Battle Beads Blog

Bishop Daniel Jenky invokes St. Michael for USA Catholic Churches

2012-01-28T06:48:00.000-05:00

Bishop Daniel Jenky: Is Scandalized By “Catholic” Politicians Who Collaborate With Evil

Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Ill. has asked parishes, schools, hospitals and religious houses to insert the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel into the intercessions at Sunday Mass to pray for Catholics’ freedom.

St. Michael the Archangel and Bishop Daniel Jenky

The move comes in response to a new federal requirement that will force many Catholic organizations to provide insurance coverage for sterilizations and contraceptives.
“It is God’s invincible Archangel who commands the heavenly host, and it is the enemies of God who will ultimately be defeated,” the bishop said in a Jan. 24 letter to the Catholics of his diocese.
The prayer should take place in the general intercessions before the concluding prayer, Bishop Jenky said. He asked that the intention of the prayer be announced as “for the freedom of the Catholic Church in America.”
The St. Michael prayer was authored by Pope Leo XIII, and was once commonly said in U.S. Catholic parishes as part of a petition for the freedom of Soviet Russia.
He said it is his duty to summon the local Church into “spiritual and temporal combat in defense of Catholic Christianity.”
“If these regulations are put into effect, they could close down every Catholic school, hospital and the other public ministries of our Church, which is perhaps their underlying intention,” Bishop Jenky said. “What is perfectly clear is that this is a bigoted and blanket attack on the First Amendment rights of every Catholic believer.”
Bishop Jenky’s comments add to the continued reaction to the Department of Health and Human Services ruling that requires insurance coverage of procedures which Catholic teaching recognizes as sinful. The rule’s narrow religious exemptions only include institutions which hire or serve their fellow believers and have the inculcation of religious values as a primary purpose.
The requirement will make it impossible for Catholic institutions to continue to offer health care coverage for their employees, the Diocese of Peoria said. The institutions could be forced to drop healthcare coverage for employees because of their moral and religious objections.
Bishop Jenky stated that the president does not have the authority under the U.S. Constitution to “require our cooperation with what we consider to be intrinsic evil and mortal sin.”
“I am honestly horrified that the nation I have always loved has come to this hateful and radical step in religious intolerance.”
The bishop pledged that the Church will never abandon its commitment to the Gospel of Life and called on the faithful to “vigorously” oppose what he called an “unprecedented governmental assault upon the moral convictions of our faith.”
Bishop Jenky also struck an encouraging note.
“Have faith! Have courage! Fight boldly for what you believe!” he said. “I strongly urge you not to be intimidated by extremist politicians or the malice of the cultural secularists arrayed against us.”
Invoking the First Letter of John, he said Catholics should always remember that “the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

By Kevin J. Jones
EWTN News

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Loyal believers are called upon not only to defend the Faith but even to defend the very concept of faith in the face of aggressive secularism and increasingly intolerant atheism,” Bishop Jenky concluded. “It now seems to be the unbelievers who apparently hope to initiate some new kind of inquisition designed to entirely exclude God from the public forum. In the face of growing hostility, practicing Catholics need to recognize that the choices we make and the witness we either offer or withhold will have both temporal and eternal consequences for each one of us. Christ the Lord has promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church he founded on the rock of Peter’s faith (Matthew 16:1), but he also warned that at the end of time he will deny those who deny him (cf. Matthew 10:33).”

“The Catholic Diocese of Peoria now exists in a political reality that is increasingly secular in outlook and today is often specifically hostile to the convictions of our Faith,” the bishop wrote. “Atheists and secularists have long realized that the Church of Rome is perhaps the largest single institution that still stands in the way of a completely secularized society. In Illinois where politics are notoriously corrupt and whose governmental agenda is so singularly ineffective, intrenched political power happens to be concentrated in a single region that for generations has been immune to reform. This situation has given determined special interest groups a unique opportunity to impose their views on everyone else as they endeavor to exclude faith from any role in the public forum.”

“The Catholic Diocese of Peoria now exists in a political reality that is increasingly secular in outlook and today is often specifically hostile to the convictions of our Faith,” he said. “Atheists and secularists have long realized that the Church of Rome is perhaps the largest single institution that still stands in the way of a completely secularized society. In Illinois where politics are notoriously corrupt and whose governmental agenda is so singularly ineffective, intrenched political power happens to be concentrated in a single region that for generations has been immune to reform. This situation has given determined special interest groups a unique opportunity to impose their views on everyone else as they endeavor to exclude faith from any role in the public forum.”

Bishop Jenky continued:

As your Bishop, I now believe it is critically necessary to raise an alarm among the faithful regarding growing threats to our religious freedom due to the increasing steps toward radical secularization taking place in Illinois. Beside the abrupt exclusion of Catholic Charities from childcare and adoption services and increasing attempts to intimidate Catholic healthcare, I am also concerned about possible future moves that could be made against the independence of our Catholic schools and other public ministries of our Diocese. Eventually it may come to pass that our fidelity to the Gospel of Christ and to Catholic tradition may place us in direct conflict with recent legal definitions of the State of Illinois. There are certainly some in our state whose commitment to [atheistic] secularism is so intense that they may well try to restrict the Church’s role only to the sacristy and sanctuary.

I am especially scandalized by some “Catholic” politicians who willingly collaborate with efforts to restrict the civil liberty of the faith tradition from which they were originally sprung. Many of those in office who were taught to read and write in Catholic schools, now seem entirely indifferent to the consciences of those Catholics who live their faith. On Ash Wednesday, they like to be conspicuous with crosses on their foreheads, but the true Cross of Christ seems far from their hearts and minds. They enjoy parties on March the 17th and wearing green sweaters but in effect are ashamed of Saint Patrick’s unwavering zeal for the Catholic Christianity. They like photo opportunities with the hierarchy, but break their word to them without a moment’s hesitation. They may still use the rituals of Catholicism to mark their happy and sad occasions, but apparently would sell their soul for a vote or a dollar. What does it benefit a person to gain the whole world but lose their soul (Mark 8:36), but eternal loss for the sake of public office in Illinois is an extraordinarily foolish deal with the devil. Such people certainly need our prayers, but they should no longer be able to take our friendship or our support for granted …

Even when our institutions are attacked and our most sacred beliefs held up for scorn, many Catholics sadly remain silent. As your Bishop, it is therefore my duty before God to call faithful Catholics into more assertive action in defense of our religion and those public ministries which we hold to be the work of Christ.

“Catholicism is filled with enormous spiritual richness, a cohesive intellectual tradition, and a remarkable commitment to charity and service. It is the Faith for which we should be ready and willing to give our hearts and even to offer up our lives. It is also the Faith by which we all certainly will be judged before the throne of Almighty God.”

Read Entire Article Here: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13127

Bishop Jenky has also ask that all Parishes, Schools, Hospitals, and Religious Houses to Institute the St. Michael Prayer into there intentions at Sunday Mass, to defend and pray for Catholic Freedom in America.

The move comes in response to a new federal requirement that will force many Catholic organizations to provide insurance coverage for sterilizations and contraceptives.

“It is God’s invincible Archangel who commands the heavenly host, and it is the enemies of God who will ultimately be defeated,” the bishop said in a Jan. 24 letter to the Catholics of his diocese.

The prayer should take place in the general intercessions before the concluding prayer, Bishop Jenky said. He asked that the intention of the prayer be announced as “for the freedom of the Catholic Church in America.”

from: Catholic Culture.org

Pope emphasizes need for silence in digital world

2012-01-24T19:16:00.000-05:00

Pope Benedict XVI

Vatican City, Jan 24, 2012 / 02:44 pm .- Pope Benedict XVI believes that in a noisy world of constant communication people need silence more than ever.
He outlined his thoughts in his message for World Communications Day 2012, which is entitled “Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization.” The Pope’s letter was released Jan. 24 at the Vatican press office by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

“When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary,” the Pope says in a statement that will be read in Catholic churches around the world on May 20, 2012.

“This makes it possible to share thoughtful and relevant opinions, giving rise to an authentic body of shared knowledge,” he writes.
Pope Benedict recommends making this interchange possible by developing “an appropriate environment, a kind of ‘eco-system’ that maintains a just equilibrium between silence, words, images and sounds.”

He suggests that silence is required to make sense of the constant stream of information that people now receive via television, radio, the Internet and various forms of social media.
“In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves,” he says.
He also observes that silence can allow other people to express their thoughts. In this way “we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested,” and therefore, “space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible.”

Pope Benedict believes that this use of silence is “often more eloquent than a hasty answer,” because it “permits seekers to reach into the depths of their being and open themselves to the path towards knowledge that God has inscribed in human hearts.”

The Pope sees this need for silence as a part of Christian life from the earliest times. He points to the “eloquence of God’s love, lived to the point of the supreme gift,” which is seen “in the silence of the Cross,” when, after Christ’s death “there is a great silence over the earth.”

Silent contemplation also “immerses us in the source of that Love who directs us towards our neighbors so that we may feel their suffering and offer them the light of Christ, his message of life and his saving gift of the fullness of love,” he writes.

Archbishop Celli summed up the Pope’s message as reminding everyone that real communication involves pairing “words and silence” so that people are not “overwhelmed by the sheer volume of communication itself.”

Monsignor Paul Tighe, Secretary of the social communications council, explained to CNA that the Pope’s message “reminds us that the relevance of silence is equally important within the context of a digital environment.”

“Especially when we now find ourselves continually bombarded by messages, by ideas, by opinions, by news.

“And so the Pope is saying we need silence if we’re going to judge that, integrate it, make it our own and not simply be caught up in a flow of information.”

By David Kerr
(CNA/EWTN News)

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo: We Are Walking Through Ninevah!

2012-01-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

“Don’t Be Compromised In The Dedication To The Protection Of Human Life!”

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston told over a thousand young people at a prayer vigil in D.C. that the pro-life movement depends on their loving witness in the face of a hostile culture.
“You are a good infection,” the cardinal told the youth gathered at the opening Mass for the National Prayer Vigil for Life. “Do not underestimate your presence.”
More than 10,000 people gathered on the evening of Jan. 22 for Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, including many young people from across the country.

The date marked the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America.
Cardinal DiNardo, who serves as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, was the principal celebrant and homilist at the opening Mass, which was followed by confessions, a rosary, Night Prayer and holy hours throughout the night.
The Catholic University of America hosted almost 1,300 pilgrims overnight.
The vigil concluded on the morning of Jan. 23 with Morning Prayer and a closing Mass, at which Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York was the principal celebrant and homilist.

Participants were then able to attend the March for Life in downtown D.C., along Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building.
In his homily, Cardinal DiNardo spoke about the call of Jonah. Although he first ran away, Jonah eventually realized “that the call of the Lord is serious.” When he finally responded to that call, his preaching converted the people of Ninevah.

“We are walking through Ninevah,” the cardinal said, emphasizing the need for “personal conversion.”

With millions of lives destroyed by abortion in the last 39 years, he noted the need for ministries of conversion, as well as compassion and mercy.
Through the work of such ministries, he said, “we witness the miracle of Christ’s mercy and healing grace” as broken hearts are “made whole” and “filled with new peace and hope.”
The cardinal also expressed grave concerns that the pro-life movement is threatened by recent attacks on religious freedom in America.

On Jan. 20, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule that will require virtually all health insurance plans to include sterilization and contraception – including drugs that cause abortion – free of charge.

Cardinal DiNardo explained that this mandate violates the religious liberty and rights of conscience of Catholics and other religious employers by forcing citizens “to directly purchase what violates our beliefs.”

He called for “timely and unwavering actions” to defend religious freedom.
At the same time, the cardinal expressed hope for the future, observing signs of good news, such as the “record numbers” of pro-life laws passed on the state level in recent years.
In many ways, the youth are “weaving Christ into our culture,” he said, urging them to show the loving face of Christ to those who are hostile.

“Don’t be compromised in your dedication to the protection of life.”

By: Michelle Bauman-CNA/EWTN news

Bishop Conley: Redefining Marriage Will Mean That Government Will Try And Redefine Truth!

2012-01-21T19:08:00.001-05:00

The Long Term Consequences Of Creating A Parallel For Marriage Will Be Severe!

A Colorado proposal to recognize same-sex civil unions is a “dangerous and unjust” effort to redefine marriage warns Bishop James D. Conley, the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Denver.
He said that a renewed legislative push for civil unions in the state threatens to erode the “unique status” of marriage as between one man and one woman.
This upcoming weekend, the Colorado Catholic Conference will ask Catholics to sign postcards to legislators in opposition to the move.
Bishop Conley urged people to participate in the campaign because “it allows each of us to speak the truth – to ask the government to respect the plan for marriage God has given us.”

“Doing so protects children, protects marriage and, ultimately, protects the common good of all of us.”
He warned that recognizing civil unions for same-sex couples would allow them to adopt children and infringe on religious liberties for many groups. Some also view civil unions as “a stepping stone” to endorsing polygamous relationships.

“Redefining marriage means that government will try to redefine truth,” he said.
He then cited Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of Oakland, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ conference subcommittee on marriage.
Bishop Cordileone recently said that civil unions can “in no way” be considered a permissible compromise or an advance for the common good.
“(I)nstead, they directly violate principles of justice and accelerate the push to redefine marriage itself.”

Marriage is “among the oldest human institutions,” Bishop Conley emphasized, saying that “the communion of husband and wife is a unique reality that has no true parallel.”
The Denver bishop observed that throughout history, political thinkers have believed that protecting families is at the heart of government’s responsibility.

He said that laws which protect marriage ensure that families can provide children “the right to two parents, a mother and a father, who can love them and care for them.”
Marriage laws also require men to treat women with dignity, he noted, adding that the “exclusive and permanent bond” of a married man and woman cannot be redesigned by “legal dictate.”

Bishop Conley pointed to Church teaching that Catholics must treat individuals with same-sex attraction with “dignity and love.” Those who have homosexual inclinations are not evil, though the inclination is a “tragic distortion of the great gift of sexuality God has given us.”

The essentials problem with civil union laws, he explained, is that they “endorse and sanction that distortion by suggesting that homosexual relationships are equivalent to marriage.”
The Catholic bishops of Colorado have also stressed that opposition to civil unions is not voiced out of desire to deny fundamental civil rights and is not a condemnation of homosexual people.

“We affirm what our Church teaches – namely, that we must treat our homosexual sisters and brothers with dignity and love, as we would all God’s children,” they said in a joint statement.

By: Kevin Jones Catholic News Agency

NOTE: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter (Isa 5:20) ... woe unto the USA and the whole world. Pray people .. pray like you never have before!!!!!!!!!!

Pope warns of 'grave threat' to religious freedom in US

2012-01-19T23:36:00.000-05:00

Pope Benedict XVI warned today (1/19/12) of a “grave threat” to religious liberty in the United States that requires American Catholics to respond with intelligence and courage.

“It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres,” he said Jan. 19 in an address to a group of American bishops visiting the Vatican.
The Pope said he was particularly concerned with “certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.”
Pope Benedict’s address was delivered to the bishops from the Mid-Atlantic states region, which includes the Archdioceses of Washington and Baltimore. They are in Rome this week on their regular “ad limina” visit to discuss the health of the U.S. Church with the Pope and Vatican officials. The two bishops from the Archdiocese for the U.S. Military Services are also participating in the meetings.
Pope Benedict said that over the past few days many of the bishops have expressed concern over attempts in the U.S. to “deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices.”
Meanwhile, other bishops raised the “worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship” without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.
At present, the Obama administration is considering imposing a contraception and sterilization mandate that would require all insurance companies to provide those services free of charge. The regulation has a religious exemption clause, but it provides very few exceptions for Church organizations.
Some states are also pushing Catholic adoption agencies out of business or severely limiting their work because they refuse to compromise the Church’s beliefs on same-sex “marriage.”
Pope Benedict said these issues highlight the need for an “engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture.” The American laity must have the “courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate,” he said.
The preparation of such “committed lay leaders,” he told the bishops, should be the “primary task of the Church in your country.”
He noted that his visit to the United States in 2008 afforded him an opportunity to reflect on America’s historical experience of religious freedom, “specifically the relationship between religion and culture.”
“At the heart of every culture, whether perceived or not,” he said, “is a consensus about the nature of reality and the moral good, and thus about the conditions for human flourishing.”
In the United States this consensus is “enshrined in your nation’s founding documents,” which are grounded in a worldview shaped by faith and a commitment to ethical principles, he observed.
Today, however, that consensus has been eroded “in the face of powerful new cultural currents” which are “not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity.”
Despite such hostility, American Catholics are still called to proclaim “a Gospel which not only proposes unchanging moral truths but proposes them precisely as the key to human happiness and social prospering,” Pope Benedict stated.
He also responded to those who attempt to restrict Christians’ voice in the public square or argue that their contribution should be ignored because of “majority rule.” This is a threat not just to Christianity but “to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God.”
Pope Benedict said that the Catholic Church’s tradition of respect for both faith and reason means that it can play a critical role in opposing current trends which are based on “extreme individualism” and promote “notions of freedom detached from moral truth.”
The pontiff also touched on what he called the “legitimate” idea of separation of Church and State. This does not mean, however, that the Church must be silent on certain issues or that the state can choose to ignore “the voices of committed believers in determining the values which will shape the future of the nation.”
Pope Benedict said he appreciated the efforts of the U.S. bishops to maintain contacts with Catholics involved in political life and help them “understand their personal responsibility to offer public witness to their faith.”
This is especially true when it comes to key ethical issues of today, which he identified as “the respect for God’s gift of life, the protection of human dignity and the promotion of authentic human rights.”
He concluded on an optimistic note by observing the rise of “a new generation of Catholics” in the United States whose “experience and convictions will have a decisive role in renewing the Church’s presence and witness in American society.”
The hope promised by this younger generation should be reason enough “to renew our efforts to mobilize the intellectual and moral resources of the entire Catholic community in the service of the evangelization of American culture and the building of the civilization of love.”

By David Kerr
To read Pope Benedict's full address, please visit: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=1059

Pope Benedict: What are “the Springs of Salvation?”

2012-01-16T19:12:00.000-05:00

Raise Your Children to “Listen to the Voice of Truth Speaking to His Heart and Follow it on a Personal Journey

HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is always a joy to celebrate this Holy Mass with the baptism of children on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. I greet you all with affection, dear parents, godparents and all of you, relatives and friends! You have come here ? you said so aloud ? so that yourour newborn babies may receive the gift of God’s grace, the seed of eternal life. You, parents, have desired this. You thought of Baptism even before your child was born. Your duty as Christian parents made you think immediately of the sacrament that marks entry into divine life and into the community of the Church. We can say that this was your first educational decision as witnesses of the faith to your children: it is a fundamental decision!

The parents’ task, helped by the godfather and godmother, is to raise their son or daughter. Raising children is very demanding and at times taxes our human capability, which is always limited. However, educating becomes a marvellous mission if it is carried out in collaboration with God who is the first and true educator of every human being.

In the First Reading, we heard from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, God addresses his people precisely as a teacher. He puts the Israelites on their guard against the danger of quenching their thirst and appeasing their hunger at the wrong sources: “Why”, he says, “do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy?” (Is 55:2). God wants to give us good things to drink and to eat, things that do us good; whereas at times we use our resources mistakenly, we use them for things that are useless, indeed, even harmful. Above all, God wants to give us himself and his Word. He knows that in distancing ourselves from him we will soon run into difficulty ? like the Prodigal Son of the parable ?— and, especially, that we will lose our human dignity. And for this reason he assures us that he is infinite mercy, that his thoughts and ways are unlike ours ? fortunately! ? and that we can always retueturn to him, to the Father’s house. Thereafter he assures us that if we receive his Word it will bear good fruits in our life, like the rain that waters the earth (cf. Is 55:10-11).

We responded to these words which the Lord has addressed to us through the Prophet Isaiah with the refrain of the Psalm: We will “draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation”. As adults, we have striven to draw from the good springs for our own good and for the good of those entrusted to our responsibility, and you in particular, dear parents and godparents, for the good of these children.

And what are “the springs of salvation?”

They are the Word of God and the sacraments. Adults are the first who should nourish themselves at these sources, so as to be able to guide those who are younger in their development. Parents must give much, but in order to give they need in turn to receive, otherwise they are drained, they dry up. Parents are not the spring, just as we priests are not the spring. Rather, we are like channels through which the life-giving sap of God’s love must flow. If we cut ourselves off from his spring, we ourselves are the first to feel the negative effects and are no longer able to educate others. For this reason we have committed ourselves by saying: We will “draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation”.

And we now come to the Second Reading and to the Gospel. They say that the first and principal education takes place through witness. The Gospel speaks of John the Baptist. John was a great educator of his disciples, because he led them to the encounter with Jesus to whom he bore witness. He did not exalt himself, he did not wish to keep his disciples bound to him. Yet John was a great prophet, his fame was very great. When Jesus arrived John drew back and pointed to him: “After me comes he who is mightier than I?. I have baptized you with water; but he will bbaptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mk 1:7-8).

The true teacher does not bind people to himself, he is not possessive. He wants his son or daughter, or disciple, to learn to know the truth and to establish a personal relationship with it. The educator does his duty fully, he assures his attentive and faithful presence because his objective is that the person being educated listen to the voice of truth speaking to his heart and follow it on a personal journey.

Let us return once again to the witness. In the Second Reading, the Apostle John writes: “And the Spirit is the witness” (1 Jn 5:7). He is referring to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, who bears witness to Jesus, testifying that he is the Christ, the Son of God. This is also apparent in the scene of the Baptism in the River Jordan: the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus as a dove to reveal that he is the Only-Begotten Son of the eternal Father (cf. Mk 1:10). In his Gospel too, John underlines this aspect where Jesus says to the disciples: “When the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Jn 15:26-27). This is a great comfort to us in the work of educating in faith, because we know that we are not alone and that our witness is sustained by the Holy Spirit.

It is very important for you parents, and also for the godparents, to believe strongly in the presence and in the action of the Holy Spirit, to invoke him and to welcome him within you, through prayer and through the sacraments. It is he, in fact, who illumines the mind and warms the heart of the educator so that he or she can pass on the knowledge and love of Jesus. Prayer is the first condition for teaching because by praying we prepare ourselves to leave the initiative to God, to entrust children to him, who knows them before and better than we, and who knows perfectly what their true good is. And at the same time, when we pray we listen to God’s inspiration in order to do our part well, which in any case is our duty and which we are bound to do. The sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance, enable us to carry out our educational action in union with Christ, in communion with him and continuously renewed by his forgiveness. Prayer and the sacraments obtain for us that light of truth thanks to which we are able to be at once tender and strong, gentle and firm, silent and communicative at the right time, admonishing and correcting in the right way.

Dear friends, let us therefore all invoke the Holy Spirit together so that he may come down upon these children in abundance, consecrate them in the image of Jesus Christ and always go with them on their journey through life. Let us entrust them to the motherly guidance of Mary Most Holy, so that they may grow in age, wisdom and grace and become true Christians, faithful and joyful witnesses of God’s love. Amen.

Pater's for Peace!!!

2012-01-02T23:29:00.003-05:00

In prayer this afternoon, it came to me that we will REALLY need a lot of prayer in this new year. Jesus gave us the perfect prayer and it's one that ALL Christians can relate to, which will increase unity.

Let us go out into the world and ask others to pray the Lord's Prayer with us for Peace in the World. Waiting in a line somewhere or in an elevator, waiting room or on the street ... turn to someone and ask them if they would like to join you for a few seconds to recite the Lord's Prayer for World Peace.

Where 2 or more are gathered in His Name, there He is in the midst of them ;)

This may be uncomfortable at first .. but it WILL get easier and it will do a WORLD OF GOOD! If someone says they don't know the prayer, tell them they can follow in their minds as you say it :) You could also just make a statement in a crowded place, like a mall or something, just announce: "I'm going to say the Lord's Prayer for Peace in the World; please feel free to join me!" And just pray it aloud. It will take SECONDS and do IMMEASURABLE GOOD! When you're done, smile and walk away praising God in your heart!

Posts can be made here of where it's being done, how it's being received, others that have been influenced by it. Imagine if this spread over the world what GOOD it would do!?!?!? Surely God in His Mercy would look down kindly on our efforts! Isn't that worth doing? :)

I am housebound, but I will post this where ever I can ... I will rely on you good folks to carry this through where ever you are ... all over the world ... FOR THE WORLD, but ultimately for God's Divine Will to be done on earth as it is in heaven!!!

May God bless this endeavor and all involved with peace, courage and the strength to carry it out, as together, we unite to call down mercy on the World and unite all peoples everywhere in God's Love & Mercy!

Please click the link and join the FaceBook page ..

post your interactions, videos, comments or support!

Please JOIN US!

There's been several videos of 'flash evangelization' posted on FB .. was just thinking ... anyone with a cam could also use it for this and we can post the videos ... in fact, perhaps we can make it a CONTEST!?!??! .. the best FLASH PATER'S FOR PEACE Video at the end of the 1st 4 months here, will get a free Battlebeads Rosary! :)

Fighting Abortion With The Eucharist!

2012-01-02T11:54:00.000-05:00

“Darkness Cannot Exist In The Light; The Presence Of God’s Goodness Will Change Hearts And Minds!”

The Eucharist is moving into enemy territory as a powerful weapon against abortion. Across the country, adoration chapels are being set up next to abortion businesses. It’s a growing movement that Father Steve Imbarrato, chaplain of Holy Innocents Chapel in Albuquerque, N.M., says he hopes will increase.

“I want to promote Eucharistic adoration to fight abortion,” Father Imbarrato said. As the director for Project Life, he said everything he does to promote life involves the Eucharist. “The chapel is the spiritual center of all our pro-life work,” he stated.

By setting up a Eucharistic chapel, Jesus has a close, permanent presence right next to the enemy. “Our Lord has been across the street from the Planned Parenthood clinic here for almost 12 years,” Father Imbarrato said. “It began when our bishop gave permission for the Eucharist to be kept in a tabernacle in an office cubicle across the street.” When the priest was asked to oversee the chapel in 2004, he formed a 501(c)(3) for Project Defending Life. The landlord, not happy with the makeshift chapel, was threatening to throw them out.

That’s when another 3,000 square-foot office space became vacant just 50 feet from the facility. The group moved there and renamed it Holy Innocents Chapel. Mass is celebrated there three days a week.

“We’ve been taking Our Lord in procession after Mass, two days a week, and we just added a third day,” Father Imbarrato said. An average of 30 or more participants join in a Rosary and other prayers before processing back.

When Father Price Oswalt, a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, heard Father Imbarrato’s story on Catholic radio, he said he knew he wanted to get the Eucharist as close to the local abortion facility as he could. “If we can get people praying with Our Lord on the front lines, we can change everything,” he said. “Darkness cannot exist in light; the presence of God’s goodness will change hearts and minds.”
‘Everything Has a Price’

When the question of financing came up, Father Oswalt said Father Imbarrato told him not to worry. “Father said, ‘Just let people know about your plan, and God will provide the money.” That is exactly what happened. “People started donating, including a $25,000 and a $35,000 check,” Father Oswalt said. “I was going to rent a building, but people said, ‘Why don’t you buy one?’”

A building is in the process of being purchased. Father Oswalt said the Holy Innocents Chapel will be operational as soon as possible. His goal is perpetual adoration to pray without ceasing against the evil taking place next door. “The clinic doctor murders scores of babies six days a week,” he said.

Initially, a building nearby was not even for sale, but a pro-life businessman assured Father Oswalt, “Father, everything is for sale for a price.” Sure enough, the owner of a building 21 feet from the abortion business was looking to pay off a debt, so he accepted an offer. Ironically, he warned the future buyers, “The only thing wrong with this building is that there’s a doctor next door who does women things, so sometimes there are protesters.” The buyers did not reveal that they were the protesters.

Although money readily came forward, many details had to be addressed. The bishop needed to give permission to reserve the Blessed Sacrament, which he did as long as the chapel can be properly staffed with volunteers for perpetual adoration. There need to be at least 168 people — two per hour — to commit to an hour a day, seven days a week, before the Blessed Sacrament. Attorneys volunteered to file the legal papers for Holy Innocents Foundation of Oklahoma’s nonprofit status. They also made sure the chapel would be in compliance of city rules for setting up churches and holding processions.

After all this work, what if the abortionist moves to some quieter location? “If he moves, we move,” Father Oswalt said. “We will follow him wherever he goes.”
‘The Lord Is There’

In Robbinsdale, Minn., right next to an abortion facility, there is a renovated home that has served as a Eucharistic chapel for three years. The Eucharist is reserved in a back bedroom, and a 10-foot crucifix and five-foot statue of Mary sits in the front yard. Father Thomas Duffner meets with a group on the property every Saturday, rain or shine, where they pray 15 decades of the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

“The Lord is there,” Father Duffner said. “There’s no question that there is power in this. I have no doubt whatsoever.” He said that just as the whole Church is being renewed through perpetual adoration, so too the fight against abortion is being renewed through the Eucharist. “We go to the abortion clinic, to the foot of the cross, where Jesus is suffering; and through the Eucharist, he is there with us.”

In North Dakota, there are no abortionists and only one business. Practitioners come from out of state, usually on Wednesdays, to perform abortions. Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo said that the Visitation Chapel opened on the third floor of an office building directly across from the abortion facility this past June. “I opened it with the first Mass,” the bishop said. “There is Mass every Wednesday at 8am and adoration from 8:30 until 4pm, the time abortions are done.”

The Fargo Respect Life Office directs the chapel, but it relies completely on donations from the laity. “The response has been very positive,” said Bishop Aquila. “People come from all over to pray here. They see the chapel as a real witness to the dignity of the unborn.”

Bishop Aquila, who presides over an annual Eucharistic procession on Respect Life Sunday, cautions that it is important to involve the local bishop and study the rules for establishing a chapel and holding processions.

“Certainly, with our belief in the Eucharist as the body, blood and divinity of Jesus Christ, we are putting our trust in the second Person of the Trinity to assist in the battle against the culture of death,” he said. “Jesus is the one who gives life. We know that Our Lord is with us in this battle.”

By: Patti Maguire Armstrong NCRegister.com

Jan 1st Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

2012-01-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

On January 1, the Church commemorates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - the greatest title of Mary. This feast in the oldest Marian feast of the church of Rome and it celebrates Mary's vocation to be the mother of Jesus Christ. Through Mary, Jesus Christ entered this world, taking on human flesh and a human soul. Jesus is true God and true man. In His person are united both a divine nature and a human nature. Mary is in every history with Jesus and by her intercession we obtain all necessary graces to our life. Besides, being the Mother of God, Mary assumed the mother of all humanity working and helping all those who seek her. So when we look at the image of the Virgin Mary we felt an encouragement in our heart which fortifies our spirituality and comfort our soul. It is the fragrance of the immense and grandiose love.

"So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told. When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception." ~Luke 2,16-21

Meanwhile, January 1 also marks the jubilation of the New Year and every faithful exchange new years greetings as an expression of hope for a peaceful new year. Along with this, the date has been designated as “World Day of Peace”. As a deep aspiration for peace, this particular day is reserved for intense prayer for peace, education towards peace and those values inextricably linked with it, such as liberty, fraternal solidarity, the dignity of the human person, respect for nature, the right to work, the sacredness of human life, and the denunciation of injustices which trouble the conscience of man and threaten peace.

For more information on the Solemnity of Mary, please click on the following links:
• New Year's Prayer for Church and State
• Blessing for the New Year
• Veni, Creator Spiritus
• Prayer for Peace
• St. Cyril of Alexandria's Litany of Praise
of the Mother of God
• Table Blessing for the Feasts of the
Mother of God

Holy Innocents ... THEN & NOW

2011-12-28T10:23:00.004-05:00

Today we mark the first martyrs of the Church .. the Holy Innocents that were ripped from their mother's arms and slaughtered for a king's pride. Certainly we know that satan was at the core of the pride that angered Herod to the point of murder from the fear of losing his place and prestige. I have never given birth, but I cannot IMAGINE what a horror it would be to have my child either killed in my arms or torn from my grasp and slaughtered. GOD HAVE MERCY! These Little Ones ... these precious little souls snuffed out in a most cruel and unjust manner. And not just the newborns were enough for Herod ... to be SURE, he decreed that all be murdered up to 2 years! These are the first martyrs of our Faith.

They, of course, didn't know they would be glorifying the Real King. And I am sure that for all this time they have been serving, praising and adoring our Triune God. Another thing that seems so obvious is the terror and lamenting of the mothers. Especially because they suffered in vain. They knew not that the Messiah was among them. They didn't even have hope of once again seeing their beloved children and their pain wasn't united to the Passion of the Cross. The suffering that is not united to the Passion of Jesus and offered for the Intentions of the Trinity and souls, must be the most horrific suffering of all ... maybe that's why hell is so horrific.

All this terror from a selfish, prideful tyrant that was afraid of losing his authority. All from ambition came this cruelty and horror. Not wanting anything changed from the way it was. Not letting anything get in the way of his way of life or how he lived and what he did. Is this so unlike today really? Do we not sacrifice the Holy Innocents all over again by the MILLIONS in ABORTIONS EVERY DAY? Yes we have made some strides in closing the mills down, through rigorous efforts, minds and hearts are being changed .. but so much more needs to be done. At the very least .. THE VERY LEAST ... we can all offer a rosary daily to end this massacre once and for all.

Is abortion all that much different than what was done by Herod? Were the little ones not hacked and torn then as well? I cannot NOT think of the millions of aborted BABIES when I think of the Holy Innocents .. but in my eyes and my heart they are ALL HOLY INNOCENTS, none of which had a choice to live, to grow in holiness or bring others to Jesus by their example. Please pray in a special way today for ALL the Holy Innnocents, then and NOW and those yet to be. Please make an effort to pray daily to end abortions and do what you can physically and financially to further the effort!

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,

because they are no more.”

"Holy little precious souls

you who's blood the Savior owns

torn from life in arms or wombs

pray for us left here in gloom."

Christmas Wishes 2011

2011-12-25T07:47:00.001-05:00

"... For unto us a Child is born ... unto us a Son is given .... "

You all are in my daliy 3pm's for your needs and the needs of those your loved ones. I just wanted to take a moment to say how very grateful I am for all that's been shared among us this past year and all that will continue to be shared. The support, prayers, encouragements, smiles, laughter and tears!

My wish for us all is that when our eyes fall on the image of that little Babe in the manger, our most Loving Father, in the Holy Name of Jesus and by the Power of the Holy Spirit will set our hearts on fire anew with the most precious Gifts of Faith, Hope and Love.
May we live each day for HIM, helping each other advance in holiness as we consciously make an effort to set aside the things of the world that are passing away anyway. Let us look at each other with the same love and affection as we do the Christ Child ... remembering whatsoever we do to the least of our brethren, we do unto Him!

I would ask 3 things of all who's eyes
fall on this message:

1. When you awaken in the morning, let your first thought be to offer everything that day in union with His Holy Passion for the Intentions of the Trinity and all of heaven. (Thoughts, words, deeds, breaths, heartbeats, steps, utterances, joys, sorrows, tears, actions, reactions, blinks of your eyes and even failings, God can make ANYTHING good!)

2. At 3pm if you can't pray the little Chaplet of Divine Mercy, just hold the intention in your heart asking God to have mercy on yourself and the whole world and beg Him to EMPTY PURGATORY INTO HEAVEN DAILY by merit of the Perfect Passion of Jesus during this Divine Mercy Hour.

3. When you go to sleep at night (and whenever you think of it actually), ask God in His mercy and goodness, to please grant the grace of perfect contrition to all those that step into eternity .. that they may, with their last conscious thought or dying breath, beg His mercy and embrace His Love! (That all be saved and none be lost!)

This is what I challenge you to do ... I BEG of you to do this!

I wish you all the most blessed and significant Christmastime ever. May almighty God shower you with His most choice blessings. May our humble, compassionate and blessed Mother take your concerns to her beloved Son and tuck them near His Sacred Heart interceding for our temporal needs and our spiritual necessities. And may the patient and tireless angels shelter, comfort and guide you, keeping your feet firmly planted on the path that leads to heaven and our Glorious Triune God!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & MAY THE NEW YEAR BE ESPECIALLY KIND TO US ALL!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T00:00:00.002-05:00

Solemnity of Christmas

On December 25, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christmas, a holy day of obligation. Of all the Christian feasts, Christmas is perhaps the most beloved and the most popular. On Christmas we celebrate the temporal birth of the Lord Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. We celebrate his eternal birth from the Father in the splendors of the Godhead. But we celebrate also a third birth of Our Lord, the birth for which Advent has been particularly preparing us, the birth which occurs every Christmas- it is the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Church, his birth in those who are the members of the Body of Christ, so his birth in the souls of each of us here, and in the souls of all throughout the world, who receive him on this day having confessed their sins and opened their hearts in faith and love.

On Christmas, let us adore Jesus in the Eucharist. Let us adore Him through frequent visits to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament in our tabernacles (ALL YEAR LONG). Let us adore Him at that real mystical Bethlehem which is His Eucharistic Presence. So as with the ears of our spirit we hear the angels’ voices on Christmas, let our voices, in the joy of our hearts, blend with theirs:

Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth!

Merry Christmas Messages & Blessings

2011-12-24T10:11:00.000-05:00

A blessed Christmas to you. Here is a video that FatherJason Worthley produced with some of his priest friends, sharing their Christmas greetings and blessings.

Please share this with your friends. God bless you all!

A Christmas Prayer

2011-12-18T09:23:00.000-05:00

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Father,
Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
That we may share in the song of the angels,
The gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift
and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing
which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning
make us happy to be Thy children,
And Christmas evening bring us to our beds
with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven,
for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.

Investigation concludes on alleged Fulton Sheen miracle

2011-12-18T08:31:00.000-05:00

A Dec. 11 Mass in Peoria, Ill. marked the official conclusion of an investigation tribunal into an alleged miracle that many attribute to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Since Sept. 7, the tribunal has looked into the alleged miraculous healing of James Fulton Engstrom – a one-year-old born without a pulse last year – whose parents credit his survival to the late archbishop.

The Mass, open to members of the public, was held at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, where Archbishop Sheen was as an altar server when he as a boy.
Official tribunal documents were sealed at the Mass by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria and Monsignor Stanley Deptula. Msgr. Deptula is the executive director of the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation, which is the official promoter of the archbishop’s cause for sainthood.
The documents will now be shipped to the Vatican for consideration.

If the alleged miracle is approved by the Pope, U.S. Catholics could witness the first ever beatification on American soil in the Diocese of Peoria, said the foundation.
On Sept. 16, 2010, Bonnie Engstrom and her husband Travis prayed fervently to Archbishop Sheen after she delivered a stillborn son.

The baby, whom they named James Fulton after the archbishop, had no pulse for 61 minutes after he was born.

As doctors prepared to declare the time of death, however, his heart started beating. Although the physicians predicted serious medical problems, James Fulton is now a happy, healthy one-year-old.

In addition to serving as an auxiliary bishop of New York and bishop of Rochester, Archbishop Sheen was best known for his weekly radio broadcast, “The Catholic Hour,” and his later weekly television program, “Life is Worth Living.”

The archbishop died in 1979 and his cause for sainthood was opened in 2002.
A second approved miracle will be necessary before Archbishop Sheen – currently called a Servant of God – will be declared a saint.

By Michelle Bauman (EWTN News/CNA)

ST. ADELAIDE

2011-12-16T00:01:00.003-05:00

Born in 931, St. Adelaide was the daughter of Rudolph of Burgundy. Still a child she was betrothed for political reasons to Lothair of Provence, heir of King Hugh of Italy. Hugh married Adelaide's widowed mother. At the age of sixteen she married Lothair, now Icing of Italy, and a daughter, Emma, was born of the marriage. It was an unhappy union but a short one, for in 950 Lothair died. His successor, Berengar, imprisoned her when Adelaide refused to marry his son. After four months' confinement she escaped in August 951, and when that same year the German Emperor Otto appeared in Italy and proposed marriage, she accepted. Four children were born to them, the future Otto II and three daughters, two of whom became nuns. A revolt led by Ludolf, Otto's son by his first marriage, was crushed. It would appear to have been Adelaide's influence which encouraged, if it did not inspire, Otto's policy of close collaboration with the church. During a sojourn of six years in Italy Otto and Adelaide received the imperial crown from John XII. When her husband was succeeded in 973 by their son Otto II, Adelaide for some years exercised a powerful influence. Later, however, her daughter-in-law, the Byzantine princess Theophano, turned her husband against his mother, and she was driven from court. Finally a reconciliation was effected, and in 983 Otto appointed her his viceroy in Italy.

He died the same year, and the new emperor, Otto III, still a minor, was entrusted to the joint regency of his mother and grandmother. Theophano was able once again to oust Adelaide from power and the court. Her death in 991 restored the regency to Adelaide. She was assisted by St. Willigis, bishop of Mainz. In 995 Otto came of age, and Adelaide was free to devote herself exclusively to pious works, notably the foundation or restoration of religious houses. She had long entertained close relations with Cluny, then the center of the movement for ecclesiastical reform and in particular with its abbots St. Majolus and St. Odilo. On her way to Burgundy to support her nephew Rudolph III against rebellion, she died at a monastery she had founded at Seltz. She had constantly devoted herself to the service of the church and peace, and to the empire as guardian of both; she also interested herself in the conversion of the Slavs. She was thus a principal agent—almost an embodiment—of the work of the Catholic church during the dark ages in the construction of the religion-culture of western Europe. Her feast is kept in many German dioceses.

Feastday: December 16

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

2011-12-12T06:48:00.001-05:00

MIRACLES OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

On December 12 we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Virgin Mary appeared to humble native American,Juan Diego, on December 9, 1531 in Tepeyac Hill, a hill northwest of what is now Mexico City. She identified herself as the Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth. The signs -- of the roses, of the uncle miraculously cured of a deadly illness, and especially of her beautiful image called tilma on Juan's mantle -- convinced the people there was something to be considered in Christianity. Within a short time, six million Native Mexicans had themselves baptized as Christians. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe which was imprinted on the tima, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years shows no sign of decay 475 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is God's very special gift to America at the very beginning of the New World. It was a very special way through which Divine Providence started the incarnation of the gospel in the New World. God would not allow the gospel to become an instrument of colonization and through Guadalupe would assure that the gospel would continue to heal, liberate and unite all peoples of this hemisphere. This new unity of peoples will be America's true gift toward the formation of a real world community.
below

Please pray a special rosary today for
the protection of the unborn!

• Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Unborn
• Prayer for Husbands and Wives
• Memorare
• Prayer for Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Morning Offering
• Short Prayer for Our Lady of Guadalupe

December 8th ... NOON TIME ... Special Hour of Grace

2011-12-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

The Hour of Grace

The 8th of December is an important day - the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is also the day on which in 1947 Our Blessed Mother gave us the Hour of Grace.

Our Lady said as follows: "It is my wish that every year, on 8th December, at noon, the HOUR OF GRACE FOR THE WORLD be celebrated. Many divine and bodily graces will be received through this devotion. Our Lord, my Divine Son Jesus, will send His overflowing mercy if good people will pray continuously for their sinful brother.... it is my wish that the HOUR OF GRACE FOR THE WORLD be made known and spread throughout the world. If anyone is unable to visit his church, yet will pray at home, he will also receive graces through me.... will find a secure heavenly ladder and receive protection and grace through my motherly heart."

Our Lady promised she will hear any prayer we make at this time.

THE REQUEST OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER FOR THE HOUR OF GRACE:

Day and time of the Hour of Grace: December 8th, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, to be started at 12:00 noon and continuing until 1:00 p.m. for one full hour of prayer.

During this hour, the person making the Hour of Grace either at home or at church must put away all distractions (do not answer the telephones, or answer any doors, or do anything but totally concentrate on your union with God during this special Hour of Grace).

Begin the Hour of Grace by praying three times the 51st Psalm with out-stretched arms. (Psalm 51 appears below).

The rest of the Hour of Grace may be spent in silent communication with God meditating upon the Passion of Jesus, saying the Holy Rosary, praising God in your own way, or by using favorite prayers, singing hymns, meditating upon other psalms, etc.

Please copy and distribute this message. Remember to pray for your country during this hour. The Blessed Virgin has requested that her important message be sent throughout the entire world. Please help her Mission: that all souls be drawn to God, and that Jesus will be loved in every heart. This is the perpetual song of her heart. Let it also be yours.

_________________________________________________________

PSALM 51

Have mercy on on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offence.
Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offence; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight that you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn. True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me. Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my innermost being teach me wisdom. Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow. Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt. A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit. Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit. I will teach the wicked your ways, that sinners may return to you. Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power. Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise. For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept. My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart. Make Zion prosper in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifice, burnt offerings and holocausts; then bullocks will be offered on your altar.

Battlebeads Updates & Gift Giving Ideas

2011-12-07T22:34:00.000-05:00

Hi folks, I know I don't write much here for sales stuff .. I like to keep it mostly world news, eschatology and building up the Faith. But every now and again, I like to call your attention to gift giving ideas that include the much needed prayer for the Country, the USA Chaplet.
This is an easy chaplet and the long version takes about 11 minutes, but there's also a short version with just one group rather than the 5 for just $5! It's Christmastime once again and I'm hoping some of you consider gifts that will keep on giving throughout the year and bringing souls closer to the Two Hearts!

You can look over to the right on the slide show to get an idea of my work. Please keep in mind that special custom orders are my specialty! ;) Rosaries, Chaplets, religious jewelry and now even secular/regular jewelry is available.

I have some very nice necklaces and sets available ... I have crystals, precious gems and stones, quartz, Czech druks, corals, aventurine, onyx, lapis ... just about anything you can want! There's keyrings, beverage markers, pocket decades, peace wheels, rosary trees, bracelets, rings, necklaces, eye glass leashes, zipper pulls, lanyards for cell phones or any of your devices ... just SO MUCH to choose from! :)

I received some very nicely tumbled semi precious stones that are ready to be made into necklaces already set w/sterling silver bales. Your choice of chain, cord, voil, leather or what have you!

After a long search, I also have located the mystery bars that incorporate all 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary. These are placed as Pater's or Our Father beads and they tell what set of mysteries are to be said on any given day and also names the mysteries for that particular group. These are not plastic, they are engraved metal and will not wear out easily at all! They work with any beads of course, but I've fond many folks like the Job's Tears beads with these bars.

So, if you have an inclination to help hearts grow nearer to the Two Hearts, please give Battlebeads a try, whether you purchase something already made or would like to design something spectacular together .. just let me know! "I always do my best to accommodate requests!" And I just LOVE to put smiles on faces!
My warmest and sincerest wishes for a Blessed, joyous and peaceful Christmastime to you and all you hold dear ... and may the New Year be especially kind to us all!

Just can't help m'self here folks .......

"GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE!"

The Immaculate Conception and The Divine Mercy

2011-12-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

The Divine Mercy devotion is one of the fastest growing “spiritualities” among Catholics today. With the canonization of St. Faustina and the establishment of the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church officially recognized the urgent need in the world to practice the core elements of the devotion: imploring mercy, trusting Jesus, and being merciful through the practice of both the corporal and the spiritual works of mercy. This is undeniably a great gift for our times!

Jesus Christ is The Divine Mercy; the Immaculate Conception is the created masterpiece of The Divine Mercy. Outside of the gift of the Savior Himself, both in the Incarnation and in the Eucharist, the greatest manifestation of Divine Mercy that God has given to the world is the Immaculate Conception. How can this be? This is so due to the fact that the privilege of the Immaculate Conception is a pure gift flowing from God’s goodness.

For example, in all the other aspects of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Divine Motherhood, Perpetual Virginity, Queenship, etc) she fully participated in the acquisition of the graces required for that particular role. From her virginal motherhood to her assumption into heaven, she fully participated with God’s saving plan. However, the Immaculate Conception is the sole gift that she neither merited nor acquired by participation. Thus, this gift is solely dependent upon Divine Mercy.

The Immaculate Conception is the prevenient grace that explains why we call Mary the “cause of our salvation”. The causal dimension of the Immaculate Conception can be seen when we consider that this unique act of mercy given to Mary both prepares the way for, and will make her able to cooperate with, Jesus, The Divine Mercy Incarnate, who has come to save mankind.

In a similar way, the Immaculate Conception can also be understood as the “cause of creation”. God initiated creation, allowing for its fall, because He planned to spiritually renew and elevate all creation according to the pattern of the Immaculate Conception; thus, the Immaculate Conception is not an after-thought but, rather, the instrument through which God sees the world. It is as though the Immaculate Conception were a set of bifocals given to us by Divine Mercy so that we can come to see both creation and salvation as God sees them.

Saints such as Maximilian Kolbe have pondered the intimate relationship between the Divine Mercy and the Immaculate Conception and concluded that the relationship is so mysterious that its brightness overwhelms the intellect. These two mysteries are so intimately connected that it will take a whole host of saintly theologians, mystics and scholars to unveil the wonder. Just as the mystery of the Trinity is that which sheds light on all things, so the mystery of the Immaculate Conception is that which sheds light on the mystery of both creation and redemption.

by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC

Archbishop Wenski: “The President Should Honor His Pledge”

2011-12-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

Archbishop Wenski: Reveals Long List of How President
Obama’s “Promises Are Not Being Kept”

This is a “frontal assault”

“This is Unacceptable”

Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Miami Archdiocese

In May 2009, President Obama gave the commencement address at Notre Dame University and received an honorary degree. That Notre Dame would confer an honorary degree on an elected official who advances abortion rights in contradiction to Catholic teaching caused no small controversy among many Catholics throughout the United States.

Those who supported Notre Dame felt vindicated, however, when in his speech the president promised to “honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion,” stating that his administration would provide “sensible” protections for those who wanted no involvement in the procedure. This would presumably include healthcare providers, social-service providers, and consumers who might otherwise have to pay through their healthcare plans for other people’s abortions.

Obama later reiterated this position to Catholic newspaper editors, stating that he would make such protections “robust.”

Fast forward to late 2011, and the record shows that the president’s promises are not being kept. In fact, it seems that pro-life Catholics such as Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak and the Catholic Health Association’s Sister Carol Keenan — who trusted the administration’s position that abortion was not part of the healthcare bill — along with Notre Dame’s leadership have been played by the president.

His administration is running roughshod over conscience protection provisions long part of the law that find their justification in the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion, a foundational human right. It is one thing for an administration to support and promote an agenda; it is quite another to force those who disagree with it to violate their moral and religious principles.

The long line of evidence is disturbing. As a first step, the administration reversed earlier regulations enforcing federal conscience laws, stating instead that it would pursue the same goals by educational outreach on rights of conscience.

In the final healthcare bill passed in March 2010, traditional protections for conscience rights were omitted; instead, a provision was included that would subjugate conscience rights to federal and state “emergency” service laws. In other words, any abortion declared an “emergency” (broadly defined) by a government requires a health-care provider’s full cooperation, regardless of his or her views on the matter.

Moreover, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a rule which will require almost all health plans to include coverage for sterilization and contraception — including abortifacient drugs. This will force almost all employers — including Catholic organizations — to pay for such procedures, regardless of any moral objections. HHS seemingly wants to regard fertility as a disease — and elective abortion subsidized by the taxpayer as healthcare.

The most recent frontal assault on conscience rights has come in the form of federal contracts and grant announcements, which have begun to require grantees to help provide all legally permissible family planning and obstetric/gynecological services, regardless of the provider. A large number of grants under the State Department’s AIDS program, for example, now require “integration” with family planning and “reproductive health” services, ignoring the conscience clause the program’s authorizing statute passed by Congress.

When the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently said it could not meet a similar requirement inserted into an HHS grant announcement for services to human trafficking victims, and pointed out that the requirement violates existing federal conscience laws, its funding was discontinued — hurting victims of human trafficking since few if any other entities have the track record and nationwide capacity to serve them.

Catholic social and healthcare providers — the largest private network in the nation — are at risk of being left out of all federal programs, despite their well-earned reputation for providing superlative service to the American public. In effect, the Obama administration is telling these Catholic providers to surrender their conscience rights and their Catholic ethos or shut their doors.

Regardless of one’s position on the morality of abortion, we — and elected officials on both sides of the aisle — should be concerned with these developments. If religious and conscience rights of some Americans can be violated by the government, everyone else’s rights are also in jeopardy.

This is unacceptable, for it undermines our nation’s promise of “freedom and justice for all.” The president should honor his pledges to U.S. Catholics — and other Americans — and instruct his agencies to reverse course and protect conscience rights.

BY Archbishop Thomas Wenski
www.miamiarch.org

St. Andrew's Christmas Novena - Begins November 30 to Christmas Day

2011-11-30T00:01:00.002-05:00

Say 15 times a day from St. Andrew's Day (30 November), ending on Christmas Eve
Hail, and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight in Bethlehem in piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, Oh my God, to hear my prayers and grant my desires, through the merits of Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother. Amen. (Mention your intentions.)

Immaculate Conception Novena begins today - November 28 – December 7

2011-11-28T19:32:00.002-05:00

PRAYER TO THE
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession, to come unto You.
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

First, recite the Prayer to the Immaculate Conception. Then, recite the appropriate prayer of each of the nine days.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

How Do YOU Spell * M-A-R-T-I-A-L *** L-A-W * ????

2011-11-28T16:57:00.000-05:00

Senators Demand the Military Lock Up American Citizens in a “Battlefield” They Define as Being Right Outside Your Window

While nearly all Americans head to family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Senate is gearing up for a vote on Monday or Tuesday that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans. The Senate will be voting on a bill that will direct American military resources not at an enemy shooting at our military in a war zone, but at American citizens and other civilians far from any battlefield — even people in the United States itself.
Senators need to hear from you, on whether you think your front yard is part of a “battlefield” and if any president can send the military anywhere in the world to imprison civilians without charge or trial.
The Senate is going to vote on whether Congress will give this president—and every future president — the power to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians anywhere in the world. Even Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) raised his concerns about the NDAA detention provisions during last night’s Republican debate. The power is so broad that even U.S. citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself.
The worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial provision is in S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which will be on the Senate floor on Monday. The bill was drafted in secret by Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) and passed in a closed-door committee meeting, without even a single hearing.
I know it sounds incredible. New powers to use the military worldwide, even within the United States? Hasn’t anyone told the Senate that Osama bin Laden is dead, that the president is pulling all of the combat troops out of Iraq and trying to figure out how to get combat troops out of Afghanistan too? And American citizens and people picked up on American or Canadian or British streets being sent to military prisons indefinitely without even being charged with a crime. Really? Does anyone think this is a good idea? And why now?
The answer on why now is nothing more than election season politics. The White House, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General have all said that the indefinite detention provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act are harmful and counterproductive. The White House has even threatened a veto. But Senate politics has propelled this bad legislation to the Senate floor.
But there is a way to stop this dangerous legislation. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) is offering the Udall Amendment that will delete the harmful provisions and replace them with a requirement for an orderly Congressional review of detention power. The Udall Amendment will make sure that the bill matches up with American values.
In support of this harmful bill, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) explained that the bill will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield” and people can be imprisoned without charge or trial “American citizen or not.” Another supporter, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) also declared that the bill is needed because “America is part of the battlefield.”
The solution is the Udall Amendment; a way for the Senate to say no to indefinite detention without charge or trial anywhere in the world where any president decides to use the military. Instead of simply going along with a bill that was drafted in secret and is being jammed through the Senate, the Udall Amendment deletes the provisions and sets up an orderly review of detention power. It tries to take the politics out and put American values back in.
In response to proponents of the indefinite detention legislation who contend that the bill “applies to American citizens and designates the world as the battlefield,” and that the “heart of the issue is whether or not the United States is part of the battlefield,” Sen. Udall disagrees, and says that we can win this fight without worldwide war and worldwide indefinite detention.

The senators pushing the indefinite detention proposal have made their goals very clear that they want an okay for a worldwide military battlefield, that even extends to your hometown. That is an extreme position that will forever change our country.

Now is the time to stop this bad idea.

Please urge your senators to vote YES on the Udall Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

The Revised Revisions at Mass

2011-11-27T16:31:00.001-05:00

For Catholics in their 50s and older, the changes to the English text of the Mass that will be introduced this weekend will seem comfortably familiar, church leaders said.
"The revised Roman Missal restores the beauty and poetry of the language, and uses words that we are familiar with," said Brian Wallace, spokesman for Bishop William Lori of the Bridgeport Diocese.

The Missal is the book of prayers, chants and Scripture readings used in celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass. The revision that will be put into use in all U.S. parishes for the first Sunday in Advent, the start of the liturgical year, is the first since 1970.
"Some people don't like change, but this is nothing to be nervous about," said Nicholas Genovese, a deacon at St. Agnes Church in Milford. "This will help us to pray better, and if you think about the change from Latin to English in the 1970s, some people were upset then, but those changes are accepted now."

The new translation adheres more closely to the Latin, so that "and also with you" becomes "and also with your spirit." Instead of saying "Christ was born to the Virgin Mary," the verb in the Creed has been changed to "incarnated," and where Catholics now say Christ died, the new phrasing is he "suffered death."
"What had been a proclamation is becoming an acclamation," Genovese said. "It will now be a prayer to Jesus, rather than a statement about him. In the same way `We believe' becomes `I believe,' which is a more exact translation of the Latin word `credo' and an assertion of personal faith."

There are many more changes for the priest than for the congregation, said the Rev. William J. Killeen, a priest who serves several parishes in the Archdiocese of Hartford.
"The words that are being changed are being changed to make them more precise and to better conform to Scripture," he said.

After the Second Vatican Council in the late 1960s ordered that Mass be said in the local language, an English translation was quickly prepared and introduced. But in the short time frame required, some of the nuance and subtlety was lost, Killeen said during a recent homily. Work on the third edition of the Missal, which will be used beginning with vigil Masses on Saturday, began in 2006, and it received Vatican approval last year. New music is being written for the revised Mass that will be introduced over the next few months, Genovese said.

Archbishop Henry J. Mansell, of the Hartford Archdiocese, said in a letter to area Catholics that he has no doubt the changes will find favor quickly. "Please do not be nervous or upset," Mansell wrote. "There is no change in the ritual. The language, however, is closer to the Latin and takes us back 40 years to the way that we used to celebrate. It deepens our prayers. It lifts our souls; there is more wonder and awe conveyed in this edition."
Wallace said Fairfield County parishes are at different levels of preparedness, but the overall reception to the changes has been very positive. Some churches will have laminated cards in the pews this weekend showing the old and new texts, with the changes highlighted in bold, he said.

Reach Frank Juliano at 203-520-6986 or fjuliano@ctpost.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/FrankJuliano or blog.connpost.com/juliano.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-23T22:11:00.000-05:00

As we give thanks for all of God's many blessings, let us thank Him for everything we've ever received since the moment of our conception. For our lives, our dear parents, our guardian angels, the gifts of Faith, Hope and Love and all that we're called to become for one another.

Let's not forget to also pray for those many who are under attack from the fiery darts of the evil one and those sick in hospitals, along with those that care for them and hold them dear; may God's Will be done in all!

Remember too those that are living with serious and long term diseases and treatments and the anguish of Alzheimer's for all involved. Forget not the homeless, poor, imprisoned, the unborn and the elderly. Remember especially all the lonely, particularly those youngest and oldest that feel alone, forgotten, fearful, unloved and useless .. may the Lord send His angles to comfort them and give them hope; may they know His awesome love and mercy!

In addition to the above, all Christians should give thanks that we're all one in the Body of Christ by virtue of our Baptism and share priceless gift of His Love, Mercy and Grace according to our stations in life. Catholics especially should not be ignorant of the Treasure of the FULLNESS OF FAITH, the 7 Sacraments and the precious Gift of His True and Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, fulfilling His promise to remain with us until the end of times.

Let not any of us Christians forget to give thanks for our most blessed and Immaculate Mother who was given to us all by Jesus at the foot of the Cross .. she tirelessly intercedes for us all begging mercy and help in all our endeavors and afflictions.

Last but not least ... don't forget to thank God for the communion of saints ... that multitude of Church Triumphant, Militant and Suffering that we can also call on for help and intercession. Perhaps there's still time too to offer a little something for those less fortunate at your local shelter or favorite charity to provide a meal for those that would otherwise have nothing.

After you've done all this ... you're ready to enjoy your dinner. Blessings on all who read this and on all those they hold dear.

Mother Cabrini

2011-11-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

The Migrants' Saint

In the midst of all the votes and conversations -- not to mention an increased public voice of late of advocacy for the rights of immigrants -- only one reminder came that today's the feast of the first American saint: the Italian-born Frances Xavier Cabrini, whose work was concentrated to the last century's boom of new arrivals in New York and Chicago.

Refused admission to the religious order which had educated her to be a teacher, she began charitable work at the House of Providence Orphanage in Cadogno, Italy. In September 1877, she made her vows there and took the religious habit.

When the bishop closed the orphanage in 1880, he named Frances prioress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Seven young women from the orphanage joined with her.

Since her early childhood in Italy, Frances had wanted to be a missionary in China but, at the urging of Pope Leo XIII, Frances went west instead of east. She traveled with six sisters to New York City to work with the thousands of Italian immigrants living there.

She found disappointment and difficulties with every step. When she arrived in New York City, the house intended to be her first orphanage in the United States was not available. The archbishop advised her to return to Italy. But Frances, truly a valiant woman, departed from the archbishop’s residence all the more determined to establish that orphanage. And she succeeded.

In 35 years Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick. Seeing great need among Italian immigrants who were losing their faith, she organized schools and adult education classes.

As a child, she was always frightened of water, unable to overcome her fear of drowning. Yet, despite this fear, she traveled across the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times. [In 1917], she died of malaria in her own Columbus Hospital in Chicago.

After her canonization in 1946, "Mother Cabrini" was named patroness of immigrants by the Holy See.

Our Blessed Mother to Bless Apparition Viewers Online - Nov. 17th

2011-11-11T12:27:00.001-05:00

Medjugorje visionary Ivan Dragicevic’s apparition on November 17 in the Cathedral of Vienna will be live-streamed. According to Ivan, the Virgin Mary will bless all online viewers who pray along and follow the apparition, as if they had been physically present. Religious items brought next to the computer will also be blessed.

A six-digit number of people from all over the world will be praying in front of their computers when Medjugorje visionary Ivan Dragicevic’s apparition on November 17 in Vienna, Austria, is being live-streamed in English and Spanish by MaryTV, and in German by Kathnet.

Visionaries Ivan Dragicevic & Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti
in the Cathedral of Vienna on September 23rd 2010.

Transmission will begin at 4 pm local time (GMT +1), equaling 10 am EST. The Rosary will be prayed from about 5 pm local time (11 am EST) before Ivan’s apparition at 5.40 (11.40 am EST).
MaryTV had 398,546 online viewers when Ivan last visited the Viennese Cathedral, on September 23rd 2010 along with fellow visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti. Many were attracted by two unique charactereristics of the live-streamed apparitions. These two characteristics first surfaced when MaryTV streamed Ivan’s apparitions from Medjugorje on six consecutive days in July and August 2010:


Denis and Cathy Nolan praying the Rosary on MaryTV's roof in Medjugorje, early August 2010. Photo: MaryTV

“Ivan told us that those connected through the internet are prayed over by Our Lady the same as those kneeling right next to him during the apparition. And the religious items they have with them that they would like Our Lady to bless are blessed the same as the religious items placed right in front of her during the apparition” MaryTV President Denis Nolan recalls.
This unusual grace will be bestowed once more on November 17, and expectations are big at MaryTV. Recently, an introduction to the live-stream by chief technical engineer Tom Matasso made way for a strong experience for MaryTV message commentator Cathy Nolan:

“Tom was describing how the live feed would go out to the whole world via the internet, and in a moment I had a flash of insight about it. I could see how Our Lady would be able to look at and bless and touch her children all over the world in one moment, through the internet. “
“It was like lightening going out to the whole world bringing the graces of conversion, healing, blessing, and love. I am convinced this will be a powerful moment for Our Lady” Cathy Nolan tells in a news update to MaryTV subscribers.
The Mass after Ivan’s apparition will be presided over by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. Last year the Cardinal welcomed the two Medjugorje visionaries:
“Dear Marija, dear Ivan, thank you – first of all – that you came! Thank you that you came again! Thank you for your service across so many years, for your work, for your service of being messengers of Our Lady. You bring us – children of this world, children of humanity – her love and her presence and may God pay you back one hundred fold for what you are doing tirelessly!” Cardinal Schönborn said.

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn welcoming the
visionaries to Vienna during last year's event

According to Ivan, the message given by the Virgin Mary last year in Vienna echoed the Cardinal’s emphasis on missionary work. The Virgin’s replacement of her usual farewell greeting “Thank you for having responded to my call” with “Thank you that you will pray with me” also made the message stand out:

‘Thank you, dear children, that you have accepted my messages, that you live my messages. Thank you, dear children, that you will be my missionaries, my apostles, who will bring the message out into the world. Thank you, dear children, that you will be the carriers of the good news, of the beautiful news, of the happy news. Thank you that you will pray with me.”
MaryTV urges all to spread the news of the live-stream on November 17 via e-mail address books, on social media and in other ways perceived to be effective. Local media might be interested if many people watch the apparition together.

I realize that Medjugorje is not Church approved yet and in fact there are many that are negatively disposed .. however, one cannot discount the conversions and Confessions and increased Faith that has come out of it either. I suppose my attitude is guarded optimism as I personally know several folks that have gone, some more than once and 2 of them being nuns. We must also not forget that although our Lady has come to us many times to strengthen, guide and heal, that Jesus, Himself, IS TRULY PRESENT in every Tabernacle in the world. For the longest time I've been begging folks to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle! He waits for us 24/7 and we spend more time planning our leisure activities than thinking of He Who gave us LIFE and on Whom we depend for our very next BREATH! We DO need to have more reverence, respect and resolve to receive Holy Communion more worthily than most of us do and to make time to visit Jesus in the Tabernacle every chance we get! Why do we live here like it's the ONLY THING that's REAL and consider that ETERNITY perhaps doesn't exist??? WHY do we have it all backwards? How loving and merciful is our Triune God to put UP with us all this time!!!! Those of you who aren't disabled and can visit the Tabernacles ... GO!!! But I for one will be by the computer during this apparition with hope and love in my heart ... and FAITH ... lots of FAITH!!!!

Here is the schedule for November 17, 2011:

4:00 PM Vienna (10:00 AM USA-EST): Testimonies, including Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of MARY's MEALS
5:00 PM Vienna (11:00 AM USA-EST): Ivan's Testimony
6:00 PM Vienna (12:00 PM USA-EST): Rosary
6:40 PM Vienna (12:40 PM USA-EST): Apparition
7:00 PM Vienna (1:00 PM USA-EST): Holy Mass - Presider and Homilist, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn
8:00 PM Vienna (2:00 PM USA-EST): Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
9:00 PM Vienna (3:00 PM USA-EST): Adoration ends

LIsten Always With Obedience, Trust, and Awareness!!

2011-11-10T19:13:00.000-05:00

Pope Benedict XVI: The Law Of God Is The Center Of Life!

In his general audience this morning Benedict XVI focused his catechesis on Psalm 119, the longest of the Psalms, constructed as an acrostic in which each stanza begins with one of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Its subject matter is “the Torah of the Lord; that is, His Law, a term which in its broadest and most complete definition comprehends teaching, instruction and life guidance. The Torah is revelation, it is the Word of God which is addressed to man and which arouses his response of faithful obedience and generous love”, the Pope said.

“The Psalmist’s faithfulness arises from listening to the Word, from keeping it in his heart, meditating upon it and loving it, like Mary who ‘treasured in her heart’ the words addressed to her, the marvellous events in which God revealed Himself and asked for her response of faith”, he explained. The Psalmist describes those who walk in the Law of the Lord as blessed, and indeed “Mary is blessed because she bore the Saviour in her womb, but above all because she accepted God’s annunciation and treasured His Word attentively and lovingly”.

Psalm 119 is constructed around this Word of life and blessing. Its central theme is the Word and the Law, and its verses are replete with synonyms thereof such as “precepts, decrees, promises”, associated with verbs such as “to know, to love, to meditate, to live”, the Holy Father explained. “The entire alphabet features in the twenty-two verses of the Psalm, as does the entire vocabulary of the believer’s relationship of trust with God. We find praise, thanksgiving and trust, but also supplication and lamentation; however, all of them are pervaded by the certainty of divine grace and the power of the Word of God. Even those verses most marked by suffering and darkness remain open to hope and are permeated with faith”.

The Law of God, which is “the centre of life”, must be “listened to with obedience but not servility, with filial trust and awareness. To listen to the Word is to have a personal encounter with the Lord of life. … The fulfilment of the Law is to follow Jesus“. Thus Psalm 119 “guides us towards the Gospel”, the Pope explained. In this context he focused particularly on verse 57: “The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words”.
“The term ‘portion’”, he explained, “evokes the partition of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel, when the Levites were given no part of the territory because their ‘portion’ was the Lord Himself. … These verses are also important for us today, especially for priests, who are called to live from the Lord and from His Word alone, with no other guarantees, no other wealth, and having Him as their one source of true life. It is in this light that we can understand the free choice of celibacy for the Kingdom of heaven, which must be rediscovered in all its beauty and power.

“These verses are also important for the faithful, the People of God who belong only to Him”, the Pope added in conclusion. “They are called to experience the radical nature of the Gospel, to be witnesses of the life brought by Christ, the new and definitive ‘High Priest’ Who offered Himself in sacrifice for the salvation of the world. The Lord and His Word are our ‘land’ in which to live in communion and joy”.

All Souls Day - Don't Forget Family, Friends and those You Hold Dear!

2011-11-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

I think like many things, we take purgatory for granted. We know it's a 'shoe-in' for Heaven, so we perhaps don't think of it as severely as we ought. Before delving into the painful aspects, let's think about the souls awaiting the pearly gates.
Firstly, they cannot pray for themselves.

Once you die, you cannot gain any more graces, indulgences or do any penance to expiate your sins or the punishment they deserve. Once we leave this world and step into eternity, that's it. I believe we can still pray for others, but not ourselves.

When we die ... that moment, we come face to Face with the Lord. Imagine the total JOY at beholding such LOVE, PEACE & MERCY .. and then having to turn away to wait in a place apart from Him. That in and of itself HAS to be a horrific torture. Then we have the actual cleansing part of purgatory because no unclean thing will enter heaven. I won't get into much about how awful this is .. suffice it to say that we really should do all we can while on earth in the way of behavior, penance, prayer and indulgences to keep ourselves as well as our loved ones OUT OF THERE if at all possible.

I realize it's not pleasant to think of our loved ones in purgatory. But if we permit ourselves to become too complacent and not think of it as seriously as we should, well we're not doing ourselves or our loved ones any justice or any good. We must NEVER forget the souls in purgatory!

My dear mother taught me from a little girl, before I even entered school (and I say it STILL, 60 yrs later) "All for the honor and glory of God and the suffering souls in purgatory." Said in the morning upon awakening, you offer everything that day for God and the souls. I always pray for them when I pass a cemetery and I'm always asking for their relief and release.

During my daily 3pm's, I pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and one of my many petitions is for the pain and suffering of the souls in purgatory to be combined with the Perfect & Holy Passions of Jesus, His True Presence in the Tabernacle in the Holy Eucharist and the graces and benefits from all the Masses that day to EMPTY PURGATORY INTO HEAVEN daily during that MERCY HOUR ... and ESPECIALLY those in purgatory that have NO ONE TO PRAY FOR THEM!

If no other day, please take a moment today to join me in this request at 3PM. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with me today. If you can't pray the whole chaplet (only takes about 10 minutes), at least at 3PM, just look up to heaven and beg God's Mercy on yourselves, your loved ones and the world, alive and dead.

Don't forget .. the Church is comprised of 3 levels: The Church Triumphant (in heaven), the Church Militant (on earth) and the Church Suffering (in purgatory) .. we are ALL ONE in the Body of Christ.
Do NOT let the world and it's deceptions which are all passing away very quickly rob you of your eternal salvation. The evil one knows how much shorter his time is now and is pulling out all the stops to gain as many souls in the pit with him as he possibly can. We've read the end of the book .. we know WHO wins ... but let's try to get there as UNSCATHED as possible .. and that includes as little time in purgatory as we can. DO ALL YOU CAN WHILE ON THIS EARTH TO HELP THOSE IN PURGATORY NOW AND YOURSELVES. Remember too all those from other denominations that don't even BELIEVE in purgatory .. those poor folks have no hope of help from their loved ones ... we must pray for them!!!!! Don't take indulgences lightly or something from the past that isn't effectual anymore ... they are most efficacious and we SO need them today!

And as often as you can, pray the prayer of St. Gertrude to release 1,000 souls with each recitation:
“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”

What's REALLY Important? ..... The Eucharist, Rosary & Confession

2011-11-02T07:55:00.000-04:00

Bishop Edward Slattery

Bishop Edward Slattery, 71, was born and raised in Chicago. He attended the archdiocese’s Mundelein Seminary and was ordained a priest in 1966. He served in Chicago parishes and was active with the Catholic Church Extension Society, which funds the American home missions. You’ve made public statements about problems with the liturgy. What changes would you like to see?

I would like to see the liturgy become what Vatican II intended it to be. That’s not something that can happen overnight. The bishops who were the fathers of the council from the United States came home and made changes too quickly. They shouldn’t have viewed the old liturgy, what we call the Tridentine Mass or Missal of Pope John XXIII, as something that needed to be fixed. Nothing was broken. There was an attitude that we had to implement Vatican II in a way that radically affects the liturgy.

What we lost in a short period of time was continuity. The new liturgy should be clearly identifiable as the liturgy of the pre-Vatican II Church. Changes, like turning the altar around, were too sudden and too radical. There is nothing in the Vatican II documents that justifies such changes. We’ve always had Mass facing the people as well as Mass ad orientem [“to the east,” with priest and people facing the same direction]. However, Mass ad orientem was the norm. These changes did not come from Vatican II.

Also, it was not a wise decision to do away with Latin in the Mass. How that happened, I don’t know; but the fathers of the Council never intended us to drop Latin. They wanted us to hold on to it and, at the same time, to make room for the vernacular, primarily so that the people could understand the Scriptures.

Are there spiritual practices you recommend?

We have to return to the Rosary. Pope John Paul II said that when we pray the Rosary, we see the life of Christ through the eyes of his mother, Mary. And there’s no better way to look at Christ than through the eyes of Mary. The Rosary is a tried and true means of doing that. I encourage every Catholic to pray the Rosary every day. Praying the Rosary takes us through the major mysteries of our faith, especially now since John Paul has given us the five Luminous Mysteries.

I also advise a return to confession. When I say this, I don’t mean to do this in some sort of laborious, burdensome way, but rather as a form of prayer. Pray before you examine your conscience, and allow the Lord to tell you what your sins are. He loves you, and he will tell you a lot about yourself. He will help you see yourself in contrast with his infinite love for you. You will begin to see the gap between his love for you and your love for Him. And when you experience that gap, it will help you become more generous and more apt to recognize and admit your sins in confession.

All Saints Day

2011-11-01T11:02:00.001-04:00

The Solemnity of All Saints Day and All Souls Day are celebrated on November 1 and 2, respectively. On All Saints Day, the church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. This day should inspire us with tremendous hope as the saints who have gone before us to the heavenly home call on us to follow them.

The Solemnity of All Saints Day and All Souls Day are celebrated on November 1 and 2, respectively. On All Saints Day, the church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. This day should inspire us with tremendous hope as the saints who have gone before us to the heavenly home call on us to follow them.

INVOCATION
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
My Jesus, by the sorrows Thou didst suffer in Thine agony in the Garden, in Thy scourging and crowning with thorns, in the way to Calvary, in Thy crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in purgatory, and especially on those that are most forsaken; do Thou deliver them from the dire torments they endure; call them and admit them to Thy most sweet embrace in paradise. Our Father, Hail Mary, Eternal rest, etc.

FOR ALL THE DECEASED
By Thy resurrection from the dead, O Christ, death no longer hath dominion over those who die in holiness. So, we beseech Thee, give rest to Thy servants in Thy sanctuary and in Abraham's bosom. Grant it to those, who from Adam until now have adored Thee with purity, to our fathers and brothers, to our kinsmen and friends, to all men who have lived by faith and passed on their road to Thee, by a thousand ways, and in all conditions, and make them worthy of the heavenly kingdom. Byzantine Liturgy

DE PROFUNDIS
The psalmist is crying out here from the depression that grips him because of his sense of sin. He tells God that no man could be forgiven should strict justice be demanded; but, since God is forgiving and merciful, the psalmist (Israel) will hope for redemption from iniquities. We, who know the mercy of God far better than the g Israelites, may pray this psalm with even greater trust in God. The Church uses this psalm in the liturgy as her official prayer for the souls in Purgatory. Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my, voice! Let Your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication: If You, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand? But with You is forgiveness, that You may be revered. I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in His word. My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn. More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for the Lord, For with the Lord is kindness and with Him is plenteous redemption; And He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities. Psalm 130

THE MISERERE
This psalm is a marvelous act of contrition, confession, and supplication by a repentant sinner. It was composed by David after his sin with Bethsabee. In reparation David promises to lead others back to God by telling them of the ways of divine justice. Instead of offering God an external sacrifice which he knows He will not accept, he offers instead the sacrifice of a contrite and humble heart, a sacrifice that will always be most pleasing in the eyes of God. Have mercy on me, 0 God, in Your goodness; in the greatness of Your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: "Against You only have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight"-- That You may be justified in Your sentence, vindicated when You condemn. Indeed, in guilt was I born, and in sin my mother conceived me; Behold, You are pleased with sincerity of heart, and in my inmost being You teach me wisdom. Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness; the bones You have crushed shall rejoice. Turn away Your face from my sins, and blot out all my guilt. A clean heart create for me, 0 God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from Your presence, and Your holy spirit take not from me. Give me back the joy of Your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall return to You. Free me from blood guilt, 0 God, my saving God; then my tongue shall revel in Your justice. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim Your praise. For You are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a holocaust, You would not accept it. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, 0 God, You will not spurn. Be bountiful, O Lord, to Sion in Your kindness by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem; Then shall You be pleased with due sacrifices, burnt offerings and holocausts; then shall they offer up bullocks on Your altar. Psalm 50

FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
O Lord, who art ever merciful and bounteous with Thy gifts, look down upon the suffering souls in purgatory. Remember not their offenses and negligences, but be mindful of Thy loving mercy, which is from all eternity. Cleanse them of their sins and fulfill their ardent desires that they may be made worthy to behold Thee face to face in Thy glory. May they soon be united with Thee and hear those blessed words which will call them to their heavenly home: "Come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

For more information on the All Saints and All Souls Day, please click on the following links:

November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
Litany of the Saints
Little Litany of the Holy Souls
Prayer for a Happy Death
Daily Acceptance of Death
Visiting a Cemetery on All Souls Day, Memorial Day, or on the Anniversary of Death or Burial
Out of the Depths - De Profundis
Dies Irae, Dies Illa