Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

The Transfiguration of the Lord by Fra Angelico

"...In her liturgy, the Church teaches that the Transfiguration was a way that the Father prepared the apostles to face the passion and death of Jesus. In front of the horror they would witness, they were not to wonder, 'What about the Son?' but rather to share in Jesus' certainty that the Father's love was with him and would not abandon him. As he did not begin his public ministry without a manifestation of the Father's love, Jesus himself does not embark upon his passion without praying to the Father. It was his dependence upon the loving will of his beloved Father that enabled Jesus to hand himself over so completely. Jesus' strength lay not in the power of his own human will, but in the loving will of his father...

The Transfiguration and Holy Dependence by Father Richard Veras, Magnificat

Trinity Sunday

Daily Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity.

Author: Unknown

O most holy Trinity, Almighty God, we adore You, who give life and vigor to every creature and who shed light eternal where there is darkness. We offer you our hearts, our souls, and our whole being, today and on the days to come, that we may offer perfect praise and love to your glorious Name. Amen.

O Father almighty, we thank you wholeheartedly for all the blessings and graces You have so generously given us then and now.

O merciful Christ Jesus, wash away our sins with your most precious blood. Feel the beating of our hearts and make them like your own. Oh, dear Jesus, wipe away our tears and pardon us for our sinfulness. Be with us, O Lord, until our dying day that we may be worthy of your mercy and forgiveness.

O Holy Spirit, our guide and inspiration, lead us to the right path. And if, on our way, we encounter difficulties and trials, do not allow us to fall or lose hope. Grant us the graces we need daily that we may also share our blessings with our fellowmen. And when the time comes, O Holy Spirit, lead us to the place that is secure, full of joy and eternal peace. Amen.

Prayer Source

St. Rita of Cascia

Picture source

Hymn to Saint Rita of Cascia
I.
Come, virgins chaste; pure brides, draw near:
Let Earth exult and Heaven hear
The Hymn that grateful accents raise,
Our song of joy in Rita's praise.

II.
By fast her sinless frame is weak;
Her livid flesh the scourges streak.
In pity for her Savior's woes,
Her days and even nights are closed.

III.
The thorn-wound on her brow is shown,
The crimson rose in winter blown,
And full-ripe figs on frozen tree
At Rita's wish the wonders see.

IV.
The widowed spouse and wedded wife
The way to heaven see in her life;
The way secure our Rita trod,
In life's dim day, through paint o God.

V.
Praise to the Father and the Son,
Praise to the Spirit, Three in One;
O grant us grace in heaven to reign
Through Rita's prayer and life-long pain.

V. Thou hast signed thy servant Rita
A. With the sign of thy Love and Passion.

Let us Pray.

O God! who didst deign to confer on St. Rita for imitating Thee in love of her enemies, the favor of bearing her heart and brow the marks of Thy Love and Passion, grant we beseech Thee, that through her intercession and merit, we may, pierced by the thorns of compunction, ever contemplate the sufferings of Thy Passion, who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.

This hymn is the translation of the hymn of Lauds, office of St. Rita, approved by Decree of S.C.R. Nov. 24, 1900.

Prayer and hymn source

Feast of the Ascension

Photo source

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God,
that we will believe Thine only-begotten Son our Redeemer
to have ascended this day into heaven,
may ourselves dwell in spirit amid heavenly things.

Roman Missal, collect for Ascension, 6th-8th Century

Prayer source

Feast of St. Patrick

Lorica of Saint Patrick

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

St. Patrick (ca. 377)

Source EWTN

San Juan Diego

Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548)

Prayer to St. Juan Diego
You who were chosen by Our Lady of Guadalupe as an instrument to show your people and the world that the way of Christianity is one of love, compassion, understanding, values, sacrifices, repentance of our sins, appreciation and respect for God’s creation, and most of all one of humility and obedience;

You whom we know is now in the Kingdom of the Lord and close to our Mother;

Be our angel and protect us, stay with us as we struggle in this modern life often not knowing where to set our priorities;

Help us to pray to our God to obtain the gifts of the Holy Spirit and use them for the good of humanity and the good of our Church, through the Heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Heart of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer source

St. Francis Xavier - Patron Saint of Missionaries

Statue of St. Francis Xavier - St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa,
Photo by Joey

Today is the memorial of St. Francis Xavier, S.J. He along with St. Therese are the patron saints of missionaries.

I found this interesting article regarding the depiction of St. Francis Xavier in art. You can read it here

Feast of San Martin de Porres

O humble Saint Martin de Porres,
you are the patron of social justice.
You spent your whole life in Peru
as a laborer and dedicated yourself
to unyielding acts of contrition.
Our Lord blessed you
with spiritual wisdom
and a generous heart
that you freely shared
with your fellow neighbor
and all the animals of the earth.
You doctored the sick,
fed the hungry, and gave
safe refuge to the oppressed.
Guide me to use my gifts
to help others who need
someone to stand up for them.
Amen.

- From a Holy Card.

Reflection: The thought that struck me this morning as I gazed at our statue of San Martin de Porres, is that I will ask for his intercession for the elections tomorrow, on this the eve of election day. May this humble saint who suffered at times because of the color of his skin, protect the millions of children, especially those who are Black or Hispanic, from the dangers of abortion.

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

Rosary Novena Prayer

Holy Virgin Mary,
Mother of God and our Mother,
accept this Holy Rosary which I offer you
to show my love for you
and my firm confidence in your powerful intercession.

I offer it as an act of faith in the mysteries
of the Incarnation and the Redemption,
as an act of thanksgiving to God
for all his love for me and all mankind,
as an act of atonement for the sins of the world,
especially my own,
and as an act of petition to God
through your intercession
for all the needs of God's people on earth,
but especially for this earnest request.
(mention your request)

I beg you, dear Mother of God,
present my petition to Jesus, your Son,
I know that you want me to seek God's will
in my request.
If what I ask for should not be God's will,
pray that I may receive that which will be
of greater benefit for my soul.
I put all my confidence in you.

- New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book.

Feast of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Padre Pio's Last Mass 1968

"Jesus in the Holy Eucharist asks for nothing but love . . . . He is so much in love with my heart that He makes me burn with His divine fire, with the fire of His love . . . . I often ask myself if any people exist who do not feel their breast burning with divine fire, especially when they are close to Him in the Blessed Sacrament"

St. Padre Pio

Feast - Santa Rosa de Lima

Santa Rosa de Lima, is one of Peru's beloved saints. The other is San Martin de Porres who is also very much loved by Peruvians and non-Peruvians alike.

I found the picture above from my favorite Catholic news site Aciprensa If you click that link you can view a gallery of pictures.

For those of you who can read and understand Spanish, you can visit this page to learn more about the life of Santa Rosa de Lima. For those of you who cannot, I will translate it for you below:

She was born in the capital of Peru in 1586. Her ancestry was Spanish. She was the first saint canonized of the New World. Although the child was baptized with the name Isabel, everyone called her "Rosa" and that was the name given at her Confirmation by Archbishop Saint Toribio.

Rosa took Saint Catherine of Siena as her role model despite the oppositions and mockeries. That is how she decided to practice self-denial through humility, obedience and self-sacrifice.

Saint Rose suffered much because of those who did not understand her. After enrolling in the third order of Saint Dominic, she practically became a recluse in a cabin that had been constructed in the garden.

She wore on her head a thin ribbon made of silver whose interior was made of a crown of thorns.

Her love of the Lord was so great that when she spoke about Him, her tone of voice would change and her face would light up as if to reflect the sentiments of her soul. This phenomenon would manifest especially in the Holy Eucharist and at Holy Communion.

Later on, a commission made up of doctors and priests examined the saint and concluded that these experiences were really supernatural. They agreed that Saint Rosa's lifestyle and the ascetic practices only happened in souls called to a special vocation. The most admirable quality of Saint Rose was her great spirituality of saintly heroism because all the saints whether in the world, the desert or in the cloister, possess the common characteristic of having tried to live for God in every single moment. Those who have the pure intention to comply in all the will of God, will be able to serve with fullness in everything they do.

Saint Rose died on August 24th, 1617 at the age of 31. She was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671.

For a sample of her writings, please visit Beauty of Divine Grace

Feast of St. Pius X

Today is the feast of the "Children's Pope", St. Pius X. There are many good posts out there, like Veni Sancte Spiritus' post or The Catholic Fire's post.

I wanted to share two items from a new blogger I recently found when searching for some Catholic art Idle Speculations:

St. Pius X

Death of St. Pius X

Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe

Today, the Catholic blog world will be alive with posts on one of the Church's favorite saints and heroes, St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe.

I would like to share with you two of my past posts:

St. Maximilian Kolbe 2006

Feast Day of St. Maxiilian Mary Kolbe 2007

Feast Day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

The above photo is from the book Edith Stein Her Life in Photos and Documents by Maria Amata Neyer, O.C.D., ICS Publications, Washington, D.C.
A couple of earlier posts on her feast day:

2007 Photos and quotes

2006 Biography

Homily - St. Dominic

Feast of Our Lady of the Angels

William Bouguereau Notre-Dame des Anges [Our Lady of the Angels]
Picture source Idle Speculations

Since I was locked out of my blog for a couple of days, I blogged about The Feast of Our Lady of Angels and Portiuncula plenary indulgence on Joey's blog

It was a custom in our home parish run by Capuchins, to attend Mass at a Franciscan church in order to gain plenary indulgence. This day brings back fond memories of our friends the Franciscan Friars at Our Lady of Lourdes.

I'd also like to wish my brother B. a very happy birthday!

Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

One of the important Marian Feast days commemorated by the Catholic Church is today's feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This one is particularly important because we are called to wear our Lady's own garment...the Brown Scapular. She made a promise to St. Simon Stock that whoever wore the Brown Scapular would not suffer eternal fire.

The Blessed Virgin Mary gave the scapular to St. Simon Stock with the following words:
"Receive, my dear son, this scapular of thy Order, as the distinctive sign of my confraternity, and the mark of the privilege which I have obtained for thee and the children of Carmel. It is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in danger, and a special pledge of peace and protection till the end of time. Whosoever dies wearing this shall be preserved from eternal flames."

To learn more about our Lady's feast day and to learn how to become enrolled with the Brown Scapular, please visit St. Michael's Center for the BVM, Honolulu, Hawaii

Feast of St. Thomas

Santo Tomás - Jusepe Martínez

Feast of the Precious Blood of Jesus

Angels Collecting the Precious Blood of Jesus
Thanks to Sue of Half the Kingdom for the picture and the following prayers that she emailed me. Please be sure to visit her site for the Prayer and Procedure for Covering You and Your Loved Ones in the Blood of Jesus.

Prayers Honoring the Seven Times Jesus Spilled His Precious Blood for Us,
as Revealed by Our Lady to St. Bridget, and Approved by Pope Clement XII
Source 2HeartsNetwork

Our Lord made these promises to anyone who recited/prayed these prayers for 12 entire years**:

1. The soul who prays them will suffer no Purgatory.
2. The soul who prays them will be accepted among the Martyrs as though he had spilled his blood for his faith.
3. The soul who prays them can choose three others whom Jesus will then keep in a state of grace sufficient to become holy.
4. No one in the four successive generations of the soul who prays them will be lost.
5. The soul who prays them will be made conscious of his death one month in advance.

** If the soul praying these prayers dies before the entire 12 years of prayers have been completed, the Lord will accept them as having been prayed in their entirety, because the intention of the soul was to complete them as directed.

If a day or a few days are missed due to a valid reason, they can be made up for later, at the soul's earliest opportunity.

The 12 Year Prayers:

O Jesus, now I wish to pray the Lord's Prayer seven times in unity with the love with which You sanctified this prayer in Your Heart. Take it from my lips into Your Divine Heart. Improve and complete it so much that it brings as much honor and joy to the Trinity as You granted it on earth with this prayer. May these pour upon Your Holy Humanity in Glorification to Your Painful Wounds and the Precious Blood that You spilled from them.

First Prayer: The Circumcision

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the first wounds, the first pains, and the first Bloodshed as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of youth, as protection against the first mortal sin, especially among my relatives.

Second Prayer: The Suffering on the Mount of Olives

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the terrifying suffering of Jesus' Heart on the Mount of Olives and every drop of His Bloody Sweat as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the heart, as protection against such sins and for the spreading of Divine and brotherly Love.

Third Prayer: The Flogging

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the many thousands of Wounds, the gruesome Pains, and the Precious Blood of the Flogging as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the Flesh, as protection against such sins and the preservation of innocence, especially among my relatives.

Fourth Prayer: The Crowning of Thorns

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Wounds, the Pains, and the Precious Blood of Jesus' Holy Head from the Crowning with Thorns as atonement for my and all of humanity's sins of the Spirit, as protection against such sins and the spreading of Christ's kingdom here on earth.

Fifth Prayer: The Carrying of the Cross

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You the Sufferings on the way of the Cross, especially His Holy Wound on His Shoulder and its Precious Blood as atonement for my and all of humanity's rebellion against the Cross, every grumbling against Your Holy Arrangements and all other sins of the tongue, as protection against such sins and for true love of the Cross.

Sixth Prayer: The Crucifixion

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, through Mary's unblemished hands and the Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer You Your Son on the Cross, His Nailing and Raising, His Wounds on the Hands and Feet and the three streams of His Precious Blood that poured forth from these for us, His extreme tortures of the Body and Soul, His precious Death and its non-bleeding Renewal in all Holy Masses on earth as atonement for all wounds against vows and regulations within the Orders, as reparation for my and all of the world's sins, for the sick and the dying, for all holy priests and laymen, for the Holy Father's intentions toward the restoration of Christian families, for the strengthening of Faith, for our country and unity among all nations in Christ and His Church, as well as for the Diaspora.

Seventh Prayer: The Piercing of Jesus' Side

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, then:

Eternal Father, accept as worthy, for the needs of the Holy Church and as atonement for the sins of all Mankind, the Precious Blood and Water which poured forth from the Wound of Jesus' Divine Heart. Be gracious and merciful toward us. Blood of Christ, the last precious content of His Holy Heart, wash me of all my and others' guilt of sin! Water from the Side of Christ, wash me clean of all punishments for sin and extinguish the flames of Purgatory for me and for all the Poor Souls. Amen.

Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Although, other interpretations can be applied to the numerous symbols in this icon, the following explanation is the one I learned. I hope you find it as moving as I did the first time I heard it. Although I prefer oil paintings by the great masters to icons, this is one icon I truly love.

This Byzantine icon is replete with numerous symbols.

Look at the picture.

Frightened by the vision of two angels showing him the instruments of Passion, the Christ Child has run to His Mother, almost losing, in His haste, one of the tiny sandals.

Mary holds Him in her arms reassuringly, lovingly. But notice her eyes. They look not at Jesus but at us. How better could the artist express Our Lady's interest in our lives and spiritual growth?

Christ's little hands are pressed into Mary's as a reminder to us that just as on earth He placed Himself entirely in her hands for protection, so now in heaven He places each of us in her tender loving care.

There are also the following Greek initials: for "Jesus Christ", for "Mother of God", for "St. Gabriel the Arch Angel" who is depicted holding the cross and nails, and for "St. Michael the Arch Angel" who is depicted holding the lance and gall-sop of Christ's Passion.

There is a star on Our Lady's veil symbolizing that she is the Star of the Sea who leads us to the safe port of heaven. Mary's left hand is supporting Christ possessively. She is His Mother. It is a comforting hand for everyone who asks for her intercession. Her mouth is small for silent recollection. She speaks little. She wears a red tunic, the color worn by virgins at the time of Christ, and a dark blue mantle, the colors worn by mothers in Palestine.

The entire background is golden, symbolic of heaven. Christ's Hands, palms turned down into His Mother's, indicate that He has chosen for the graces of redemption to be in her keeping.

Source - Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Church