Prayer for St. John Neumann's Intercession

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Thanks to Mary Jane for sharing.

O Jesus, who on earth commanded and practiced a hidden life, grant that--in these our days of pride and outward display--the example of your servant John Neumann may lead us to follow your humble ways. Grant, O Lord, that like your holy bishop we may do all our work with the pure intention of pleasing you, and let not our deeds be done to win the favor of others but to give glory to our Father in heaven.

We thank you that our fellow citizen and devoted missionary bishop is recognized among the saints of your Church in heaven, and we beseech you, O Lord, to glorify him on earth by granting the favors we ask through his intercession. Amen.

Saint John of the Cross

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"If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection."

Prayer to Saint John of the Cross

O glorious Saint John of the Cross,

great Doctor of the Church,

who, from very longing to be configured to Jesus crucified,

didst desire nothing more ardently,

even to the last moment of thy holy life,

than to suffer and

to be despised and rejected of all men;

and so great was thy thirst for suffering,

that thy generous heart was filled with joy

in the midst of most painful torments and afflictions;

I beseech thee, dear Saint,

by the glory thou didst merit by thy

manifold sufferings,

intercede for me with almighty God and

obtain for me love of suffering, together

with the grace and strength to endure all

tribulations and adversities with dauntless courage;

for these are the sure means of coming

into the possession of that crown of glory

which is prepared for me in heaven.

Ah yes, dear Saint,

from that high and glorious throne where thou

sittest triumphant, hear,

I beseech thee,

my earnest entreaties, that,

following thee,

I may become a lover of the cross and

of suffering and thus may merit to be thy companion in glory.

Amen.

Prayer source: The Prayer Book, Catholic Press Inc.

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"Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing."

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Prayer that We Will Possess All Things in Christ

My God,

You will not take away what You have given me

in Your only Son, Jesus Christ.

In him, You have given me all that I desire.

You will, therefore, no long delay-

and this is my joy-

provided that I wait for You.

So, my heart, why do you delay?

Why do you procrastinate?

From this moment on you can love your God!

Mine are the heavens,

mine is the earth and mine are the peoples;

mine are the just and mine are the sinners;

mine are the angels;

mine is the mother of God-

God Himself is mine, for me-

for mine is Christ

and everything is for me.

What do you ask, what do you seek, my soul?

Everything is for you and everything is yours!

Do not think of yourself as little

nor pay attention to the scraps that fall

from the table of your Father.

Rise on the great day

and take your glory in His!

Hide yourself in it

and be joyful:

everything which your heart desires

shall be yours.

- St. John of the Cross (1549-1591)
Priest, Mystic and Doctor of the Church

Prayer Source: New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book, Catholic Book Publishing

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"In detachment, the spirit finds quiet and repose for coveting nothing. Nothing wearies it by elation, and nothing oppresses it by dejection, because it stands in the center of its own humility."

"In giving us His Son, His only Word, He spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word -- and He has no more to say ... because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son."

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"I wish I could persuade spiritual persons that the way of perfection does not consist in many devices, nor in much cogitation, but in denying themselves completely and yielding themselves to suffer everything for the love of Christ. And if there is failure in this exercise, all other methods of walking in the spiritual way are merely a beating about the bush, and profitless trifling, although a person should have very high contemplation and communication with God."

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"Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing."

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"O you souls who wish to go on with so much safety and consolation, if you knew how pleasing to God is suffering, and how much it helps in acquiring other good things, you would never seek consolation in anything; but you would rather look upon it as a great happiness to bear the Cross of the Lord."

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"For this reason the apostle Paul said of Christ, "In him are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God." The soul cannot enter into these treasures, nor attain them, unless it first crosses into and enters the thicket of suffering, enduring interior and exterior labors, and unless it first receives from God very many blessings in the intellect and in the senses, and has undergone long spiritual training.

The gate that gives entry into these riches of his wisdom is the cross; because it is a narrow gate, while many seek the joys that can be gained through it, it is given to few to desire to pass through it."

Source for the St. John of the Cross quotes on self-denial.

Feast of St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas - Patron of Greece

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Wonder-working follower of Christ,
from your early years you practiced fasting
and were outstanding in generosity.

You quickly distributed to the poor
what you had inherited from your parents.

Traveling to Palestine, you became a bishop
and dared to preach the Gospel
for which you were thrown into prison.

As "Santa Claus" you are still loved today.

Teach us to be generous like you!

- New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book, Catholic Book Publishing

Sacred Heart & Happy feast of St. Francis Xavier SJ

 The following was shared by Mary Jane D. via email.

Today is not only the feast of St. Francis Xavier, SJ - incorrupt body in India
but the names day of our dear Father Francis Xavier Seelos who was named after this great saint!

O great Saint Francis, well beloved and full of charity, with thee I reverently adore the Divine Majesty; and since I especially rejoice in the singular gifts of grace bestowed on thee in life, and of glory after death, I give thanks to God, and beg of thee, with all the affection of my heart that by thy powerful intercession thou mayest obtain for me above all things the grace to live a holy life and die a holy death. Moreover, I beg of thee to obtain for me (here insert some special spiritual or temporal favor); but if what I ask does not tend to the glory of God and the greater good of my soul, do thou, I beseech thee, obtain for me what will more certainly attain these ends. Amen

Look how happy he is on his names day!! Your prayers will truly be answered today!!

Bountiful God,
in Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, You have given Your people
a model for those who labor joyfully in Your earthly kingdom.
May his smile dwell on those who find life burdensome.
In him, our eyes continually behold the gentleness of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
Amen. (mention your intentions)

Most of all, we remember the Sacred Heart of Jesus on this First Friday in Advent.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pour down Your blessings abundantly on Your holy Church, on the Supreme Pointiff, and on all the clergy. Grant perseverance to the just, convert sinners, enlighten infidels, bless our parents, friends, and benefactors, assist the dying, free the souls in purgatory, and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Your love. (mention your intentions) AMEN

Feast of San Ignacio de Loyola

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Tomad, Señor, y recibid
toda mi libertad,
mi memoria,
mi entendimiento
y toda mi voluntad;
todo mi haber y mi poseer.
Vos me disteis,
a Vos, Señor, lo torno.
Todo es Vuestro:
disponed de ello
según Vuestra Voluntad.
Dadme Vuestro Amor y Gracia,
que éstas me bastan.
Amén.

Take, O Lord, into Thy hands my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my will. All that I am, and have. Thou hast given me, and I surrender them to Thee, to be so disposed in accordance with Thy holy will. Give me Thy love and Thy grace, with these I am rich enough and desire nothing more. Amen.

The following is from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, "Three Modes of Humility".

"The first Mode of Humility is necessary to eternal salvation: to wit, that I so abase and humble myself, as far as lies in my power, as in all things to obey the law of God our Lord, in such sort that though men would make me lord of all created things in the world, or for the preservation of my own temporal life, I would not enter into deliberation about breaking a commandment, whether divine or human, that binds me under mortal sin(88).

On the Feast Day of St. Alphonsus Liguori - A Blessing for Arthritis Sufferers

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The following came from Mary Jane. Thank you Mary Jane!

August 1 is the feast of St. Alphonsus patron of arthritis and suffering from pain receive a blessing online and click on the prayer below:

Click here: The Redemptorists, Denver Province - A Religious Congregation Of Men Founded By Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Click here to pray each day for those whom you know who suffer with arthritis and/or pain.

Venerable Pierre Touissant intercessory Prayer

Venerable Pierre Touissant,
We ask for your intercession for the land of your birth, Haiti, during this tragedy.
Assist the helpless,
Comfort the people as they mourn the loss of their loved ones.
Give hope to the hopeless
Protect those who unselfishly have gone there on the rescue mission;
and above all, remind everyone, God has not abandoned them.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.

by Esther G.

St. Gerard - Patron Saint of Mothers and Good Confessions

I found this going through my things too. What I didn't know about St. Gerard Majella was that he is also the patron saint of good confessions. Found that out at the site where I found this lovely picture of him. WEBSITE

For a Good Confession

St. Gerard, Patron of a Good Confession, who gave courage to souls whom fear and shame had overcome; who gave sorrow to their hearts, resolution to their wills, truth to their faltering lips; help me to make a good confession. Enable me to know my sins, to be truly sorry for them, and to be firmly resolved, with God's grace, never to sin again.

Help me to confess my sins humbly and sincerely, to confess them in the spirit of faith, as confessing them to Our Lord himself.

Stand by me in this confession, O gentle Saint, an angel of God


Okay, now for the prayers I found in my papers. I remember my sister gave me these prayers and I used to pray it daily. God answered my prayers but not in the way I had thought...He led us to Joey:

For Motherhood:

Good Saint Gerard, powerful intercessor before the throne of God, wonder-worker of our day, I call upon you and seek your aid. You know that our marriage has not yet been blessed with a child and how much my husband and I desire this gift. Please present our fervent pleas to the Creator life, from whom all parenthood proceeds, and beseech him to bless us with a child whom we may raise as his child and heir of heaven. Amen.


For A Mother With Child:

Almighty and Everlasting God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, You prepared the body and soul of the Virgin Mary to be a worthy dwelling place of your divine Son. You sanctified Saint John the Baptist while still in his mother's womb. Listen now to my prayer. Through the intercession of Saint Gerard, watch over my child and me; protect us at the time of delivery. May my child receive the saving graces of baptism, lead a Christian life, and together with all the members of our family, attain, everlasting happiness in heaven. Amen.