, to receive the reflections each day.
Spanish language Novena prayers and reflections are available at https://rosarycoasttocoast.
Those who would like to pray with others via The Telephone Rosary, call 1-951-799-9866 daily at 6 pm Eastern.
Enroll in the worldwide Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary! Click here: https://championshrine.
You are welcomed to join Fr. Richard Heilman as he prays the rosary "over our country" at sunrise from a lookout tower atop Blue Mounds State Park:
Friday in the Octave of the
Assumption
1 Chronicles, Chapter 22, Verse 11-13
11
“Now, my son, the LORD be with you,
and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has said
you shall. 12 But may the LORD give you prudence
and discernment when he gives you command over Israel, so that you keep the law
of the LORD, your God. 13 Only then shall you succeed, if you
are careful to observe the statutes and ordinances which the LORD commanded
Moses for Israel. Be strong and steadfast; do not FEAR or be dismayed.
This
is David’s farewell blessing to his son, soon to be King Solomon. It is the
wish of David that Solomon finishes the Temple of the Lord. Yet, what David may
not understand is that eventually the physical temple of God, where the Holy
Spirit of God actually dwells moves from the physical temple to a new eve and
recreates man in His own image-in spirit and truth. Mary becomes the Ark of the
Covenant and gives birth to Christ. Christ gives us His flesh and we are in
fact the new temples of God.
The
Temple of God[1]
·
David
starts making plans together for a Temple.
·
He
finds builders and workers. He set aside stones, iron, bronze, and cedar for
the building.
·
Of
course, David knows he won't be the one to actually oversee the building of the
Temple. His son, Solomon, is. But Solomon is "young and
inexperienced" so he'll need some help in order to make this the greatest
temple the world has ever seen. God deserves nothing less.
·
David
goes to his son and lays out his plans for the Temple. He tells Solomon that he
would really like to be the one to do the work, but that God told him not to
chance it. It seems that David has killed too many people (what with all those
wars he was always fighting in). God can't have his house tainted by all that
blood.
·
But
Solomon will be a peaceful king and Israel will be a peaceful place while he's
in charge. That's a way better time to build a temple.
·
David
finishes by telling Solomon that he'll be successful if he always listens to
God and stays faithful.
Yes,
we are the receivers of the mercies of God. Let us honor and reflect on the
Mother of Christ by creating a peaceful garden in our home (temple) in which to
reflect on this.
Mary Garden[2]
The joy over the appearance of new plants and flowers in spring prompted man to attribute to them a special power of protection and healing. People planted special spring flower gardens; they brought branches of early-blossoming plants, like pussy willows, into their homes; they decorated themselves and their living rooms with wreaths of flowers and clusters of blossoms. A striking Christian variation of these nature rites was the medieval custom of planting "Mary gardens," which were made up of all the flowers and herbs that are ascribed by love and legend as a special tribute to the Blessed Virgin. This charming and inspiring tradition has been revived in many places in Europe and more recently in this country.
Directions
In a typical Mary Garden, the statue of the Madonna
occupies a place of honor, either in the center or in a grotto against the
wall, with, usually, a birdbath or bubbling fountain built in front of it. Some
of the more familiar plants of the many that belong in a typical Mary Garden
are:
·
Columbine and Trefoil are said to
have sprung forth at the touch of Mary's foot, and consequently bear the
popular names Our Lady's shoes or Our Lady's slippers.
·
Marigold (Mary's bud) has bell-shaped
blossoms of vivid yellow. An old legend says, "Her dresses were adorned
with Marigold." This flower was used to decorate her shrines for the Feast
of the Annunciation (March 25) and during the month of May.
·
Lily-of-the-valley (Our Lady's tears).
This delicate flower is still widely used in Germany, there it is called Maiglockchen
(May bells), to decorate the Mary shrines in churches and homes during the
Virgin's month (May).
·
Foxgloves thrive in moist and shaded
places; they blossom in many colors and present a most attractive sight with
their clusters of little bells, which were called Our Lady's thimbles in
medieval times.
·
Snowdrop. This charming flower is the
first herald of spring in Europe. It often blossoms as early as Candlemas
(February 2) between batches of melting snow; hence the name. In Germany it is
called "Snow bell" (Schneeglocklein). Little bouquets of
snowdrops are the first floral tribute of the year at the shrines of the
Madonna on Candlemas. It is a popular emblem of Mary's radiant purity and of
her freedom from any stain of sin.
·
Lily. This stately and dignified flower
has been associated from ancient times with Jesus and Mary, and is called
Madonna lily in many parts of Europe. At Easter its brilliant and fragrant
blossoms symbolize the radiance of the Lord's risen life. Later in the year it
is used to decorate the shrines of Mary, especially on July 2, the Feast of the
Visitation. It also is an old and traditional symbol of innocence, purity, and
virginity.
·
Rosemary produces delicate and fragrant
blossoms of pale blue color in early spring. according to legend, the plant
originally bloomed in white; however, it turned blue (Mary's color) in reward
for the service it offered when Our Lady looked for some bush on which to
spread her Child's tiny garments after having washed them on the way to Egypt.
The bushes do not grow very tall but as they grow older, they spread out and
thicken, forming a dense bush. There is an old superstition that "the
rosemary passeth not commonly the height of Christ when he was on earth."
·
Violets are dedicated to Mary as symbols
of her humility. They are said to have blossomed forth outside her window when
she spoke the words, "Behold, I am a handmaid of the Lord." Leaving
her, the angel of God blessed the little flowers in passing, thus endowing them
with the tenderest and most beautiful fragrance of all plants.
· Roses were associated with Mary from early times. Saint Dominic (1221) is credited with the spreading of the familiar devotion called the "Rosary (rosarium) of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The word "rosary" originally meant a rose garden but was later used in the sense of "rose garland." Three colors are especially consecrated to Mary: white roses as symbols of her joys, red roses as emblems of her sufferings, and yellow (golden) roses as heralds of her glories.
Fitness Friday: How
to Help Your Community Keep Fit with a Trim Trail
A recent study by Oxford University has shown that half of British adults
never do any exercise. The Telegraph reports that, ‘Forty-four per cent admit
to not taking part in any moderate exercise meaning that British fitness levels
are among the worst in Europe’. This means that nearly five million adults
spend the majority of the day sitting down. 10% of adults admitted to not even
walking for at least ten minutes a day. Cambridge University studied 334,000
people for twelve years and found that inactivity was worse than obesity and
caused more premature deaths. Research has found that 20 minutes brisk walking
a day provides major health benefits.
Often the reason we don’t exercise as much as we should is because we are
under the misconception that we need to spend hours exercising formally in the
gym. Unfortunately, this way of thinking results in a lack of motivation and
feeling overwhelmed. The NHS Choices website has devoted a whole section to
encouraging people to exercise for free by using the area around them and has
suggested a wide range of activities including walking, cycling, park games,
home exercising, skipping and trim trails. Many of these activities can be
undertaken anywhere, including the local park or green area. Local councils can
help to encourage people to do different types of exercises by installing
equipment such as outdoor gyms and trim trails.
Many councils have begun to address their citizens’ fitness levels by
installing Trim Trails in their parks. Parks in cities like London, Manchester
and Birmingham have trim trails available for everyone to use. Trim Trails
include equipment that strengthens the upper body, lower body, improve
coordination and get your heart beating. Trim Trails are such an effective form
of exercise that some personal trainers actually incorporate the equipment into
their training schedule. The main advantage of Trim Trails is that it is
completely free to use them and walking between each piece of equipment allows
you to exercise outside without even realizing it.
When planning a Trim Trail for your park or green area you can choose as
many pieces as possible of equipment that suit your budget and the space you
have available. Every Trim Trail is bespoke and unique to the setting it is in.
At Playdale, we have thirteen pieces of Trim Trail equipment and two types of
signs. The Playdale Trim Trail range includes chin ups, hurdles, pole climb,
ladder walk, vault, straddle jump, leapfrog, sit ups, parallel bars, twin
balance beam, step ups, arm stretch and press ups.
If you would like advice on how to plan your trim trail and organize your
budget, we would be very happy to help. Contact us here for more information.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION
OF FAITH
SECTION
TWO-I. THE CREEDS
CHAPTER
THREE-I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Article 12-"I BELIEVE IN LIFE EVERLASTING"
II. Heaven
1023 Those who die in God's grace
and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are
like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face:
By virtue of our apostolic
authority, we define the following: According to the general disposition of
God, the souls of all the saints . . . and other faithful who died after
receiving Christ's holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification
when they died, . . . or, if they then did need or will need some purification,
when they have been purified after death, . . .) already before they take up
their bodies again and before the general judgment - and this since the
Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into heaven - have been, are and
will be in heaven, in the heavenly Kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ,
joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the Passion and death of our
Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and do see the divine essence with an
intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature.
1024 This perfect life with the Most
Holy Trinity - this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the
Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed - is called "heaven."
Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the
state of supreme, definitive happiness.
1025 To live in heaven is "to
be with Christ." the elect live "in Christ," but they
retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name.
For life is to be with Christ;
where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom.
1026 By his death and Resurrection,
Jesus Christ has "opened" heaven to us. the life of the blessed
consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption
accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those
who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the
blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ.
1027 This mystery of blessed
communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and
description. Scripture speaks of it in images: life, light, peace, wedding
feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father's house, the heavenly Jerusalem,
paradise: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him."
1028 Because of his transcendence,
God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man's
immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. the Church calls
this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory "the beatific
vision":
How great will your glory and
happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of
salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in
the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God's
friends.
1029 In the glory of heaven the
blessed continue joyfully to fulfill God's will in relation to other men and to
all creation. Already they reign with Christ; with him "they shall reign
for ever and ever."
MEDICINAL PLANTS Day 4 Digestive
System-Revealed by
Heaven to Luz De María
ROSEMARY
Scientific name: Rosmarinus officinalis L. Family: Lamiaceae Stimulates gastric
and intestinal juices. Eliminates spasms, reduces gases, colic and flatulence. Used
in gallbladder conditions and dyspepsia.
Use
mullein and rosemary in discreet amounts. Blessed Virgin Mary, 28.01.2016
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Conversion
of Sinners
·
30
Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger
o
Day 4 Groundpine (Lycopodium clavatum)
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: August
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Have a glass of wine
in honor of St. Joseph
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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